Theater: Come to the "Goblin Market"! (For 3 Nights Only)

Illustration by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, image from poster for Goblin Market 2015 production by Theatre GRU

"There is no friend like a sister."

(Christina Rossetti - "Goblin Market")

Christina Rosetti's fairy poem Goblin Market is beloved by many and often given consideration alongside other literary fairy tales as its own layered masterpiece. While it's not the first time it's been adapted for stage, I haven't seen performances crop up often at all the last decade in the US, which is sort of unusual when you consider just how popular the poem is, and how often it's taught at universities with theater companies attached.

This adaptation is by Patricia Pace and will be performed at The Maxwell Performing Arts Theater in Augusta, Georgia, Thursday through Saturday nights for this week only. With tickets $10 and under, if you love the poem, fairy tales and are in the area, this is worth considering for a night out.

From the Press Release:

Goblin Market 

by Christina Rossetti 

adaptation by Patricia Pace 

adapted and directed by Melanie Kitchens O'Meara 

Visually stunning and ripe with sensuous language, Christina Rossetti's poem Goblin Market is performed by six Victorian actresses between occasional rests in The Green Room. Patricia Pace said, "the adaptation investigates the many layer's of meaning in the poem -- a children's cautionary tale, a rebuke to the new commodity market in Victorian England, a religious allegory, a poet's wish for a female literary tradition, a fantasy about women caring for other women."*Contains mature content.

Illustration by Arthur Rackham

As Dr. Amanda M. Caleb, assistant professor at Misericordia University, said at a storytelling gathering earlier in the year, in which she spoke about fairy tales and how they relate to social issues:

“Rossetti’s poem is one that has intrigued me since I first read it as an undergrad, as it has so many possible interpretations: we might read it as a religious allegory, a tale of female solidarity, a critique of laissez-faire economics, or a warning about food adulteration — I really appreciate the depth of the tale!”

I found a little background on the play in an article published a couple of days ago and am putting the highlights below to give you a better idea of how the poem is being translated to stage for this production.

From The Bell Ringer (GRU):

Illustration by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

O’Meara, who is directing the Georgia Regents production of “Goblin Market,” said she acted in Pace’s adaption of the play when she was an undergraduate. She said she wanted to take the play further, readapt it and add things to it. “I knew that one day, once I had a position somewhere, that I would want to direct it myself,” O’Meara said. “The play follows these six women who are Victorian actresses, and they are on stage performing this Victorian poem and then we see them backstage dealing with women’s issues of the time.” O’Meara said the poem may seem lighthearted, but has a much darker side to it. “Some people would argue that this is a poem for children, but it’s not,” O’Meara said. “It’s very much not for kids.” 

Arthur Rackham

“(Lucette) is the one who … has a semi-masculine role,” Farmer (who plays Lucette) said. “She is a little older (and) she’s a little more experienced. She’s a really fun character to play when it comes to the actual poem part, because she’s playing a goblin – and being a goblin is really fun because I get to do really crazy, ridiculous things.” 

“(Dame Miriam is) sort of the leading actress of the company,” Owens (who plays her) said. “She’s very flirtatious, always making jokes, but she’s also the comforter.”
Farmer said she hopes the audience will see the greater meaning behind the play. “It is both a fun play to watch and listen to,” Farmer said. “But it does have some deeper meanings going on, and it’s really fun to find those deeper levels when you’re in the midst of laughing at a situation that you didn’t realize was... a pretty serious topic. It’s great fun.” 

The play is performed by an all-female cast and will be close to 70 minutes long without an intermission.

If you get to see it, why don't you let us know? We are very curious for we would like to go to the Goblin Market ourselves...

Article: Discussing NPR's "A Girl, A Shoe, A Prince: The Endlessly Evolving Cinderella"

Cinderella illustrated by Katerina Shtanko
All illustrations in this post are from the book shown above
(via http://www.fairyroom.ru/)

First of all I want to say: GO READ THIS ARTICLE by Linda Holmes for NPR. The whole thing. I want to discuss it a little and wish I could just copy it all and paste it here, but you'll have to do with teasing extracts until you go eyeball the whole piece yourself. It's a wittily written, guide through Cinderella's transformations from one version to another. Still not convinced? It starts like this:

"Woman gives birth to a gourd." 

