Length: Variable
Casting: Roles for 17-50+ … [13+ W and 4+M]
A play that can be done a million different ways.
NOW AVAILABLE TO LICENSE THROUGH STAGE PARTNERS
SYNOPSIS: The Brothers Grimm tromp through the forest in search of fairy tales and stumble into a story: “Cesario” and a band of eleven women have disguised themselves as Huntsmen. The women tell stories inspired by food. Some are dark, some comic, some strange, some new, and some familiar. The twist? Every Huntsman has a story, but not all are told every night and the order is random.
WHY THIS PLAY: This play is ideal for universities, high schools, and community theatres in search of an ambitious play that will challenge a large cast. The energy is ‘slumber party, but with, like, pirates.’
The Twelve Huntsmen requires at least 13 women and 4 men, but it can be done with at least 50 actors getting named parts. The gendering of the characters should not suggest rigid binary cis-casting, as folks escaping the socially-imposed gender roles can mean many things.
Looking for a short play? Most of the stories stand alone as short plays.
“I just finished a very successful production of this wonderful play with my middle schoolers. The centering of female voices, opportunities for flexible casting with large and diverse groups, nontraditional storytelling, and skillful fusion of the darkness of the Grimms’ tales with laugh-out-loud humor and sass made this one of the most enjoyable plays I’ve directed. My students were hooked from the first read and were so proud of themselves for taking on the risk of performing in a random order.” – Jennifer Onopa
*Originally commissioned and produced by Acme Theatre Company
Briandaniel Oglesby 