When a travelling troupe of players is surprised to come across an audience waiting for a show, they decide to re-create the story of Cinderella on the spot! With mixed identities, slapstick humour, multiple performers covering multiple roles and using only the things they brought with them, the troupe drums up a version of Cinderella like no other. Will an inflatable turkey work in place of a pumpkin? Can two players successfully play the Prince at the same time? Will it all come together in the end?
Produced by Birnton Theatricals, in association with Stage West for Kids, Calgary AB, August 2021
Keywords: Theatre for Young Audiences, fairy tale, small cast, series, kids, slapstick comedy, multiple roles, TYA
Genre: Comedy, Play with Music, Theatre for Young Audiences, Adaptation
Acts: 1
Run time: 60 minutes
Suitable for all ages
Cast size: 4
Casting notes:
The Travelling Troupe is made up of 4 people. In past productions that have the travelling troupe, all of the characters except Coco, have been played by females. However, the roles of the players are never defined as being specifically that way. There is a lot of quick costume changes and multiple genders of characters in the Cinderella sections are played by each of the players. While it is possible for the show to be done with more performers, a lot of the comedy hinges on only 4 players playing all of the roles.
The Travelling Troupe of Players:
Lasso - Generally speaking the leader of the group, although not immune to being out voted. The eldest of the group and the one who has been doing this the longest. Loves the spotlight and loves making sure they get all of the prime roles.
Coco - Curious with a devilish sense of humour. Logical and literal but with a hint of court jester. Coco is stubborn and committed to every role, regardless of how ridiculous it looks
Zingra - Compassionate and kind, truly the emotional heartbeat of the troupe. Zingra often gets short changed on roles and often has to fight to be seen amongst the large personalities.
Soli - Energy, enthusiasm and effort - just not always reading the room the right way. What Soli lacks in awareness and street smarts, they more than make up for in going the extra mile to solve problems creatively. An out of the box thinker.
