Every family has its own fables - tales of moral value with important lessons that are passed down from generation to generation.
Now that ancient oral tradition is being explored as part of a large-scale production which will take place at the Wales Millennium Centre's Weston Studio next month.
Stori: A Retelling involves more than 100 participants who have crossed the generational divide for a devised piece that draws on hidden gems unearthed when school children asked their parents and grandparents for interesting tales that had meaning to them as youngsters.
Four fables chosen from this experiment form the basis for an inter-generational performance which explores if ancient morals really are timeless and have relevance to modern-day society or if the meaning is lost with the passing of time.
Stori: A Retelling. Photo courtesy of Wales Millennium Centre
I spoke to the project's leader, Jason Camilleri, who is a learning and participation officer at the WMC.
He told me that the idea for Stori was born after he returned from doing some volunteering work in Uganda.
"It really struck me that a lot of the repetition of their folk tales was made in conversation so the teaching of the morals they contained was part of everyday speech.
"When I came back I wanted to do a performance that looked at stories from around the world and if the morals they contained were really universal.
"It made sense to do it as an inter-generational piece."
Stori will feature performances from the centre's adult drama group Off Centre, Grassroots drama group – which operates at a youth drop-in centre in Cardiff – and two year four classes from Sully Primary School.
The schoolchildren were asked to go home and speak to their parents and grandparents and ask them to recount stories that resonated from their own childhood.
They then brought the tales into class to share with their peers and the two older groups picked four they felt did have relevance to modern life.
In rehearsal for Stori: A Retelling. Photo: Wales Millennium Centre
These are the famous Welsh story of Gelert the dog, the tale of Androcles and the Lion and two stories from Asia – The Magic Paintbrush and the Stonecutter.
Jason said: "Each of the stories has really powerful messages. The Magic Paintbrush warns against greed while Androcles and the Lion explores the idea of doing good deeds for others and The Stonecutter teaches us to be happy with what we are.
"It's a big thing to pull together but will see eight-year-olds performing alongside 63-year-olds for a real family performance.
"I hope some of the parents and grandparents who shared their tales will come along and see it."
The performance will see all four tales pieced together as the audience follows several characters on their journeys.
It takes place at the Weston Studio at the WMC at 7pm on 22 March as part of the venue's performances for families.
The spring season in the Weston Studio runs from 5 March to 14 April 2013. For tickets and more information visit wmc.org.uk/westonstudio.
