During one week of The Hill School's spring break (March 14-18, 2011), the cast of The Brave Little Tailor traveled to seven elementary schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, performing in front of 1,800 children in kindergarten through third grade. Hill's performance of The Brave Little Tailor was a new adaptation written and directed by Burton Merriam, The Hill’s Director of the Center For The Arts.

The cast included five Hill students -- Mickey Galamba ’12, Isabelle Schlick ’11, Sierra Stratton ’13, Ian Agnew ’11, and Enjolie Levengood ’11 -- all of whom have performed in at least two other Hill on Tour shows. Nkimka Obineche ’14 served as Mr. Merriam's assistant director.

The play is constructed specifically for children ages kindergarten through third grade. A part of “Developmental Drama,” The Brave Little Tailor encourages children to actively solve the problems within the play alongside the cast. It is a “play within a play” about a family of singers who must change the play they perform because they have misplaced their star performer. It is a story of a “plucky little tailor” who uses his wits to outsmart a giant, and prove himself as brave and courageous.

 

Previous Hill on Tour productions include Aladdin and Rumplestiltskin, both written by Dr. Moses Goldberg, with whom Merriam studied. The Brave Little Tailor was inspired by the two previous plays, which were created improvisationally by the famed Asolo Children’s Theatre, where Merriam worked as an actor and tour manager.

In addition to the tour, the cast of The Brave Little Tailor performed for The Hill community on March 25, 2011 in the lobby of The Center For The Arts. Enjoy the slideshow of photos from this performance.