African-American Shakespeare Company Presents 2018 Version Of CINDERELLA

The African-American Shakespeare Company 's annual holiday offering Cinderella returns this December in an update that recontextualizes our heroine's dilemma into a journey that finds her seeking what director Mark A. Davis describes as "authentic family."

This, the company's 17thproduction spun from their original take first produced in 2000 is their take on the oft-told tale of a girl who while fully aware of the inequalities in her life-forced as she is to wait on her stepmother and two stepsisters hand and foot- doesn't allow them to define her.

After being a holiday staple for the company for close to two decades, with a number of revisions, additions and updates, Executive Director Sherri Young is always looking for ways to keep the story relevant to new audiences and reflect the changing times, all while "keeping the uniqueness that only the African-American Shakespeare Company can bring."

As always, the musical production will find our heroine thanklessly toiling away before seizing the opportunity to pursue her dreams after coming into temporary possession of a particularly life-changing pair of shoes. In this case, the director, who is also a playwright and choreographer-and who as a dancer was a member of the original company of The Lion King-has modified the role of the traditional Fairy Godmother into a fast-talking, fashion conscious and very snappy dressing Fairy Godfather to be played by ShawnJ West.

Influenced by Sondheim and Into The Woods, Davis felt that there was more to Cinderella and her struggles still to be told, so specifically wanted to get audiences to think about her dilemma and how she got there from the outset by giving some context to her situation. "You have a girl being raised by a mother who doesn't like her, which in this day and age leaves open all kinds of possibilities of where to take the play. And in this case it leapt out at me, that really, it's about her search to find that place where she belongs and where she can be her most loving self and be loved in return."

More information here: http://www.african americanshakes.org/productions/cinderella/