LACES Theatre’s latest production, The Brothers Grimm Speculathon, premiered on November 30. Written by Don Zolidis and directed by theater teacher Ms. Lacey Stanley, the play features comedic recreations of the Brothers Grimm stories at a rocketing pace.
Senior Charlie Davis has four years of experience in theatre. As the production’s narrator, he had many more lines and cues to memorize than other standard characters. However, he says he’s “gotten it down to a science” after undergoing many years of training.
“Any director you have will say acting is reacting,” said Davis. “So it’s a lot of reacting to what other people say. If you know what other actors are telling you, you can think of what the response might be, especially with all this rehearsal.”
In the fall semester of 2022, LACES Theatre produced “Almost, Maine,” a similarly structured play composed of several “vignettes,” or short scenes. However, actors say “The Brothers Grimm” was a leveled-up challenge due to the complexity and pace of the story.
“[“Maine”] was eight different stories within one play. But this was six or eight stories per act,” said Davis. “And it was just one after another after another. Our teacher described it as something like an SNL skit.”
The play’s complexity was also reflected in the many figurative masks actors wore. Senior Holden Weissler played another narrator character, who in turn acted as several other classic fairy tale characters including the sorceress in “Rapunzel.”
“It was an interesting experience switching between different personas,” said Weissler. “You have to keep in mind each character’s objectives, while also remembering who at a core you’re playing. You have to balance those while honoring the stories you’re telling at the same time.”
Another one of the play’s defining characteristics is its significant audience interaction. In addition to prompting audiences to provide sound effects, actors stepped off the stage to confront History teacher Mr. Aaron Baskin—who was sitting in the front row—as part of a gag.
“I just happened to sit in that seat—I think they were going to choose whoever was sitting there,” said Mr. Baskin. “I was just happy to help the actors make it more realistic.”
The production team faced troubles in the final stages of preparation, especially given Ms. Stanley’s absence over the last four days leading up to the opening night. However, LACES Theatre said their camaraderie enabled them to push through for a successful performance.
“We all came together without the teacher and director, and we put it together,” said Davis. “And I think it turned out pretty well.”
