Marin Theatre Company's THE LITTLE MERMAID Opens Tomorrow

This spring, Marin Theatre Company will round out its first ever fully self-produced Family Series season of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) plays with an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, The Little Mermaid. In this version adapted by Mike Kenny, characters dubbed "Flotsam" and "Jetsam" act as simple but mystical bits of ocean rubbage who happen to be very imaginative storytellers. The pair act on a minimal set using props from a treasure trunk to take on the forms of the characters in their story, including The Little Mermaid herself, the mermaid's sisters, a handsome prince, and the infamous Sea Witch. Children will love this reinterpretation of the classic story for its creativity, humor, and excitement.

Before the show, children will be provided materials to create their very own decorative fish to hang on a wall or a "twirling mermaid" to hang from the ceiling. Additionally, MTC is again partnering with Amazing Fairytale Parties to offer young patrons the chance to meet a real-life Little Mermaid for children and families to take pictures with!

No collection of fairy tales would be complete without the works of the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Many of the more than 160 fairy tales he wrote, including The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid, have become literary classics enjoyed by children and adults the world over.

Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark to a very poor family. His father, who died when Andersen was only 11, would entertain him with old Danish legends and stories from The Arabian Nights, which influenced his writings as an adult.

Andersen spent most of his twenties traveling the world and writing poems, books, and plays, which met with some success, though it was not until he was 30 years old that he started writing fairy tales. His first small book of fairy tales immediately became popular, and from then on his fame grew rapidly, spreading from country to country.

In 1867 he returned to Odense to be honored by his country. He published his last fairy tales in 1872, and after a long illness, he died in Copenhagen on August 4, 1875.

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