This show has been on Theatre Director Faith “Flawson” Lawson’s must-do list for years. Based on a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, the backdrop for the story is a famine that actually took place in the Baltics in the 1300s. Although the story is familiar to many, the staging of this particular production creates a theatre experience that differs from most. Rather than sitting in the theatre before the show, the audience waits outside before making the journey into the fairytale world alongside the players in the story. Traveling the same paths as the characters makes for an immersive experience for all.

The foyers of Black Box Theatre and Kiggins Auditorium were transformed into a fairytale forest through the artistic vision of Renata L. ’26 as part of her special project in the arts. In conceptualizing how people were going to move through the space, Renata took inspiration from her walks in the woods of the Back 40 and a well-known area of Mexico City called the Island of the Dolls (Isla de las Muñecas). Scattering discarded toys throughout the path between the two stages, Renata subtly pointed to all the children who were lost there before Hansel and Gretel. “I wanted to make the space, not so much scary, but concerning—haunting,” says Renata.

 

In Act One, Sarah S. ’27 and Olivia V. ’28 serve as the audience’s minstrel guides through the dark forest and into Hansel and Gretel’s home. An addition to the script made by Flawson, the minstrel characters were inspired by street musicians in New York City, evoking the feeling that their music is simply a backdrop to the state of the world in which they live. Stepmother, brought to life by Eleanora B. ’25, appeals to the minstrels to play more uplifting music while she tries desperately to figure out what their next meal will be. In the distance, Father (Lyla S. ’28) wails in grief over the presumed loss of his children, whom he has abandoned in the forest in a last-ditch effort to survive the famine. Clever Gretel (Vanessa T. ’26) devises a way to return safely home, with Hansel (Eden K. ’27) in tow, hungry as ever. 

With limited dialogue, the actors had the opportunity to stretch themselves, telling their story through movement and expression. “I was really proud of the way they supported each other through the process of struggling to tap into the physicality of the performance,” Flawson says. “You don't have a line there, so you can't rely on the text to tell you what to do. You have hands, a head, shoulders, your eyes. It was a big ask, especially with so much going on with their physical growth and maturation at that age—tapping into one’s body as an essential communication tool is not something that many want to do at their age, let alone for a character they are portraying. But these young actors learned to trust the process and take the plunge!”

 

In between acts, the minstrels again led the audience through the forest, past a smattering of cast-off toys from the children who had come before them. While audience members are treated to a spread of sweets to enjoy during intermission, stacks of canned food arranged in the alcove speak to the inequity between those who have all they need and those who suffer from hunger. This particular story lends itself to something that Flawson finds especially compelling. “My background is educational theatre and this is a great way to educate people and entertain them at the same time,” she explains. “My love of community service and theatre…it’s not often that it aligns so perfectly.”

Act Two delivers the crowd into the old lady/witch’s candy house, staged in Kiggins Auditorium, where all are seated along tables filled with sweet treats. The witch (Hermione Z. ’28) delivers a chilling monologue to entice the audience into her lair with all the sweets they could desire. Again, Hansel and Gretel act out their scenes with few lines, depending on exaggerated expressions and movements to communicate their struggle. 

 

Although seemingly a simple telling of the fairytale, the complex stage direction and reliance on physicality made this production of “Hansel and Gretel” an exceptional challenge, which students met with enthusiasm. Chloe Y. ’25 served as stage manager, while behind the scenes Annie P. ’27, Bella L. ’28, Lisa B. ’27, Comet D. ’26, Helen L. ’28, Katya B. ’27, and Sophia M. ’27 brought the show to life with lighting, sets, props, makeup, and costumes. 

Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion Gemma Halfi partnered with Flawson to tie the production of “Hansel and Gretel” to the school’s existing program of Community Engagement Opportunities (CEOs). Leading up to the performances, the Emma community was encouraged to purchase canned goods in the school store to create the “CAN-dy House,” later to be donated to the Mount Ida Food Pantry. On the weekend of the show, students had the opportunity to make a lasagna dinner, which they later served to neighbors at the Soul Cafe at Oakwood Community Center in Troy. 

 

“It was a really positive way to connect student programming to the greater good, which is essentially what service learning is,” Gemma shares. “It was gratifying to see students making that connection between artistic representation of what it was like to not have access to food, and transforming that into empathy and compassion for our neighbors in the local area who are struggling with food insecurity.” 

Because “Hansel and Gretel” not only took up two performance spaces for the weeks leading up to the production, but also involved a service learning component and a heavy lift in designing sets and props, Flawson is eternally grateful for the cooperation of the Emma community in making it a reality. “I can't say thank you enough to the entire community for being so supportive,” she says, “especially to all the kids—both the newbies and the students who've been in previous productions—for pushing beyond what they've done in the past, what they knew and understood, to really create the magic of this show.”

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