Grimm Tales

takes an enchantingly fresh look at the funny, magical, cruel and wondrous stories by the Brothers Grimm. Let the bittersweet mix of humour and mystery lead you into the captivating world of folk wisdom and myth. In summer 2002, Kevin Lewis, Theatr Iolo’s Artistic Director visited a Young People’s Theatre in Kassel in Germany where the Brothers Grimm lived and collected their stories in the early 19th century. Actors from AKTIONS THEATR KASSEL came to Cardiff in March of this year and we collaborated with some local actors in a series of workshops – one of which took place in the woods around Castell Coch. This was the starting point of this production. We have gone back to the original stories using a text by the poet Carol Ann Duffy, originally used at the Young Vic Theatre in 1994. Another poet, Ted Hughes, has been our other inspiration with his assertion that “It does not matter how old the stories are. Stories are old the way that biology is old no matter how much they have produced in the past in the way of fruitful inspirations, they are never exhausted.”