Spooky Folk Tale The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Charming Family Story Kohkom’s Babushka to Receive World Premieres This Fall at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
By
Banff Centre Communications
Posted on
July 18, 2025
Margret Greenham Theatre, Photo Credit Rita Taylor 2022
Partnering with theatre companies in Calgary and Edmonton, Banff Centre will present world premieres of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Kohkom’s Babushka in October 2025, seeing Banff Centre fully steward a new play from concept to production.
BANFF, AB, July 21, 2025 – As temperatures cool and night extends this fall, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity invites theatre audiences in Southern Alberta to venture inside our theatres for two exciting world premiere productions! Just in time for Halloween, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a production by Alberta Theatre Projects in association with Banff Centre featuring The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, will run on October 11, 14, 15, and 17 in the Jenny Belzberg Theatre. And, a celebration of friendship and connection across cultures and generations, Punctuate! Theatre’s production of Kohkom’s Babushka will run October 10, 15, 16, and 18 in the Margaret Greenham Theatre with Pyretic Theatre in association with Banff Centre.
“I’m so excited to see these two very different but equally stunning productions come to life at Banff Centre. I hope audiences find Sleepy Hollow as visually arresting and eerie as they find Kohkom’s Babushka heartwarming and entertaining. Depending on your mood and theatre going companions, both are the perfect activity for an October in the mountains.”
Amiel Gladstone, Director, Theatre Arts
From the minds of the twisted genius of Calgary’s The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow riffs on Washington Irving’s original story through the visionary style that the Siminovitch Prize-nominated Old Trouts are known for. Directed by Craig Hall—artistic director of Rosebud Theatre and former artistic director of Vertigo Theatre—and written by company co-artistic director Judd Palmer and Calgary-based writer, actor, and director Anna Cummer, Sleepy Hollow marks the company’s first new production since 2019’s acclaimed Ghost Opera, a co-production with Calgary Opera and Banff Centre. The Old Trout Puppet Workshop is legendary for its ten touring productions, popular around the world, most notably including Beowulf (2002), Ignorance (2011), and Famous Puppet Death Scenes (2006). After appearing in Banff, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow will appear in Alberta Theatre Projects’ 2025-26 season.
Kohkom’s Babushka is the latest production from Edmonton’s "ever-enterprising" (The Edmonton Journal) Punctuate! Theatre. Taking inspiration from the children’s book by Marion Mutala, about the friendship between two young girls—one Métis, one Ukrainian—the play is written by real-life childhood friends Lianna Makuch and Joleen Ballendine, themselves Ukrainian and Métis. Makuch also directs. Following this world premiere run, the production will be produced in Edmonton later this season.
As a post-secondary institution based in the heart of the Rocky Mountains specializing in training and education in arts, leadership, Indigenous culture, and mountain culture, Banff Centre’s Theatre Arts department is a hub for new play development across Canada. Known for its popular Playwright’s Lab, many of the country’s biggest names in playwrighting have used Banff Centre residencies as valuable opportunities for feedback, guidance, and workshopping.
Both productions of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Kohkom’s Babushka are the culmination of a gift from The Slaight Family Foundation. This gift allowed for various programs, including residencies for playwrights from across the country, several script workshops, actor training, and now, full productions.
"These productions are the culmination of residencies for theatre artists including actors, playwrights, stage managers, and producers, that have taken place over the past four years. The process powerfully demonstrates the value of Banff Centre’s work offering creative time and space and training opportunities to artists from across Canada as well as elsewhere in the world. We are very grateful for the visionary support provided by The Slaight Family Foundation that has made these programs possible."
Josephine Ridge, Executive Director, Arts at Banff Centre
Banff Centre Fall Productions At-a-Glance:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
An Alberta Theatre Projects production in association with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, featuring The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
Creative Team
• Based on the story by Washington Irving
• Adaptation and story by Peter Balkwill, Anna Cummer, Steven (Pityu) Kenderes, and Judd Palmer
• Written by Anna Cummer and Judd Palmer
• Directed by Craig Hall
• Lighting design by Sonoyo Nishikawa
• Set, puppet, and costume design by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
Performance Details
• Previews: October 11, 14, 15
• Premiere: October 17
• Time: 7:30 p.m.
• Venue: Jenny Belzberg Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
• Price: $20 to $45
Kohkom's Babushka
A Punctuate! Theatre Production with Pyretic Theatre in association with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Creative Team
• Inspired by the book by Marion Mutala
• Written by Lianna Makuch and Joleen Ballendine
• Directed by Lianna Makuch
• Movement direction by Anna Kuman
• Set, props, and lighting design by Stephanie Bahniuk
• Costume design by Jolane Houle
• Compositions by Darla Daniels
• Sound design by Aaron Macri
• Video design by Amelia Scott
• Stage managed by Ken James Stewart
• Produced by Andy Cohen
• Production managed/technical directed by Trent Crosby
Performance Details
• Previews: October 10, 15, 16
• Premiere: October 18
• Time: October 15 at 2 p.m., all others at 7:30 p.m.
• Venue: Margaret Greenham Theatre at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
• Price: $20 to $45
• Recommended for audiences age 8 and up
For photos, information, interview requests, or review tickets, please contact:
Carly Maga
Director, Communications
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
tel: +1.403.763.6210
cell: +1.403.431.3423
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus - artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences - to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca