BriarRose is the age-old story of a fairytale Princess banished by an evil Queen, with a twist: the “Princess” is actually Briar, a young trans man just discovering his identity.
If you’ve been wandering through the woods searching for the mirror that truly reflects you - you found it! Welcome.

About the Show

Show summary and background on music story development.

Credits

Meet the team behind BriarRose!

Content & Accessibility

Information about the content and themes ("Content/Trigger Warnings") of the show.

About the Show

a young man with curly blond hair and a red shirt stands in front of a frame. behind him is a background of briars, and in front of him a hand reached out from a pile of roses.

BriarRose is the age-old story of a fairytale Princess banished by an evil Queen, with a twist: the “Princess” is actually Briar, a young trans man just discovering his identity. With help from budding sorceress Ellen, Briar is able to magically transform into his true self, and together they make a new life for themselves deep in the enchanted woods.But when dashing Prince Alister and Lady Knight Brunhilde appear after Ellen casts a seemingly harmless charm, Briar and Ellen’s simple lives are suddenly much more complicated - and the Queen still casts a long shadow over what should be a happy ending.Join this cast of familiar characters as they explore a world where magic can unlock what lies inside your heart - for better or for worse…

BriarRose is funded in part by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
Magpie Artists' Ensemble is Powered by Shunpike.

The Music of Briar/Rose

One of the unique features of BriarRose is its music. Every song in the show has a base melody taken from the traditional Celtic and English canons, with new harmonies and arrangements that add a magical twist. The lyrics range from entirely new ones written by the playwright ("A Vision," "The Forest") to ones that were chosen because they fit the narrative already ("Rose Red," "Ah, Poor Bird"). For those who are interested in music history, you can find the original melodies, lyrics, and more information below:

Rose Red & Ah, Poor Bird
Traditional English; composed by Thomas Ravenscroft c. 1600
A Vision
Medley of "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (composed by Robert Swyer Joyce c. 1861) & "Teir Abhaile Riu" (traditional Celtic, Roud #2994).
The Forest
"The King of Ireland's Son," traditional Irish of unknown origin.
The Valley
"Oidhche Mhath Leibh," traditional Scottish of unknown origin.
Taking Aim
"Black is the Color"/"Dark is the Color," traditional Celtic, Roud #3103.
Passing the Hours
"Nil Na La (It is Not Day Nor Morning)," traditional Celtic, no Roud #.
Red is the Rose
Traditional Celtic, Roud #32602.
The Northern Shore
"Moorlough Shore," Roud #2946.
The Parting Glass
Traditional Irish, Roud #3004.

The Roud Index is a massive free archive of recordings and lyrics to thousands of folk songs. You can find information on the sources, variants, and oldest recordings of these songs and countless others by searching the index using the numbers provided.

Tales to look out for

BriarRose draws on Grimms' Fairy Tales, as well as Celtic and Slavic folklore, to build a world and story that may be familiar to many people in the audience.According to anthropologist Jamshid Tehrani (amongst others), the fairy tales many of us grew up hearing and watching date back 6,000 years, to stories that are the narrative ancestors of much of the Proto-Indo-European canon. In a sense, the cast of Briar/Rose is simply continuing a millenias-old tradition - using ancient characters and plot points to craft narratives that express the values, fears, and hopes of our community.Familiar stories and folklore that make an appearance in the show include...

  • Little Snow-White

  • The Animal Bride Groom

  • Ivan Kupala Night (Slavic Solstice)

  • Beauty and the Beast/The Singing, Springing Lark

  • Little Brier-Rose

CAST & CREW

Briar | Director | Playwright | Sets | James T. Washburn

James T. Washburn (he/him) is a gay, trans, and disabled Storyteller-Activist based in Seattle. His work is deeply inspired by his community and experiences at the intersection of marginalized identities.
Washburn is a multi-hyphenate artist, with works spanning from the immersive epistolary novella Sealed with Honey to Achilles + Patroclus, a chamber opera commissioned by the Seattle Opera. He takes inspiration from folklore, mythology, and queer history; his work focuses on discovering queerness in traditional stories and reimagining familiar tropes and archetypes through a queer lens.
Washburn is the Founding Artistic Director of Magpie Artists’ Ensemble, an artistic collective focused on innovative cross-disciplinary storytelling.