Local Actors Bring Fairytale Mashup to YouTube for One Weekend Only.

Join the cast and crew of Wagnalls Community Theater (WCT) as they mash together heroic tales both familiar and strange with their online performance of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, March 26-28.

Jill Henwood, Donna Elliott, Tyler Hall, Sarah Applegate, Julie Cecutti, Bethany Kempinski, Shelly Riggs and Keilyn Snell Hall rehearse the part of Snow White’s story. *All photos courtesy of WCT.*

“Two narrators and several actors attempt to combine all 209 stories of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, ranging from classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel to more bizarre, obscure stories like Faithful Johannes,” said director Donna Elliott. “The set is all in Zoom format with actors ranging in age from 10 to 67 years young.”,

Most of the performers have participated in Wagnalls Community Theatre before but there are a few new faces.

“The show is rated PG and a wild, zany comedy with lots of madcap fun,” Elliott said. “It’s a nice escape from today’s stress and yet revisits familiar stories. The actors do a fantastic job. It’s hilarious!”

Tickets may be purchased for $10 per household via the link The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon then a private link to the WCT YouTube channel will be provided when the show begins on March 26. The audience can then view the show as many times as they wish until March 28. All proceeds benefit the Wagnalls Memorial Foundation and Debbie’s Costume Shop. There will also be a virtual meet the cast & crew event on March 28th at 8:00 pm. A link for this will be provided with the link to the show prior to the opening.

This is the first production for the WCT since the COVID pandemic closed live theater. To keep everyone safe, the entire production was recorded on Zoom with each actor in their own home. The run time is approximately an hour and 10 minutes.

“We had to do a few safe meet ups to get the actors props, costumes and of course, green screens,” Elliott said.

In normal years, WCT performs two family-friendly shows; a musical in the fall and a play in the spring.

“Hopefully, we will be performing a large musical in our theatre in the fall,” Elliott said. “We also may try another virtual show in the meantime.”

For more information on the WCT and other fine art galleries and performances through Wagnalls Memorial in Lithopolis, please check out their website at wagnalls.org.