Talespinner Children's Theatre

Talespinner Children's Theatre

Formation	2012
Type	Theatre group
Location	5209 Detroit Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102
Artistic director(s)	Alison Garrigan
Website	www.talespinnerchildrenstheatre.org

Talespinner Children's Theatre (TCT) is a professional theater for child audiences based in Cleveland, Ohio. Its inaugural season began in early 2012, and since its inception has been based in the Reinberger Auditorium in the Gordon Square neighborhood in the city's Near West Side.

TCT specializes in presenting imaginative original work inspired by or adapted from classic tales from world literature. To date, each play produced (adapted from fables, folktales, myths and literature) has been an original work commissioned by TCT from a Cleveland-area playwright. Presented on the thrust, platform stage in the Reinberger Auditorium, productions feature small ensembles of adult actors, utilizing puppets, dance, movement, music and song and fantastical costumes to bring each play to life for young audiences.^[1]

TCT also provides theater-arts classes for children throughout the year.^[2]

Founded by Artistic Director Alison Garrigan, TCT has a board of directors and paid staff.^[1]

Critical response[]

During its brief history, TCT has received strong support from Cleveland area critics. Rave and Pan blog reviewer Christine Howey has said their work is "always engaging"^[3] and CoolCleveland.com has asserted that "performances at Talespinner Children’s Theatre are always magical".^[4]

Awards[]

Cleveland Critics Circle, Special Recognition (2013) "for producing shows for kids that adults can enjoy, using local writers as adaptors and playwrights".^[5]

Productions[]

2018 season[]

• The Oba Asks For a Mountain (A Tale of Nigeria) by
• The Princess & The Nightingale (A Tale of Thailand) by
• The Boy Who Stole the Sun (and Other Native American Stories) adapted by Alison Garrigan
• A Song in the Flame (A Tale of Israel) by
• Jan & The Trickster (A Polish Tale of Magic) by

2017 season[]

• The Brementown Musicians adapted by
• Red Onion, White Garlic (a tale of Indonesia) adapted by David Hansen
• Sundiata (a tale of Mali) adapted by
• The Rainbow Serpent (a tale of Aboriginal Australia) adapted by
• Mr. Scrooge's Ghosts (a Dickens of a Holiday tale) adapted by

2016 season[]

• Peter and the Wolf (based on the work of Sergei Prokofiev) adapted by
• Golden (a Grimm's Faerie tale) adapted by
• The Crocodile, the Cobra, and the Girl Down the Well (a Tale of India) adapted by
• The Mummies and the Magic Prince (a Tale of Egyptian Mythology) adapted by
• Hook & Smee (a Tale of Never Never Land) adapted by

2015 season[]

• The Fisherman and the Moon (Why Moon Reflects on Water) adapted by Alison Garrigan
• Fire On The Water (Part Four of the Elements Cycle) a special presentation produced in collaboration with Cleveland Public Theatre
• Rosalynde & The Falcon (a Topsy-Turvy Tale of England) by David Hansen
• The Silent Princess (a Turkish Folktale) adapted by
• Finn McCool (a Tale of Irish Mythology) adapted by
• Prince Ivan & The Firebird (a Russian Tale of Magic) adapted by Alison Garrigan

2014 season[]

• Aesop's Pirate Adventure By
• The Floating Dolls (a Polish Folktale) Adapted by
• Loki & Lucy (a Norse Mythology Story) By
• Clara and the Nutcracker Adapted by

2013 season[]

• The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen, Adapted by
• The Emperor's Ears (A Serbian Folktale) Adapted by
• Adventures In Slumberland (Based on the Characters of Winsor McCay) By David Hansen

2012 season[]

• The Tale of the Name of the Tree (A Bantu Tale) Adapted by
• Magic Flute Adapted by

References[]

External links[]

• Talespinner Children's Theatre website