This is the opening to the description of an Italian variant of the Cinderella folk tale — or, really, a relative of one of its relatives — taken from a book called Cinderella; three hundred and forty-five variants of Cinderella, Catskin, and Cap o'Rushes, abstracted and tabulated, with a discussion of mediaeval analogues, and notes, written by Marian Roalfe Cox and published in 1893. In this version of the story, the heroine is born inside a gourd and accidentally abandoned in the forest — understandable, given that her mother has just brought forth a squash from within her person, and the last thought she's entertaining is probably, "Hey, I'll take that with me." 

Our heroine is discovered by a prince, who finds the talking gourd and takes it home. If nothing else, perhaps it has a future in show business. At some point, she presumably emerges from it — the details offered in the book about this particular folk tale are limited — and she becomes a servant... 

The tale is, of course, Zuchinetta, one of Cinderella's many, many ancestor-cousins. The immediate reaction when I bring this version up? "So pumpkins.. not such a new concept then?" (Perrault, you sly little writer you! Gourd, pumpkin... not such an out-of-the-blue choice after all, was it, Sir?
                            
Cinderella was always a gourd girl... (I know - it almost hurts it's so bad..)

Then Holmes discusses the variation that includes a little chewing out of the relatives... sorry. That's chewing ON relatives.. (yikes):

One begins with Cinderella, her two older sisters and their mother agreeing to a whimsical bet: First one to drop her spinning spool will be eaten by the others. When Mom proves clumsy, the sisters indeed eat her. (A deal's a deal?) Cinderella decides not to eat her mother, but to wait until the killing and eating is over, then bury her mother's bones. You know, out of respect. Fortunately, her mother's bones turn into coins and beautiful magic dresses. It's no fairy godmother, but you don't look your mother's gift bones in the ... mouth, I suppose.

Ba-dum-bump. OK, so Cinderella wasn't always such a "gourd girl". And this isn't the only version in which she does some.. less than "good girl" things.

It's not really that far a leap from bones to an oft-visited grave, though, is it?

But for all the weirdness and downright "heck-no!" factor in the more gruesome variants, Holmes explains how, somehow, Cinderella, the basic story, is still recognizable and remains as durable as ever.
                             
From there she goes on to discuss what a Cinderella story actually is and discusses one of those things I wish more people understood: the great differences in how people use language with regard to fairy tales - something which mixes up a lot of messages. For example, the use of the word "fairytale" (wish fulfillment/idea state) is completely different from the phrase "fairy tale" (a wonder tale) which, now that people are once again looking back to see where these stories came from is beginning to get mixed up with "folktale" (a traditional tale or legend that's considered false or based on superstition) all over again. Holmes discusses how the phrase "Cinderella story" is actually a different entity altogether from discussing "the story OF Cinderella" (or a Cinderella tale-type) and 'why' and 'how' they're an interesting reflection of the time period in which they were made (including all those spins and spin-offs).

All of this is walked through step by step with much humor, pithy historical recaps and some interesting social commentary until she ends up at... Captain America. Yes. The super hero. Like this:

If it's just a rescue of a deserving underdog from an ordinary life and delivery to an extraordinary one, then... to be honest? — Captain America is Cinderella. Lots of our current stories are. What is a fairy godmother, after all, that isn't also present in the idea of being bitten by a spider and gaining the ability to climb buildings? What is that pumpkin coach but ... the Batmobile? And not to return to the tone of cannibalism and murder, but what consideration of unloved pop-culture girls whose evil mothers won't let them to go dances is complete without Carrie? 

Too far afield? Sure. But this is folklore, and it doesn't end, it just takes new forms...

