From the adaptor's note: This play is full of transformations, and through the act of adaptation, it has undergone transformations of its own. I have sought to maintain the wonder of Gozzi's fantastical world, with its magical creatures and enchantments, without presenting a museum piece. This version of THE KING STAG relinquishes the traditional masks of the commedia dell'arte, but maintains its improvisation and highly physical performance style. Additionally, by bringing Gozzi's eighteenth-century tale into conversation with the present, I have made some significant changes?-?women, for example, have a much more active role than in the original.