Bilingual CINDERELLA: A SALSA FAIRY TALE Coming To Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage, the metro DC region's largest professional theatre for young audiences and leader in positive youth development through the arts, continues its ‘Greatest Hits' season with writer/lyricist Karen Zacarías and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma's Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale, running February 15 - April 7, 2024.

The musical commissioned by Imagination Stage and originally produced in 2003, is a decidedly un-princessy take on the timeless tale. Instead, it focuses on basketball and on an appealing Puerto Rican Cinderella and Latin-American cast of characters who speak both Spanish and English. Nadia Guevara directs. Reviewers are invited to the Opening performance on Saturday, February 17 at 7:00 or to any performance thereafter.

About the musical…Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale is a bilingual Cinderella with a twist that kids will love: What will happen to Cinderella at the ball … game? It humorously turns the classic fairy tale on its head, telling the story from both Cinderella and the ‘stepsister's' perspective. Cinderella, called Cenicienta, a newcomer from Puerto Rico, comes to visit her ‘stepsister,' Rosa, in the United States. But  Cinderella only speaks Spanish and Rosa only speaks English. Will these two girls be able to reach an understanding? Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans: A Salsa Fairy Tale crosses language and gender barriers, weaving a subtle lesson on empathy, sportsmanship, and respect into an exciting, high-stakes story. 

Guevara makes her Imagination Stage directing debut. A 2022-2024 Drama League Stage Directing Fellow, she is a director, producer, administrator, and an award-winning actor. Previously, she served as Director of Arts Engagement & Education at GALA Hispanic Theatre. Guevara loves that the show is “high-energy, funny and athletic. Karen Zacarías, another DC local, is one of my favorite playwrights, and her book highlights her zany humor that I love so much.”  Guevara hopes that Cinderella will teach audiences that “celebrating differences makes for the strongest friendships!”

Karen Zacarías and Deborah Wicks La Puma have worked together and on separate projects over the past 25 years. In 2018 they won a Helen Hayes Award for Ella Enchanted. La Puma has adapted several Mo Willems books for the stage, including Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience. And Zacarías, one of the most-produced playwrights in the US, counts The Book Club Play, Just Like Us, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, and The Sins of Sor Juana among her many works.

Imagination Stage Founding Artistic Director Janet Stanford takes great pleasure in working with early career playwrights and composers. "We have commissioned Karen and Debbie five times, and always love working with them. Of course, it's been wonderful seeing how their careers beyond Imagination Stage have soared, and a delight to welcome them back."

Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale will welcome around 3,000 Montgomery County Public School third grade students and teachers from Title 1 elementary schools to weekday matinees as part of the collaborative ‘Learning Through Theatre' program. Learning Through Theatre delivers multi-faceted, curriculum-based educational programming, including a tailored Theatre Arts Integration Guide for teachers to create lesson plans and activities. Tickets, materials, transportation, and teacher professional development are provided free of charge to all participants. There is a separate ‘Learning Through Theatre' program for District of Columbia Public Schools. This is a bold example of Imagination Stage's impact on its community.

Joining Guevara on the creative team are Maurice Johnson (Choreographer) Tiffany Underwood Holmes and Debbie Jacobson (Music Director), Matthew Keenan (Scenic Designer), Christian Henriquez (Lighting Designer), Becca Janney (Costume Designer), Andrea “Dre” Moore (Props Designer), and Delaney Bray (Sound Designer). 

The acting ensemble includes Ariana Caldwell as Rosa, Connor Padilla as Padrino, Alanna Sibrián as Cinderella, and Tyrell Stanley as Joey.  Samantha Leahan is Stage Manager. 

The ‘Greatest Hits' series celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Imagination Stage's beautiful building in downtown Bethesda. The series will continue with the Imagination Stage original hit Miss Nelson is Missing! by Joan Cushing. 

Weekend matinees for the general public are on Saturdays and some Sundays, including some special performances (listed below). The full calendar is here. Tickets are $12 and up and may be purchased online at imaginationstage.org, in person at Imagination Stage's box office, or via phone at 301-280-1660. Group rates are available for parties of 10+. 

Meet the Actors (a chance to say hello and pose for pictures with members of the cast following the performance)

February 24 at 4:00
February 25 at 10:00
March 2 at 4:00
March 9 at 4:00
March 16 at 4:00 
March 23 at 4:00
March 30 at 4:00
April 6 at 4:00

Access & Inclusion is a core value and program of Imagination Stage. In our professional theatre, that takes the form of having ASL-interpreted and Sensory-Friendly performances of every show. For Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale those performances are:

ASL-Interpreted performance:   February 24 at 1:00

Sensory-Friendly performance:  February 25 at 10:00

Imagination Stage, the DMV's leader in youth development through the arts, is driven to build a generation of compassionate, collaborative young people who are capable of changing the world. Starting as an arts academy in Bethesda in the late 1970s, it has responded to the evolving “needs of now” over the last 43 years by expanding its reach throughout Montgomery County and  Washington, DC. Since the pandemic, we see more than ever how the arts play an essential role in positive youth development. Children from every socio-economic group need experiences that teach empathy, demonstrate resilience, and inspire hope. Theatre does just that. Beyond the classes, camps, and shows at our Bethesda location, Imagination Stage brings programming to locations throughout Montgomery County and DC through partnerships with Montgomery County Public Schools, DC Public Schools and others. One example is our Theatre for Change programs. They serve teenagers, using theatre productions and educational workshops to bridge cultural divides, lift up underrepresented voices, and explore complex social justice issues.

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