This is why I feel it's important to follow fairy tale news. Not that I will be posting on SpiderGodmother or the BatPumpkin anytime soon, but maybe this will help people understand how some of us see fairy tale connections EVERYWHERE. Sometimes they're overt (I try to put those here in the blog, to point out conscious uses of the tales) but mostly they're not (and sometimes I might nod in that direction as well) but the point is, tales are being told - and retold - continuously. We influence them just as much as they continue to influence us.

How did Holmes get from gourds to pop-culture edginess being (possibly) just another version of another fairy tale? You'll have to go read it, but she ends on one of my favorite subjects. To continue from above (emphasis in bold is mine):

It isn't as if folklore goes up to 1900 and then stops, and everything after that is "pop culture." The production is different and the financing is different, but the appeal of stories that overlap and wind together, and the appeal of stories told and retold in different forms in different voices and variations, is not only a function of greed. It's also a function of instincts to tell and share and revisit stories you've heard before, not because they're new, but because they're not.

Now go read it all. It makes you feel extremely glad (and possibly a little ahead of the curve), to know that we love one of the most cultural defining and describing (and predicting!) subjects of all time: FAIRY TALES.

Review: "The Rabbit Back Literature Society" by Caitlin Postal

"The Rabbit Back Literature Society"

Review by Caitlin Postal

Editor's Note: This is one of those books I dearly wished I'd had time to review personally, with the use of folklore motifs and fairy tale-like echoes in the characters. Fortunately, partnering with Timeless Tales Magazine means we're able to begin building a "review posse" so Once Upon A Blog can post book reviews far more regularly (and Timeless Tales Magazine's Editor in Chief can get to know some new writers as well). Today, Caitlin gives you a glimpse as to why you might just be intrigued by The Rabbit Back Literature  Society too.

Jacket description: 

Only nine people have ever been chosen by renowned children’s author Laura White to join the Rabbit Back Literature Society, an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: a young literature teacher named Ella.  

Soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual known as "The Game"? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura White’s winter party? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, as Ella explores the Society and its history, disturbing secrets that had been buried for years start to come to light. . . .

To put it simply, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is not a fairy tale, nor does it claim to be. Instead, author Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen serves up an intriguing mystery woven with elements of folklore, which make the reader just as contemplative as the protagonist, Ella Milana.

The tale begins in the small town of Rabbit Back, best known for its renowned author Laura White and the nine students she hand selects to groom into writers. When Ella becomes the Society’s tenth member, she finds herself drawn into a fantastical conspiracy shared only by the nine other members.

Upon Ella's induction to the Rabbit Back Literature Society, however, Laura White disappears into thin air, like an enigmatic Snow Queen, leaving only flurries of snow behind. Willing search parties cannot find her and they refuse to venture into the forest. It's nearly impossible to discuss the folklore elements of this novel without spoilers, but suffice it to say, things are not what they seem. At first, I saw Laura White as an eccentric benefactor but I couldn't have anticipated the truth.

Many folktales use the wild mysterious forest as a contrast to the safety of town life. But this novel subverts that trope. Jaaskelainen’s woods are certainly mystical, but the town is also inexplicably touched by magic. From the garden gnomes in Ella’s front yard to the wild dogs who patrol, Rabbit Back is not a normal town. What has returned to Martti Winter's garden? Why is Ingrid Katz burning books? How did Laura White disappear? What happened to the Society’s first tenth member?

What the forest takes, it doesn't give back and Ella comes to realize that "Under one reality there's always another. And another one under that." And so the reader is drawn into teasing out the mystery, just like Ella herself.

The Rabbit Back Literature Society’s patented small town charm has a deliciously sinister undertone, thanks to the shadowy presence of the woods. For readers looking to add a touch of the Fae to their cozy mystery collection, this novel is sure to be a hit.

Disclosure: A complimentary copy of the book was provided by Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest review.

Caitlin Postal is a marketing specialist who loves literature, history, and pop culture. When not writing, she can be found sewing costumes and donning medieval armor. You can find her on twitter: https://twitter.com/goingpostale.

An Irish Fairy Tale for St. Patrick's Day: "Jamie Freel & the Young Lady"

Jamie Freel & the Young Lady by Kentaro Kawashima

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Irish have so many fun stories and one of the unusual thing about their fairy tales is that they often have actual fairies (or faeries) or Fae in them too.

