Granny And the Wolf (Sharpened 2026)
Mark Wheeller
Genre: Drama
Cast size: 5 minimum +ensemble
Duration: 30 mins approx
Mark Wheeller | Drama | One Act | 5m/f (5 minimum)
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
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A Fairy Tale where the stories we inherit turn into the violence we justify.
Granny and the Wolf (Sharpened 2026) is a bold reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood, set in a contemporary world where fairy-tale creatures and humans coexist under the strain of fear, prejudice and inherited stories.
At the heart of the play is Delilah, a lonely grandmother still grieving the loss of her husband. Living on the edge of the woods, she has begun a secret relationship with Antonio, a wolf who has rejected the violence and tribal thinking of his own kind. Their love is tender, awkward and deeply sincere, not a joke, not a thrill, but a quiet attempt to choose connection over fear.
“No one can choose who they fall in love with… can they?”
Meanwhile, Red’s parents, Bruce and Lola, are increasingly anxious about Granny’s isolation and the rumours of wolves in the forest. Their concern curdles into suspicion when they discover evidence that a large animal may be living with her. Red herself, desperate to prove she is “old enough,” is sent to Granny’s cottage, unknowingly acting as a spy.
The play builds through parallel worlds: playful games in the cottage mirror a menacing journey through the woods, where wolves track Red, blurring the line between imagination and real danger. Comedy and threat sit side by side as Delilah’s plan to introduce Antonio to Red spirals out of control in a darkly comic bedroom scene that echoes the original fairy tale.
The misunderstanding turns catastrophic. Red’s fear, fuelled by what she has been taught about wolves, triggers Bruce’s violent intervention. In a moment that feels inevitable rather than sudden, Antonio is killed, not because he is guilty, but because he is perceived as dangerous.
The play ends, not with moral certainty but with grief, regret and recognition. Delilah is left to articulate the cost of choosing love in a world governed by fear, reminding us that stories we inherit about monsters, outsiders and safety can become self-fulfilling, with devastating consequences.
A Fairy Tale where the stories we inherit turn into the violence we justify.
This play is an updated version hence the addition of (Sharpened 2026) to the title.
Please look further down the page in 'More Information' for 'Safeguarding Notes for Schools and Youth Theatres'
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