Ash Girl

Times Contributor  

 

Like the TV series ‘Once upon a Time’ and movie adaptations of traditional fairy tales, Strathmore High School puts a dramatic spin on Cinderella, in their new production called Ash Girl.

“It’s very similar to Cinderella. She is the stepdaughter and the stepsisters and mother are very mean. The prince is from India and he and his mother have come to this land because the father was killed or taken, so they came to start a new life. They host a ball to introduce the prince to the young marriageable women in the area,” said drama teacher Paula Richardson. “In the story, the seven deadly sins are personified as monsters. They are present and seen by the audience, but not seen by the characters; they are sort of lurking in the background.”

Richardson said the main character lives in the ashes because they are a safe place to hide. It is a place that she can get away from her fears. She sees the tale as a story of female empowerment, not giving up, facing your fears. It is about hope and how the smallest amount of hope can move the human spirit.

The set is surrealistic and minimalist. It presents technical challenges for the lighting crews as lots of light changes are needed. Students worked both on the sets and costumes with the help of an adult volunteer. Two of the actors tackle the complicated process of playing dual roles and switching as lead actor.

“As we’ve gotten into the rehearsal process and they’ve worked on developing the characters, they have really bought into it, compared to how they came into it at the beginning,” said Richardson, describing how her students have developed their interpretation of the play.

Ash Girl is presented at the SHS theatre May 13-16, at 7 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $10 at the door or call the school at (403) 934-3135.