As part of the long-term children’s theater project “Wir spielen Märchen” (We play fairy tales), 19 4th grade students from the Gesundbrunnen Elementary School in Wedding are bringing their own new version of the popular German folk tale “Der gestiefelte Kater” (Puss in Boots) to the stage. The play is hosted by the 25th Neuköllner Theatertreffen der Grundschulen (NTT) at Heimathafen Neukölln. “We play fairy tales” has been realized by the LUNA PARK initiative in cooperation with Gesundbrunnen Elementary School since 2014. In their German classes, the students chose their favorite fairy tale, “Puss in Boots,” and rehearsed the stage texts for it during several project days and courses, partly also in online formats due to Corona. Supported by theater and dance educators and costume and set designers, they worked on the production of the fairy tale during the 2021/22 school year. As a work-in-progress, “Puss in Boots” was presented to the public for the first time on March 16, 2022 at the 39th Arbeitstreffen Schultheater Berlin in the youth cultural center Pumpe.

The story of the poor miller’s boy who inherits nothing but a tomcat and in the end makes his fortune nevertheless – or precisely because of it – has many facets, serious and comic, romantic and realistic, fairy-tale and contemporary. And it has many large and small roles, which the young actors fill with great pleasure. The majority of them did not grow up with the language of the Brothers Grimm. “Puss in Boots” helped them to feel at home in this language and to gain more confidence in themselves and their abilities. In the process, they learned that together they could create something entirely new. Something that not only brings joy to themselves, but definitely to their audience as well!