HEAD. HANDS. FEET. ~TALES OF DISMEMBERMENT at Shaking the Tree Theatre

Shaking The Tree is excited to present Head. Hands. Feet. ~ Tales of Dismemberment, a delightfully macabre, multi­media retelling of three fairy tales and a Greek tragedy, directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe and created in collaboration with the cast.

Following in the tradition of Shaking the Tree's previous fall offerings - Masque of the Red Death, Wilde Tales, and The Tripping Point - our newest offering, Head. Hands. Feet. brings you tales of darkness, dismemberment, and the immersive visual landscape that you've come to love, combining lesser­known fairy tales with an epic Greek tragedy.

The first ensemble­devised act includes Bluebeard by Charles Perrault, The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson, and The Handless Maiden by The Brothers Grimm; three unscripted fairy tales whose female protagonists are placed in the most dire and perilous situations imaginable: all of them are in danger of dismemberment! In an epic second act, Euripides' Iphigenia at Aulis adapted by Irish playwright Edna O'Brien, we catapult into the action resulting in all further Greek dramas: the sacrifice of the Innocent for the benefit of War.

Head. Hands. Feet.'s set will be designed in collaboration with Rhiza Architecture and Design, a Portland architecture firm responsible for several public art pieces around Portland and the Northwest. From their website: "The name rhiza stems from the word rhizome­ meaning: shared roots­ a metaphor for our collaboration." Modeling the set after ancient Greek amphitheaters, Shaking the Tree's Warehouse space will be transformed, and audiences will become witnesses to the "unspeakable, unthinkable things" that are done during times of war.

Just in time for America's most divisive election in recent history, Shaking the Tree brings you three fairy tales, and the Greek tragedy that started them all; In all of these stories, one thing is clear: All is not safe and beautiful, and happy endings are not guaranteed.

Performance Dates: October 7th - November 5th 2016

http://www.shaking-the-tree.com/