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UT <br /> as �P Ae <br /> 04 <br /> Bright Star Tourinci Theatre _ <br /> About the show: <br /> Aesop's Fables are a number of short moralistic stories cred- <br /> ited to an ancient storyteller named Aesop. These, tories,filled <br /> with personified animals, all showcase a particular character <br /> trait or moral judgment that can be a valuable lesson for the <br /> reader. Dating back some 2,600 years, Aesop's .Fables have <br /> �y been celebrated throughout history and carefully studied by stu- <br /> dents across the globe! <br /> Aesop was an African slave who lived in Ancient Greece from <br /> 620-560 BC. Little is known about his life, but his name ap- <br /> pears with much frequency throughout the works of his con- <br /> temporary playwrights and fellow writers, showing up in pieces <br /> by Aristophanes, Plato and more. He comoiled fables from both <br /> ' his own imagination as well as Ancient texts. Throughout his- <br /> tory,other writers dappled in the art of fable writing, but none left <br /> their mark as much as Aesop. Today virtually every bookstore <br /> and library contains at least one volume of Aesop's works filled <br /> with hundreds of fables credited to him. <br /> Our production opens with Lenny and Mabel,two Elizabethan <br /> traveling actors who happen upon an audience on their travels and decide to perform an impromtu slow of some <br /> of their favorite material -Aesop's Fables! While our set design reflects the feel of Ancient Greece(the birthplace <br /> of the fable), our characters are traveling performers from the 1600s--a time in England when Aesop was ex- <br /> tremely popular. We chose this time period for the play for many reasons, mainly because of its colorful and <br /> entertaining qualities for a young audience. In the Bright Star Theatre production, we scoured through hundreds <br /> of fables in order to find ones that carry both a familiar quality as well as an accessible message to a young <br /> audience. Phrases that have long peppered our vernacular and characters that we have seen r so many <br /> cartoons growing up are found within the very pages of this ancient text. We hope that your young people will <br /> discover the magic of these stories and perhaps be inspired to pull this 2,600 year old book off the shelf and <br /> discover them for the first time. <br />