Chatterbox Audio Theater Releases GRIMMS' FAIRY TALES

Chatterbox Audio Theater, Memphis's only web-based theater company, is proud to announce the release of its newest production: GRIMMS' FAIRY TALES. Performed live as part of the Memphis Children's Theatre Festival in May, this energetic, family-friendly audio recording is a collaboration with Theatre Memphis's touring company ShoWagon. GRIMMS' FAIRY TALES brings to life three tales of folklore collected by the Brothers Grimm: "The Old Woman in the Woods," "Little Red Cap," and "The Three Little Birds." The full production runs approximately 40 minutes and is now available for free streaming or as an mp3 download from www.chatterboxtheater.org.

Adapted by Chatterbox Executive Director Robert Arnold, GRIMMS' FAIRY TALES went on the road with ShoWagon throughout the 2013-14 academic year. The show was performed at a variety of schools and community organizations before its final performance at the Memphis Children's Theatre Festival in May. The show features the voices of only four actors, who are called upon to create numerous characters, including kings and queens, wicked sisters, a talking dove, a mysterious old woman, and of course the Big Bad Wolf. These characters are complemented with sound effects, performed by the actors live on stage.

"It's an incredibly collaborative show," says Robert Arnold, GRIMMS' co-director (with Leslie Barker) and Executive Director of Chatterbox Audio Theater. "We worked with performers and crew from Theatre Memphis's ShoWagon. We performed all over the city, culminating in this show at the Memphis Children's Theatre Festival, organized by Voices of the South and held on the campus of Rhodes College."

Befitting the collaborative nature of the production, the performance was written to be interactive, with audience members chiming in at appropriate moments to create sound effects. Attendees at the May performance helped the actors create such sounds as a thunderstorm, a jubilant crowd, and a flock of birds.

Formed in 2007, Chatterbox Audio Theater creates fully soundscaped audio works for free streaming and download. Based in Memphis, the group also produces shows in Kansas City, MO. Chatterbox has released nearly 70 shows to date, all of which are freely available through iTunes and through the group's website, www.chatterboxtheater.org.

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