After five months of rehearsals, 36 talented young actors are putting the finishing touches on another Driftwood Theatre School extravaganza. The Glass Slipper is a magical, musical retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale performed by an all-youth cast of local thespians aged six to 18.
The lavish production, with its sumptuous costumes, sets and original choreography, is the School’s most ambitious project yet. Director Ingrid Bilton describes it as a labour of love – that almost didn’t happen.
“After stumbling across an excerpt from the play last year, we immediately fell in love with the bright sassy dialogue, the outlandish characters, and the charming poetry. And so began the search for the elusive 1944 stage play by Eleanor Farjeon.”
Driftwood Theatre School scoured the globe. Emails and phone calls to the U.S., England and even New Zealand eventually located a single copy along with an enchanting musical score. The play went into production in December.
“Anyone who enjoyed our Alice in Wonderland in 2015 is going to love The Glass Slipper,” Bilton said.
Performances run April 28 to 30 and May 5 to 7 at Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. Tickets are available at www.share-there.com and at Laedeli, Blackberry Shop, Giggle ‘n Bloom and Sechelt Visitor Centre. For a behind-the-scenes peak at the production and rehearsals, check out Driftwood Theatre School on Facebook and www.driftwoodplayers.ca/dts.htm
– Submitted by JoAnne Bennison