Another trait I love in Irish stories is of common people using their wits: farm girls become queens (and show their royal husbands how lucky they are) and ordinary boys trick faeries into giving up their secrets...

One of my favorites, which has a mix of other fairy tales I love too, is Jamie Freel & the Young Lady...

(Note: All illustrations shown through the tale are by Nilesh Mistry from The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales Retold by Neil Philip. Also, I'm typing this up at midnight, which, although is a good time to tell fairy stories, is a little less kind to the quality of typing and writing...)

*******

It begins on Halloween where each year in an abandoned castle lights are seen dancing about and music of "the Wee Folk" is heard - something most people try to avoid as it rarely turns out well if one invites themselves to a faeries party.

But Jamie Freel, a poor widow's son, one Halloween decided tonight was the night he was going to go seek his fortune there. His mother wasn't too happy about it but Jamie was brave and determined and approached the castle in the moonlight.

When he finally got the courage to peer in, all the Wee Folk were wee indeed, with not one of them over the size of a child of five. Before long he was spotted and hailed with welcomes: "Jamie Freel, Jamie Freel! Welcome, welcome! We go tonight to Dublin to steal a young lady - will you ride with us?" Swallowing his nerves, Jamie boldly replied, "Yes, I will," and was mounted on a fairy horse that rode with great strides through and through the air.

His hosts whooped and swooped about him on their flying steeds, and they rode and rode over thatched roofs and hills, over dales and towns until the shining, shimmering Fae hoard stopped by a fine window of a fine house, where, there, a beautiful girl lay.

Jamie's eyes grew wide, then wider still as Folk swept into the room and stole her right from her bed. In her place they left a stick, which at once took her shape yet remained still, still as death, while the party galloped home through the air with their fair prize.

Tossed was she from rider to rider as they galloped and galloped until Jamie, once again seeing his mother's roof below, gathered his courage and boldly cried, "Do I not get a turn?" Laughing they gave her to him, but at once he leapt from his faery horse, and did his best to flee, girl in his arms, to the safety of his own threshold.

Before he could reach it, the Faeries, no longer laughing but yelling in a rage, turned the poor girl into a black dog, snarling and snapping, into a bar of hot iron, glowing and burning, into a sack of wool, loose and tangled, but Jamie held on and wouldn't let go. Finally, the smallest of the Folk cried, "Let him have her - I will make her no good. I will make her deaf and I will make her dumb!" and she threw some dust at the girl before the host rushed away into the darkness of the rest of the night.

Jamie, tired, took the girl inside but there was nought they could do but watch her cry. She could not hear and she could not speak and now there was one more mouth to feed...

A year passed and Jamie determined he'd pay another visit to the Fae to see what he might do. Just as he was about to enter the castle hall he heard the familiar voice of the smallest Fae say"If only Jamie Freel knew, three drops of my cup would unstop her ears and loosen her tongue!" Thinking fast, Jamie entered and, as before, was bid, "welcome, welcome!" when quick as a blink, he snatched the fairy glass and fled. By the time he reached home, only three drops left, but it was enough. He gave them to the girl and she was restored.

You might guess what happened next. The girl took Jamie to meet her mother and father, who, once they got over the shock of having buried a stick instead of a daughter, gave the young couple their blessing and brought Jamie and his mother into their fine home, where they all celebrated a very fine wedding.

And, I would like to think, that Jamie Freel never visited that castle again...

******

This story has much in common with Tam Lin, including  Halloween, the amount of time passing, and the rescuer having to hold on despite their intended changing from difficult form to difficult form. It also reminds me of Hans Andersen's The Tinder Box in which a sleeping girl is carried off by magical animals in the middle of the night. The changeling aspect is very fairy-like although this changeling is put in place of a grown girl and has no life except to replicate her form completely. As in Tam Lin, again, messing with the Fair Folk is akin to risking a curse of serious illness, possibly death, so all Jamie does is not done lightly. Irish people have traditionally been so seriously superstitious about this aspect of the Fae that it was considered unlucky to even tell stories about fairies during the daytime...

