St. Mary's students give Cinderella a totally bodacious '80s makeover

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St. Mary's students give Cinderella a totally bodacious '80s makeover Julia Lovett News Nov 20, 2017 Flamborough Review From left: Crazy Step-Sister Gertrude (Brianna Latremouille,16) argues with

1 St. Mary's students give Cinderella a totally bodacious '80s makeover Julia Lovett News Nov 20, 2017 Flamborough Review From left: Crazy Step-Sister Gertrude (Brianna Latremouille,16) argues with Cinderella (Paige Sabourin, 17) while the girl genius Countess Pythagoras (Marley Mahon,16) daydreams of new equations. The St. Mary's Catholic Secondary School's TIE (Theatre in Educatioon) program's production of Cinderella will open the last week of November. - Julia Lovett/Metroland The coming production of Cinderella by St. Mary Catholic Secondary Schoolʼs Theatre in Education (TIE) program will rocket the fairy tale heroine into the future. Page 1 of 5

2 By about 280 years from when the French version of the story was first written in 1697 in a totally tubular fashion. I like to take classics, but I like to change them up a little bit, said drama teacher Kathryn Newberry, who is directing the show. She decided on Cinderella last year, and the ugly stepsisters sparked an idea of what the play should look like. Story continues below I just kept stumbling upon this ugly 1980s fashion in hair," she said. "That got me thinking, and I said, We can do the whole play with a 1980s design concept.'" The script, developed for children and youth theatre and written by Michele L. Vacca, tells the tale of the Frumppkins the family at the centre of Cinderellaʼs troubles. Her stepsisters, Thelma and Gertrude, are forever bickering and their vanity never fails to make more work for the young girl, whose father married Frieda their overbearing mother. This version of the play is based on the version with fairy godmothers and pumpkin carriages, but is missing the Grimm elements of selfmutilation in order to win the Princeʼs heart. The production was built from the ground up by the students from the set design and construction to the makeup and costumes. The goal of the TIE program is to develop leadership skills through the medium of theatre, Newberry said, noting that the program is in its fifth year. To be in TIE, the student needs to be taking Grade 11 M- Page 2 of 5

3 Level (university or college) drama or they can audition as a co-op student. I have a lot of kids that are co-op students, which is one of the reasons why I started the program," she said. "I had students that were looking for theatre co-op and there werenʼt really a lot around." Newberry noted there are two distinct sets of characters in the script: the classic characters, such as the king, queen and Cinderella. On the flip side, there are the crazy characters the stepsisters, for instance, are resplendent in neon hues. Story continues below Reading the script, I thought the stepsisters were really fun and they added like a nice quirky element to the play, said 17-year-old Zoey Riley, who hails from Greensville, and plays Thelma. She said initially she wanted to play the fairy godmother, but after she read the lines, she changed her mind. I learned that she likes to yell a lot and she has no boundaries." Carlisleʼs Paige Sabourin, who plays Cinderella, explained that in the beginning, the lead role is a one-note character, who is passive and serves her stepfamily without complaint. When she meets with the prince, her character begins to develop and the 17-year-old actor has had fun working out the role and making it her own. The script jut has her saying, like, Yes Stepmother,ʼ literally all the time; and just answering people with 'yes' and 'no.' Page 3 of 5

4 "But I started making it, like, Iʼd roll my eyes, she said. Keeping the '80s theme, musical numbers include hits from the era, such as Holding out for a Hero and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. As crazy stepsister number two, Brianna Latremouille's portrayal of Gertrude is flamboyant. Because this role is such a big character and I like to do big acting, I was really excited, said the Waterdown resident, noting that she tried out for Mamaʼ Frieda, the fairy godmother, and Cinderella. Sheʼs really loud and obnoxious and sheʼs always fighting with her sister and I think that she wants everything that her sister wants, but her sister sometimes does it better than her, she said of her character. Latremouille explained that by developing her perpetually hungry character, working with the rest of the cast and crew she has become more confident, noting that it has helped her open up to people offstage. A lot of her qualities and my qualities go hand in hand to some extent. According to Newberry, the audience will see the classic fairy tale come to life through a fresh take on the tale. A lot of people say, Oh, youʼre not doing the Disney version,ʼ" she said "Itʼs like if I try and just recreate the Disney version, all Iʼm doing is doing something that someone else has done before." Page 4 of 5

5 Even though itʼs Cinderella, I still want to do something that I havenʼt done before. And I want my audience to see something that they havenʼt seen before, she said, adding that all her characters even the nasty ones have a wish, a dream, a desire. This is a play with heart and zany antics but it also has a message within and itʼs something the young Cinderella hopes will come through for the audience. The thing that I want kids to really get from the play is just that in the future things might get really difficult; but to always keep believing in yourself, that it will get better and not to give up, said Sabourin. The play will also feature two other Flamborough residents in supporting roles: Marley Mahon as Countess Pythagoras and Seth Lawson as the king. The show will have special matinee performances during the last week of November for the schools in the district and shows open to the public on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door for $10, or $5 for children 10 and under. Like our stories? Sign up for our newsletter! SIGN UP Like our stories? Sign up for our newsletter! SIGN UP Page 5 of 5

Centerstage Academy. presents. August 3, pm & 7pm

Centerstage Academy. presents. August 3, pm & 7pm Centerstage Academy presents August 3, 2013 4pm & 7pm Disney's Cinderella Kids Audition Information We are excited about our upcoming production of Disney's Cinderella Kids! This Audition Packet will give