Puss in Boots – Dawn McAndrews

ONCE UPON A TIME, many, many, ?years before Charles Perrault set pen to paper, traditional stories were passed from generation to generation only through the magic of live, dramatic storytelling. Before any definitive versions were written, these tales were likely re-told (or performed!) for thousands of years… evolving and adapting to reflect the ever-changing cultures and sensibilities of the storytellers’ contemporary world. The familiar folktales, fables and fairy tales we enjoy today have a long, indistinct history that is as mysterious and magical as the stories themselves.

When Puss in Boots appeared in print for the first time—in Perrault’s 1697 Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals—France was in the “Age of Absolutism.” Kings had absolute rule over all of their people, and the only path to personal advancement was to earn the favor of the King. It is easy to imagine how Perrault was able to engage his contemporary audience with a story about a clever cat (in boots!) skillfully deceiving a King into bestowing favors on the cat’s master—a penniless, untitled miller’s son.

The lesson in Perrault’s story from over 300 years ago places diligence and ingenuity over honesty and courage, which may challenge the moral compass of many modern readers.?Our Puss in Boots will be a familiar tale. There will be plenty of colorful characters facing plenty of entertaining moral dilemmas. There will be magic …and there will be boots! But there will also be new twists and unexpected turns. We may even borrow from other Perrault fairy tales as we search for our HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

This production of Puss in Boots is a celebration and continuation of the rich tradition of storytelling. Thank you for joining us as we re-tell a time-honored fairy tale to reflect the culture and sensibility of our modern world… as storytellers have done for centuries before us.