Tuesday, June 29, 2010

All things Beyonce

Something you might all enjoy: Beyonce's Single Ladies video.

We're not going to tell you how this relates to GRIMM... yet. But for now, watch and enjoy!


Sunday, June 20, 2010

Interview with playwright, Kirsten Greenidge

Kristin Greenidge, author of Thanksgiving (part of Company One's GRIMM)

What is the first fairytale you remember reading?
We had a very old copy of this version of sleeping beauty. The illustrations were all in silhouette. I loved it. It is probably why I became especially drawn to and enamored by the artist Kara Walker's work.

I also remember a version of Cinderella that our school librarian read to us in first grade. I loved it so much, and was fascinated how it was so different from the animated version.

What do you remember most about that story?
I remember the idea of her getting her finger pricked and how it seemed beauty and youth were these peculiar conditions that had such profound effects. Which is powerful when you are young because you think, that is what I could grow up to be. As I grew up into my more feminist self, this made me angry, but I think that is what I really recognized in this story: beauty and youth and position are powerful things.

If you could be any fairytale character, who would it be? Why?
Cinderella. What a wonderfully karmic existence. And she has small feet, which I seriously envy.

Interview with castmember, Becca Lewis

What is the first fairytale you remember reading?
The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I think mostly because the women were so independent. They had such a saucy secret and that made them powerful.

What do you remember most about that story?
The version that I made my mother read to me every single night for 7 years differs from the Grimm's version in that instead of the old soldier choosing the eldest sister for his bride after he discovers their secret, he tells the king that he is an old man and nothing would make him more happy than to see each princess marry their prince. The king then says, "Your wish is granted, but surely you would like something for yourself." The soldier then thinks back to the pig he caught and returned to the old lady (the witch who gave him the invisibility cloak so that he could solve the princess's shoe mystery) and says, "Well, Your Majesty, I've always liked pigs. I think I'd like a few pigs and a piece of land to raise them on and live out the rest of my days in peace." Pigs! I loved that part because you totally forget about the pig in the beginning of the story and then it comes back in at the end. Pigs. That's just great.

If you could be any fairytale character, who would it be? Why?
I think I would really love to play an evil villain, a wicked witch or sorceress. I think it would be incredibly challenging to discover what it is that makes someone truly wicked in their soul. That being said, I'm loving playing a dwarf in GRIMM. Oh, and Grimm's gooses are always fun. They sing songs and come up with the weirdest plot twists. "Now see, what you need here is to take this goat liver and wear it as a hat, princess." Oh, to be a talking, magical goose!

What's the most potent lesson in a fairytale for you?
Be true to yourself? It seems like so often fairytale women (mostly) are lead astray because they are taking the advice of people (or animals) who do not have their best interests at heart. This could be interpreted as "Don't trust anyone" as well, but I don't think that captures everything either. Do research. A talking goose is not always who they appear to be. If someone offers you a basket of jewelry, someone is probably missing a basket of jewelry somewhere. Don't be so naive. Everyone is inherently selfish. Take a self-defense class. Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you have to be stupid. Often times, reading a fairytale is like watching the first girl about to get killed in a horror movie. You want to scream, "What the hell are you doing?! Don't go in there!"

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Photoshoot!

Here's some photos from the GRIMM photoshoot! There are more photos on the way, so click on the subscribe button to see them as soon as they appear!





Tuesday, June 15, 2010

More photos!

Here are some more photos from our first read through in May.





Read Through

Check out some photos from our first read-through (on May 25):








Monday, June 14, 2010

Hello friends!

GRIMM is approaching fast! The show opens in only a month!

We would like to invite you be involved with the production and help us put up posters all over the city. Pick up seven posters and put them up around Boston and you're invited to attend our open rehearsal. You'll get a sneak preview of the play before it even opens!

In addition one posterer will win a copy of the poster signed by the cast, so don't miss this opportunity to become involved with Company One! Send us a facebook message or email us at info@companyone.org to be part of this initiative!

We'll talk to you soon!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Don't wanna be... "All By Myself"

Our re-telling of The Frog King includes a certain iconic song. You may have heard of it. It's called "All By Myself." We know how it fits in our play, but here are some other famous scenes employing the same piece of music!



FRIENDS - my personal favorite


Bridget Jones


Superhero Movie




And of course what is any blog post without a video of an amazing child singer?
10-year-old Lianah sings "All By Myself"

Who are these supposed brothers and why are they so GRIMM?

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany in the late 1700's. They began collecting folk tales around 1807 and published their first collection of stories in 1812 after Jacob was named court librarian to the King of Westphalia. This first volume of fairytales was named Tales of Children and the Home.

The Brothers Grimm traveled around Germany, gathering stories from villagers and peasants. They also may have stolen published stories from other cultures. Jacob did research and Wilhelm did most of the writing. He provided the simple, child-like writing.

In addition to being storytellers, the brothers also worked on a German dictionary. It was massive, consisted of 33 volumes and weighed about 185 pounds. They only made it from A - F before their deaths, and the dictionary was not completed until 1960.

Original Fairytales

GRIMM re-vamps 7 Brothers Grimm fairytales with a Boston twist. Some of the fairytales are well known like "Hansel and Gretel" or "Little Red Riding Hood." "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" has even been picked up by Disney and turned into movie. Some of these fairytales, you will probably not have heard of. Have you ever read "Clever Elsie" or "Stories About Snakes?"

So here are the original stories! They're from surlalune.com, and even include some history if you want to go that far. And if you read these now, you'll be all ready to see how we make them modern, seductive, funny and delicious.

The Frog King
Hansel and Gretel
Little Red Riding Hood
Clever Elsie
Stories About Snakes
The White Bride and the Black One
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Enjoy! And don't forget GRIMM tickets have just gone on sale at bostontheatrescene.com!

GRIMM is in the Roberts Theatre!

Company One is a resident theatre company at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA), and this year will be our first time in the Roberts Theatre in the Calderwood Pavillion at the BCA. We're so psyched to be in there! It's also bigger so there are more seats (meaning more people can come see the show!)

Fun facts about the The Roberts Theatre and the Calderwood Pavillion:


It's in the South End, right near our offices.

The Roberts is a flexible black box.

We can put between 157 and 250 audience members in the space.

It is named in honor of long time Huntington donors and subscribers Nancy and Edward Roberts.

Currently in the Roberts is Speakeasy's Great American Trailerpark Musical.
The Calderwood is almost brand new - it was just built in 2004!