The 4 friends is based on a story, usually named "The Musicians of Bremen" told to the Grimms Brothers by the Haxthausen family and Dorothy Viehmann. My initial sources were the Philip Pullman new version in "Grimms Tales for old and young" and an older version online . Pullman says in his footnote " The poor old superannuated animals, with their fond ideas of playing music in the city of Bremen, come out on top in the end, and a good thing too. I'm fond of this tale because of the simplicity and power of its form. When a tale is told so well that the line of the narrative seems to have been able to take no other path, and to have touched every important event in making for its end, one can only bow with respect for the teller." Our telling starts with four students rehearsing scenes in the old theatre and being observed and accompanied by the ghosts who inhabit the "haunted stage'. The spirits have already introduced themselves to the audience in the initial prologue. The 4 students then discuss their search for a story which they need to perform in an expressionistic style and are helped by one of the chorus taking the role of Dorothea Viehmann. All the chorus then assist in the transformation of the 4 friends and the telling of the chosen story where they find bravery, loyalty, song, and a little bit of magic. CAST: Matthew Joyce, Karl Mellon, Ci�ran Murphy, Rayvin Waters, Aoife Cahill, Rhian Gregan, Adam Lalor, Tony Moore, Kate Mulreany, Claire Nolan, Dane Pendar, Eva Murphy
