Hansel and Gretel
A truly sweet and dark fairy tale
Based on motifs from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale
Age | children from 5+ to 15 years old and their adults
Duration | 50 min
Hansel. And Gretel. Two lovely little children with sweet names live in a little house with their daddy and mommy, who one day... decide to take their children into the forest AND LEAVE THEM THERE.
Fairy tales have three good qualities. The first is that they never get old, dear children and parents, nothing has changed in the last two hundred years, a witch still lives in the thicket, and eating sweets without moderation can still get you into trouble. The second is that in fairy tales there is always a way out of a dead end. Even if it seems there is none, it appears just around the corner or in the forest behind a crooked tree. And finally, the third is that fairy tales are a great place to learn how to be afraid. Because fairy tales always end happily. Well, unless you are the Witch.
The performance is inspired by the Brothers Grimm initiation tale, as well as the “dark” film and animation style relevant to children and young people, with Wednesday, The Addams Family, and Hotel Transylvania as the most vivid examples for presenting the performance’s content and visual expression. The performance is an emotional and timely story about the relationship between children and parents against the backdrop of social challenges such as poverty, and the pressure created by popular culture and commerce. The performance portrays the story of Hansel and Gretel in an ironic contemporary context, where children and young people are drawn to excessive sugar consumption, device and substance addictions, face parental overprotection and unequal perceptions of gender roles.
“Hansel and Gretel” is a fairy tale not only about children growing up, but also about the adult world, burdened by moral dilemmas and challenges. This performance is an invitation to think about the role of parents, the needs of children, and society’s responsibility, as well as about how each of us can end up in a situation where everything we take for granted can be threatened.
Creative team:
Playwright and director | ANTA PRIEDĪTE
Composer | ROBERTS DINTERS
Costume makers | DANA MAĻAVKINA, DACE LANKA, KRISTĪNE DEKOVICE
Puppet makers | KRISTA ĶIPURE, ALEKSANDRS JONOVS, TATJANA PETČATKINA
Cast | INGA ŠTELMAHERE or ILZE ROČĀNE, MADARA ENKUZENA, ALEKSANDRS JONOVS
Sound operator | KRISTSAPS ŽILINSKIS
Lighting designer and operator | JĀNIS BRAŠS
