Tales from the Brothers Grimm represents an attempt both to dramatize five of the tales from the Brothers' collection and to do so in a historical context. In this manner, some background is provided to illuminate the Brothers themselves as well as the process through which they went to obtain their tales and the varied sources from which they collected them, thus adding interest and education to the fun.

The five tales are The Bremen Town Musicians; The Elves and the Shoemaker; The Fisherman and His Wife; The Golden Goose; and Hans in Luck. Two allow for participation from children in the audience.

In the original production, eighteen actors were used: 9 men and 9 women. With the exception of the two actors who portrayed Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, all actors played multiple roles. A larger cast may be used, of course, by eliminating some or all of the multiple casting. The premiere by the Topeka, Kansas, West Players was performed in a large, open room with children seated on the floor around the semi-circular playing space. The Brothers' permanently set desk and work area was off to one side. The video shows the interesting blocking and lively audience participation as well as the simple costumes.

Although an attempt was made at historical accuracy, the only characters to suggest a German dialect were the two brothers and the two additional storytellers, Otto Runge and Frau Viehmann. In the tales, no dialect was used by any character. The German pronunciation of the Grimms' names is something like this: Jacob = Yahcope; Wilhelm = VILL-helm.

One act; The only major set pieces were the desk and two chairs for the brothers and a small stool; Costumes were basic jeans and T-shirts with accessories to distinguish various characters. Playing time is about 10 to 15 minutes for each tale, or 60 minutes for all presented together.

See also: Audience-Participation Plays; Fairytales, Folktales, and Fables; Animal Characters and Skits & Playlets