A stunning dramatic production crafted over months by students and staff at Bournville School put two of literature’s best-known brothers on trial – with ‘Grimm’ results.
‘Hansel and Gretel, A Grimmer than Grimm Tale’ was staged on January 21st and 22nd at the all-though school in Birmingham, taking the famously dark European fairy tale as its inspiration to weave an atmospheric production that was funny, thought-provoking and moving.
And the ambitious show, which came together after more than 670 hours of work, put Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm themselves centre stage, as it questioned how they gathered often frightening traditional fairy tales from across Europe.
Miss Brown, Subject Specialist and Curriculum Leader for Drama and Media Studies, said: “We put the Grimm brothers into a court room that may have been ‘all in their mind’ – Wilhelm Grimm was charged with a lack of originality and cultural appropriation of folklore, while Jacob Grimm was charged with ‘child harm through literary terror’.
“It was a great way to have students engage with different forms of acting and performance, while also learning about the cultural heritage of iconic fairy tales – with plenty of comedy woven throughout!”
The performances were a great success. See more below.
Ambitious Bournville School production re-imagines fairy tale