The Little Mermaid, a fantasy in 2-acts, musical or non-musical. Sun-Through-Water, a beautiful mermaid, falls in love with a handsome human. Through a spell cast by the wicked Sea Witch, the Little Mermaid grows legs and feet—but what a terrible price she has to pay. This dramatization of the Andersen fairy tale offers enchanting technical effects; the director's script gives detailed suggestions for staging them. Premiered by Hartley College of Advanced Education in Australia.

From the author in Magill, South Australia: I don't think anyone has yet staged The Little Mermaid as a play, although there was a tiny ballet fragment in the film entitled Hans Christian Andersen. I imagine this is because of the technical difficulty of making mermaids move on the stage. We found ways of turning this problem to theatrical advantage, and we share our secrets with you in the Director's Script (prompt book) available for this play. Costume plates, suggestions for constructing costumes, details of preparing the Black-Light scenes, and instructions for designing a set that will provide smooth-flowing scene changes without interrupting the action are among the material included. The piano/vocal score includes music for two original songs and two specialty numbers. Other music may be added as desired, or the songs and dances may be omitted. The other reason I imagine is that the story as it stands has a melancholy atmosphere and is really savage in content; but all the old fairytales are quite brutal and yet they survive. Why then did I decide to adapt it? I was looking for a play which could include some Black-Light Theatre, and "under-the-sea" scenes seemed ideal for this. The Black-Light episodes are optional, however, and may be omitted from your production. I consulted my children, asking them what stories they liked that had to do with the sea. They assured me that The Little Mermaid would be "fabulous"—if I could change the ending!

So, and my apologies to the purists, that is what I did. I hope the script retains much of the fascination of the original. It is still a savage story, but the alternative ending is happy and comforting. The heartbreak, the terror, the sense of betrayal are still there and should be performed with genuine feeling, but these emotions are balanced by humour and a sense of warm completion at the end. This story should be strongly played, but the children brought to a safe harbour after the thrills of the journey.

This play is, as are all good fairy-tales, about the conflict between Good and Evil. And the second lesson to be learned from this story is that people must "flick with their own tail" or walk their own path. No one should choose another's destiny, or force another to behave in a way that goes against the grain of his or her nature. For ages 6 and up. The video differs from script in various ways, but shows beautiful costumes, good artistry, and other helpful features.

"Imaginative, engrossing adaptation. A wonderful play for children, filled with mystery and delightful characters."—Evaluation in CTAA Distinguished Play Award judging.