CREEDE REPERTORY THEATRE Delve Deeper Study Guide Red Riding Hood by Allison Gregory Directed by John DiAntonio You’ve never seen Little Red Riding Hood quite like this. Two actors with the stamina of marathon runners spin this classic fairytale with humor, excitement, and a whole lot of heart. Originally commissioned by the Seattle Children’s Theatre, Red Riding Hood is a delight for the entire family! Starring Alexandria Bates and Matthew Tyler Horn.
June 26 – Sept 4 in Seime Park Dramaturg & Editor: Kate Berry creederep.org / 719-658-2540
The Origins and Evolution of Red Riding Hood We often don’t know the origin of many fairy tales since most of these stories were passed down through the oral tradition of storytelling. As Delivery mentions in Allison Gregory’s version of Red Riding Hood: “How do you think this story came about in the first place? People made it up. People from Africa, Asia, Europe, America. Did you know the earliest known printed version of Red Riding Hood came from French folktales, more than four-hundred years ago? With every telling there’s a new twist, a different ending.” Realizing we’re all in charge of our own stories is quite powerful. So where did Red Riding Hood come from? Here is a short history.
The origin of the story of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf is so difficult to pinpoint because the story resembles a multitude of other tales and has changed over time.
Greek and Roman: A variety of different stories involve a woman and a man with a name meaning “wolf”. Roman poet Horace tells a tale in which a child is rescued unharmed from the belly of Lamia (an ogress). Norse legend: In these stories, a giant has stolen Thor’s hammer and asks for a bride in return. Instead, the gods dress up Thor as a bride instead to trick the giant and get his hammer back. The giant notes Thor’s eyes, eating, and drinking as being suspect. Russia: The theme of a ravenous wolf and the victim being recovered unharmed appears in both he tale of Peter and the Wolf and the Grimm Brother’s tale, The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats. These stories also bear resemblance to the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.
Jonah and the fish
Thor disguised as the bride
The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats
Earliest Versions
Modern Adaptations
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Pre-17 Century European Tales: A red riding hood type story was told by French peasants in the 10th century. In Italy, a version of the story was told (also by peasants) in the 14th century, including La finta nonna (The False Grandmother) where an ogress is disguised as a little girl’s grandmother. The girl is able to escape and find her way back due to her generosity to a river and a gate on the way there. Charles Perrault: The earliest known version in print was called Le Petit Chaperon Rouge and likely came from 17th century French folk tales. In this version, the wolf devours both grandma and Red. Perrault said that the moral of his story was to not listen to strangers. An illustration from the Perrault version
The Brothers Grimm: The brothers are perhaps the most well known authors of modern fairy tales. The German duo took Perrault’s version but added a woodsman, or huntsman character who saves Red and her grandmother from the belly of the wolf. Red then loads the wolf’s belly with stones. The wolf wakes up, tries to run away, and falls down dead from the weight of the stones. The Brothers Grimm, in 1855, crafted many of the classic fairy tales as we know them today.
(Up left) The character of Ruby, played by Meghan Ory on the ABC series Once Upon a Time. (Up right) Red and The Wolf in the musical Into the Woods with Danielle Ferland originating the role of Red Riding Hood; (Center) Amanda Seyfried as the title character from the 2011 film, Red Riding Hood; (Bottom right) L’il Red from the Shrek movie franchise; (Bottom left) Alexandria Bates, from 2019’s Peter and the Starcatcher, portrays Delivery/Red in CRT’s production, by Allison Gregory.
Post Show Questions • What character did you most identify with and why? • If you could rewrite the ending to Red Riding Hood, what would you change? • What’s your favorite story? • Who is the best storyteller you know?