Respecting the original spirit of the traditional dark tale, I see the journey taken by Hansel, Gretel, Mother, and Father as a spiritual quest. It speaks to our humanity universally and specifically to these characters. We see them in internal moments, flashbacks, daydreaming, wishing for something… other. In parallel and interweaving storylines they contemplate the guilt, fear, repercussions, and self reflection that are the consequences of their decisions or circumstances. We catch glimpses of vulnerability and betrayal, reliance on one another, and travel with them to the eventual realization that their true treasures lie within themselves. The love, gratitude, and trust that is within them and for one another is released through their transformational journey. It is a story of symbols. A floating portal between lives and memories, location and perception, present reality and dreamy illusion, house and oven, opens and closes - inviting us to step through. Fire kills and cleanses, releasing the seeds of rebirth even as it brings death. Death of the self, of culturally and societally defined realities bringing a shift in perspective and the rebirth into a new reality. The old story leads the children to the witch’s treasure. Here, Hansel and Gretel, in a sort of coming of age story, discover their true treasures of love and gratitude for what they have… in themselves and one another.