And there I will leave you.

Why don't you pop a saucer of milk outside the door, just in case, and may the luck of the Irish be there with you!

Note: My version is told between memory, a storybook and a glance or three at this text HERE. I have tried to condense my telling and even so a little Irish seems to ha' crept in, as it is wont to do...
My apologies for the low quality images. I couldn't find any from this story in this book online and my scanner isn't working at the moment so pictures it is - but I do love these illustrations by Nilesh Mistry - wonderful story-flowing images..

Call for Papers for The Monash Fairy Tale Salon's Annual Event Celebrating 150 Yrs of Alice

Hot off the press from The Monash Fairy Tale Salon in Melbourne Australia:

Grand Western Arcade Handmade Boutique

Well, it's that time of year again when we start to gear up for our annual event! So excited. Though it's slightly outside the traditional definition of a fairy tale, we had to do something to celebrate the birthday of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The Monash Fairy Tale Salon will be hosting a curious afternoon of madness and muchness as we go down the rabbit hole in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 

Long before Tim Burton and Walt Disney stepped through the looking-glass, a mathematician, a Reverend and three girls went for a boating trip on the Isis. During the journey the mathematician regaled the party with a nonsense story that has become known as one of the favourite stories for children and adults alike. 

For one afternoon only, we will be hosting an exploration of all the impossible things we can do before breakfast. Come along and learn about the author and illustrators who shaped literary history and gave us such wonderfully uncommon nonsense. For the bold at heart (or the Queen of Hearts), come dressed as your favourite Wonderland character! 

Grand Western Arcade Handmade Boutique

This event is open to anyone who has a love for nonsense and will take place at the Theatrette, Glen Eira Town Hall, on Saturday June 13th, starting at 1pm, as part of the Glen Eira Storytelling Festival.

We are looking for interested participants who would like to present papers or original work in the form of readings or performances.

Areas of interest:

– Alice's Adventures in Wonderland scholarship (incl. literary studies, film & TV, drama studies, gender studies) 

– Live performance of Carroll inspired work  

– Carroll inspired readings (incl. readings of Carroll's work or work inspired by Alice)

Please send a 100-200 word summary or abstract to arts-fairytale@monash.edu by April 27th.  For more information, please contact us at arts-fairytale@monash.edu.

"Song Of The Sea" To Be Released on DVD & Blu-ray St. Patrick's Day!

I couldn't make it to any of the showings in LA, so sadly I've missed the opportunity of a big screen experience (at least until there's another special showing) but nevertheless I am really looking forward to seeing this. If the watching experience is anything like The Secret Of Kells, it won't be long before I forget where I'm watching anyway.

I'm so very glad this film got nominated for an Academy Award so it's fairly widely known already.

This and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya seem to have people talking more and more about folktales again. I've even noticed that shift in many of the articles (by non-Disney-allied media) about Cinderella too. They're either about the costumes or are looking at the variety of Cinderella stories and why we're still telling that story today. That's very different from just a couple of years ago.

For Song Of The Sea, I'm curious to see all the old and 'new' folklore blended in as well as see how they handle a selkie story. One of the best made family fairy tale films I know is The Secret Of Roan Inish - a quiet but gorgeous film that isn't at all flashy but still has a very strong sense of magic. High time I dusted that one off and showed it around again!

The medium for Song Of The Sea is different, of course, but it sounds just as down to earth in many ways and that can only be a good thing.

You can currently pre-order this from Amazon at a special price, so that's great if you can take advantage before it's released on March 17th as well, otherwise, go grab yourself a little Irish gem for St. Patrick's Day!

Here are the Special Features we can look forward to:

• Audio Commentary with Director Tomm Moore
• Behind the Scenes with Optional Commentary from Director Tomm Moore
• Animation Tests with Optional Commentary from Director Tomm Moore
• The Art of Song of the Sea
• Conceptual Trailer
• U.S. Trailers

Now I just need a 'Making Of' book please!

