Historians say that fairy tales have been around for at least 4,000 years. And many of the beloved tales that have made their way into contemporary books, TV shows, movies and musicals haven’t changed very much since the Bronze Age.
One quality of old fairy tales that has stood the test of time is how women characters are depicted. They’re often beautiful princesses in need of rescuing, cruel stepmothers, cunning witches, evil queens or kindly mothers, and they are rarely the central character or hero of their own stories.
But that’s not the story, or stories, that playwright and composer Sarah Alida LeClair wants to tell in her new original musical “The Fairy Tale Monologues,” opening July 31 in Rolando.
LeClair is the co-founder of Riot Productions, a 3-year-old San Diego theater company created to amplify the voices of womxn+ (an inclusive term that includes non-binary and genderqueer people) at the intersection of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.
LeClair said she created “The Fairy Tale Monologues” to shatter myths and give a voice to the real women hidden behind ancient fairy tale tropes. The musical mixes “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” with Irish folk songs and original songs by LeClair in a framework where the characters tell their own sides of their stories.
There’s a queer princess fighting for her freedom, a faithful wife struggling against crippling depression, a witch grappling with whether she’s worthy of love, and a child trying to sort out the stories to figure out fact from fairy tale. The musical tackles subjects that include loneliness, friendship, mental health, sex and queer positivity, the challenges of motherhood and more.
Delia Meija in Riot Productions’ “The Fairy Tale Monologues.” (Melissa Punch)
Audiences at the 2026 San Diego International Fringe Festival & World Fringe Congress in May got to see a 60-minute abridged version of the musical, where it won the prize for Most Outstanding World Premiere. It was the third time in three years that a Riot Production show won a San Diego Fringe award.
The musical’s cast includes many of Riot Productions’ volunteer staff and board members. LeClair will play a witch who is struggling against her own innate empathy. Riot co-founder Josalyn Johnson will play a faithful wife battling depression and suicidal ideation. And board member Delia Mejia will play a queer princess hiding a trail of bodies. Also featured in the cast are Tim Benson, William BJ Robinson and Gigi Filipovich.
Sarah LeClair, left, and Timothy Benson in Riot Productions’ “The Fairy Tale Monologues.” (Melissa Punch)
This isn’t the first time Riot Productions has presented a fairy tale-themed show. Last season, the company produced “Gretel! The Musical,” which puts the girl character in the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” in the center of her own story. The 2019 Houston-born folk rock musical features a score by Jenn Hartman Luck and Susan Zedar, with book by Jason Tremblay. It is being staged in the Moxie Theatre space in Rolando.
Besides producing femxle (another inclusive term that exclude the word “male”) focused content, Riot Productions works exclusively with femxle writers, composers and directors. And more than 80 percent of its onstage actors and singers are femxle.
‘The Fairy Tale Monologues’
When: 7:30 p.m. July 31, Aug. 1, 7 and 8. 2 p.m. Aug. 2 and 9
Where: Riot Productions at Moxie Theatre, 6669 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego
Tickets: $21.50
Online: riotproductions.art