Kiss a Big Frog

This is the real Astrid Julian (on the right) and her partner in misadventure, Gabi. Here, fresh off the bobsled run, bronze medals in hand, they pause for a Photo-Op just before entering the ice-dancing competition in the Lenauville Olympics. Required moves: double-butt-bump and triple-toe-touch.

Lenauville Olympics Two-Man Bobsled Team

The family fools at Fasching (Mardi Gras).

Once each year or so Astrid directs a German play at the Donauschwabens' German American Cultural Center. After ten years, she's ready for a break, so if you live in Cleveland, are fairly fluent in German and like people and laughing a lot . . . "please . . . take my directing job."

This is Gabi, Astrid's chief henchperson, in costume as one of the seven dwarves for the Cultural Center's production of "Snowwhite".
Seventh Dwarf

We try to do a fairy tale every other year. Our biggest problem is clearing the commercial interpretations of fairy tales out of people's minds and getting them to believe that their own re-creation of a character is just as valid and a whole lot more fun. Fairy tales belong to the people . . . to mothers and fathers and their children and not to big business interests.

What's a German club without a few resident broomriders? Here some surviving witches share shop-talk with Gretel.

Astrid's right-hand woman is Margot. Whether on-stage acting or behind the stage creating special effects, things just wouldn't get done as creatively or as efficiently without Margot, who is now the president of the Donauschwaben Kulturgruppe.
Backstage

We tried one 18th century production . . . "Der Gestiefelte Kater" by Ludwig Tieck with a cast of hundreds, but it was way too much work, and our German just ain't that good. Most of our actors are born in the US, speak dialect at home and learned German in school. Gestiefelter Kater

Big Bertha in the Wild West was a play we performed for a Donauschwaben Samba, Guitar and Folk Dance Group from Entre Rios in Brazil, to show them what life in America is really like. Afterwards, we had a great time square-dancing and line-dancing. Big Berta im Wilden Westen

One of our actors made the supreme sacrifice and shaved his moustache for our vampire play. Here he helps his evil counterpart look more evil. Vampires Painting Their Faces

A little devil plots to invade Heaven. Red Devil

Santa's Helper (you didn't think he delivered all those presents by himself, did you?), Knecht Ruprecht, takes a snooze at the Pearly Gates.

Some little angels protect Hansel and Gretel while they sleep in the forest. Angels and Sleeping Gretel

**Lost?**