"Timeless Tales" Submissions For Issue #4 Closing Soon...

Just a reminder that you have one week to get in your "Perseus and Medusa" retellings for Timeless Tales Magazine's Issue #4.

Writers will be paid $15 per story, have their work published on the website, and have their story narrated for the magazine's audio edition. 

For more information, check out Timeless Tales Magazine's submission page.

Get those fingers typing and good luck!

Review: "Disney's 2015 Cinderella: A Safe Story but the Shoe Does not Fit" by Jennifer Culver

Disney's 2015 Cinderella: A Safe Story but the Shoe Does not Fit

Review by Jennifer Culver 

Cinderella opened  amidst controversy about Cinderella’s waist. Was her waist slimmer via CGI? Does this impossibly thin waist continue to send messages to young women about unattainable standards of beauty? With the clamor regarding Lily James’s waist, an interesting tidbit went largely unnoticed: Cinderella’s shoe did not fit. Costume designer Sandy Powell admitted that the glass shoe designed for the film fit no one, including Lily James. Like the shoe, much about Cinderella’s character does not fit her surroundings, which could actually be a good thing. 

But don't expect a whole lot from the "quiet revolution" Branagh claims he's making with this film. He presents a safe retelling that sticks close to it's source, the 1950 animated Disney film. There are subtle changes that do make a difference, for instance how diverse the ballroom scene is in terms of ethnicities, but for the most part, the story is the same; the talking animals used for comic effect, the bumbling Fairy Godmother, even Cinderella meeting her Prince ahead of time isn't "new". The portrayal of Cinderella as “underdog survivor,” a trait Zipes notes* regarding Cinderella retellings since 1899, and a prince who has “more democratic” leanings, meeting Cinderella earlier in the film, these are things we, for the most part, expect to see.

With The Walt Disney Company having already created two popular direct-to-video animated sequels that portray Cinderella as a far more rounded out character, while still being the same girl, this film seems even more conservative in many ways. 

A standout difference, however, is the portrayal of the stepmother, played dramatically by Cate Blanchett. She eavesdrops on conversations, blackmails dukes, and appears omniscient at times. When she delivers her backstory, told in the style of a fairy tale, her desperation to survive and secure a decent future for her daughters overwhelms all other, crueler aspects, yet the film does not fall into the trap of excusing them.

Throughout the film, Cinderella finds herself uneasy yet she remains in her subservient situation in order to “cherish” the home her parents loved. When confronted with the chance to claim a future with the prince, the narrator tells the audience that coming down the stairs means Cinderella takes one of the biggest risks any of us can take, “to be seen as we truly are.” 

Maybe Cinderella does not fit because of her outlook. She sees the world “not as it was but possibly could be, with a little bit of magic.” Sure, Cinderella still needs help to escape her situation, but she does not need help to improve her outlook. Fueled by the promise to her mother to have courage and be kind, Cinderella lives on her own terms no matter the dress she wears, an attitude that can fit any movie-goer of any shoe size. 

Branagh intends to be subtle and show strength through kindness, something that should endear Cinderella to us even more, but one has to wonder if this message isn't a little lost amidst the stronger impressions handed to us by the very marketing campaign pushing us to see it in the first place.

* Zipes, Jack. The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy Tale Films. New York: Routledge, 2011. Book.

Jennifer Culver works as a Digital Learning Specialist while finishing her dissertation. Her study focuses on the rhetoric within fairy tale adaptations in film. She enjoys continuing the tradition of sharing fairy tales with her children and godchildren.

Ask Baba Yaga: How Can I Be Myself In a Place That I Hate?

Baba Yaga, Ivachko and the Bears - Artist Unknown

For a dancer I know whose feet are currently frozen in place and for another dear friend who is far, far from home. You both know who you are. Sending courage from my heart to yours and a little support from one whose home has feet of its own...

Today's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

You can survive this and your stories will be fierce. And free. And strong. (And I'm saving a bottle of bubbly especially for that phone call I get when you both let me know you are finally Home.)

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's now an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.