Theatre of Fable

Here are two richly imaginative one-act plays which need the barest minimum of rehearsals. All the action is mimed by actors wearing masks as readers speak the dialogue. In "The Vinegar Man" (4 m, 5 w, extras), a successful wine merchant is devastated when his young wife dies. Ignoring his infant son and the loyal nanny, he turns sour, like the wine he allows to turn into vinegar. But like Scrooge, the Vinegar Man is saved from his own bitterness. In "Finding Happiness" (12 characters, extras), simple Fantodd is sent into the forest by his unhappy father to find the elusive feelings of happiness. Fantodd meets many who claim they have the secret of happiness, but it is only when Fantodd and his father make a discovery that happiness indeed finds them. Originally performed by The Oxford Court Players as part of a myth and ritual program in Oxford, England.