Grimm Tales
Nineteen12 Productions
The Dixon Studio at The Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
4th - 8th April 2017
Nineteen12 Productions
The Dixon Studio at The Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
4th - 8th April 2017
After the huge success of their last two shows, The Witches and The BFG, Nineteen12 Productions are returning once again to wow younger audiences with their own freshly adapted version of Grimm’s fairytales. If you’re expecting to see a Disney style translation of the tales, however, you may be a tad disappointed. Claire Brooks, who is directing the show tells me, “We’ve stuck with the original Grimm’s tales, but,” she adds, “they’re definitely not the Disney-fied versions!”
Producer, Michael Rowley, confirms this. “It’s true to their writing but they're not scary.” The production is predominantly aimed towards children from the age of 7 years old and upwards.
The reason Nineteen12 are gearing the show towards the 7 years and upwards age bracket is simply because, they feel, that this specific age range doesn’t really get catered for in the theatre.
“A lot of shows tend to be for either 3 years or 4 years plus or towards the other end of the scale - shows like Woman in Black, are the sort of play that appeal to teenagers, so this is something for more junior school age children.” Claire explains.
It may be surprising to learn that the original Grimm Tales were written in a very dark and sinister style. The two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began telling tales to their native German friends and families way back in 1812 and the tales soon became so popular that they were written into the fairy tales that we know and love today.
Reassuringly, Claire informs me, “If a tale is scary, then we’ve made it very silly. We’ve made it very tongue in cheek.”
The idea of this adaption is that there are four storytellers in the wood who wait for people to come along and they will tell the stories to them. They each have their own character - these being a scholar, a daydreamer, an artist and an inventor; and, as well as telling their own stories, they will also interact with each other throughout the show as they take on various different characters too.
Producer, Michael Rowley, confirms this. “It’s true to their writing but they're not scary.” The production is predominantly aimed towards children from the age of 7 years old and upwards.
The reason Nineteen12 are gearing the show towards the 7 years and upwards age bracket is simply because, they feel, that this specific age range doesn’t really get catered for in the theatre.
“A lot of shows tend to be for either 3 years or 4 years plus or towards the other end of the scale - shows like Woman in Black, are the sort of play that appeal to teenagers, so this is something for more junior school age children.” Claire explains.
It may be surprising to learn that the original Grimm Tales were written in a very dark and sinister style. The two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began telling tales to their native German friends and families way back in 1812 and the tales soon became so popular that they were written into the fairy tales that we know and love today.
Reassuringly, Claire informs me, “If a tale is scary, then we’ve made it very silly. We’ve made it very tongue in cheek.”
The idea of this adaption is that there are four storytellers in the wood who wait for people to come along and they will tell the stories to them. They each have their own character - these being a scholar, a daydreamer, an artist and an inventor; and, as well as telling their own stories, they will also interact with each other throughout the show as they take on various different characters too.
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Michael tells me, “It will be a very immersive kind of experience for the audience. Everything they see on the set will be interacted with. It’s set in a forest and everything in that forest will make the story come to life. It’s very clever. I think adults and children alike will find it really entertaining.”
This production will once again show off the creative skills of Claire’s puppet making in a few of the tales. Rumplestiltskin is one such tale and will be puppeteer’ed by Hannah Drake who has been in previous Nineteen12 productions, likewise Katie Roostan and Alice Lane. Rob Maynard is a newcomer to the company and has had to have a bit of a crash course in puppetry as well as having to master a West Country accent for one of the tales! Former Nineteen12 member, Sam Thomas, will be returning from his studies at the Central School of Speech and Drama to provide the lighting for the production, injecting some of his newly learned skills into the show and Daniel Steward is Assistant Director. |
Alice
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The company will also be providing a signed and audio described performance on Saturday's show at 3pm and a relaxed performance on Thursday at 12pm during the run. This is something that they are very passionate about and this will also include a touch tour on Saturday at 2pm before the performance.
The tales that they will be re-telling are Rumplestiltskin, Hansel and Gretl, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and the lesser known tales, The Moon and The Fisherman and his Wife.
Claire says that she still has parents coming up to her saying how much their children enjoyed their previous productions and she hopes that Grimm Tales will have a similar effect. With tickets usually selling out before the end of the run on previous productions, I would suggest that if you don’t want to disappoint your youngsters this Easter holiday, then you grab your tickets now!
The whole performance will run for approximately an hour and ten minute without an interval.
The tales that they will be re-telling are Rumplestiltskin, Hansel and Gretl, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and the lesser known tales, The Moon and The Fisherman and his Wife.
Claire says that she still has parents coming up to her saying how much their children enjoyed their previous productions and she hopes that Grimm Tales will have a similar effect. With tickets usually selling out before the end of the run on previous productions, I would suggest that if you don’t want to disappoint your youngsters this Easter holiday, then you grab your tickets now!
The whole performance will run for approximately an hour and ten minute without an interval.
Rob, Hannah, Alice and Katie in rehearsal
The Company have been keeping a vlog of their rehearsal process and will be filming behind the scenes footage during show week - if you would like to watch or subscribe to their YouTube channel click here!
For tickets go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135
For tickets go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk or call the box office on 01702 351135