Chapter one, page one....

Here we are: cast, crew, director, musical director, assistants, producers, designers, the lot of us, sitting in a circle, diving into what will be the next 5 weeks of our lives. We are taking the plunge slowly and carefully, with the director making sure everyone is on the same page. We discuss the process, the road's route to opening night and most importantly, what the story is about to us and to our audience.
He's gentle, careful, articulate, but best of all, easily perceived. There is nothing vague or mysterious about what he wants and how he wants this process to be for us. All of us, children and adults alike, listen intently and admirably as we explore the world of the fairy tale.
All fairy tales are metaphors....there is always a deeper meaning than initially meets the ears. Tonight, we were absorbed by the reading of three other fairy tales, and here we were, fixed on finding these connections between them all; the strain of time, the contrasts between dark and light, the power to make huge personal sacrifices to reach your main ambition, and of course, the undying power of love. Much of the time, love or perish.
We have a story to tell, a story many have heard and many know the ending of, but as Aristotle once said,
"The end of the play must be inevitable, but surprising".