A co-production by PSU Theater Arts and Oregon Children’s Theatre.

Gretel! The Musical is not your typical fairytale. Drawing from Vassilisa the Beautiful (the Russian folktale that is the true origin story behind Hansel and Gretel) and many other Eastern European Tales, this new musical for young audiences places grief, anger, and survival at its center. When Gretel’s mother dies, she is left with little more than a magic doll, a cruel stepmother, and an impossible errand: travel into the deep forest and steal the skull of undying light from Baba Yaga, the most fearsome witch in all of folklore. What follows is a journey through darkness and wonder — horsemen who carry the sun across the sky, a hut that walks on chicken feet, three impossible tasks — but at its heart, Gretel! is a story about a girl learning to harness her own ferocity, tend her own grief, and claim her own power.

Featuring an alternative folk-rock score by Jenn Hartmann Luck and a fluid ensemble of actor-musicians and puppeteers, this production brings a bold, contemporary theatricality to a primal story. This is an exciting co-production with Oregon Children’s Theatre — a partnership that will shape the production’s visual identity from the ground up.