Cast: 8, gender neutral (with doubling)
Run time: 20 - 50 minutes
The Steadfast Tin Soldier was Andersen’s first original fairy story, and it sets the trend for what was to follow. It contains many of his trademark features, most notably the tragic central character and the doomed love between the soldier and the ballerina.
The Brave Tin Soldier is about the hopelessness of a toy tin soldier’s love for a paper ballerina. Is it hopeless because it can never be, or simply because he accepts that it will never be? The title emphasises his courage and his ability to bravely face all the hardships he experiences.
The production comes to life with simple physical theatre movements, optional dance sequences, puppetry, and mime.
*Production notes contain suggested rehearsal/movement development sequences, and puppetry construction.
Characters
(Minimum 8 Actors with doubling. No maximum - Cast may be expanded to include more toys in the playroom, and wind/rain/water/fire, and the tunnel.)
Soldier: He limps with one leg shorter than the other.
Ballerina: Wise and observant, she is the soul of the playroom.
Jack-in-the-Box Goblin. A manipulative "King of the Toys" and leader of the Toy Council.
Young Boy: Initially playful, later conflicted. Doubles as the owner and as a dark, movement-based representation of the Soldier’s fears.
Toymaker / Cowboy doll / Rat: First appears as the Toy Maker, then becomes a toy in the playroom, then the Sewer King. A fast-talking bureaucrat of the sewers.
Teddy / Fish: A "philosophical" giant - henchman for the Goblin. A giant, looming presence that uses movement to surround and threaten the Soldier. Then a fish who envelopes the toy soldier.
Rag Doll / Cook / The Sun: Represents the passage of time and the warmth of the home. The bridge between the "toy world" and the "human world."
Narrator / The Wind/Rain/Water/Fire: Leads the transitions between scenes. A storyteller who speaks to the audience.
* Additional ensemble characters - e.g.
Machinery pressing out soldiers.
Puppetry / Soldiers
Corps de Ballet: Optional "Shadow Dancers" (ensemble) that mimic her movements during her solo sections.
Wind / Rain / Water / Fire / Tunnel (Using soft fabric)
Shadows
Run Time:
20 to 50 minutes, depending on choreography/physical theatre elements.
