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Kiara Hines as Cinderella in TCT’s holiday production of CINDERELLA at the Taft Theatre December 9-18. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.

Experience a Holiday Panto this December at the Taft Theatre!

For the holidays, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents CINDERELLA December 9-18, 2017 at the Taft Theatre.  This isn’t your mother’s (or your grandmother’s) Cinderella. Boys as well as girls will love all of the audience participation, side-splitting humor, and outlandish characters in this classic fairytale set to popular music.

Adapted by John B. Davidson, featuring original Music by Victor Zupanc. Based on the Fairytale by Charles Perrault.  Produced by special arrangement with Plays for Young Audiences.

CINDERELLA will be performed as a holiday “panto,” which means this classic, rags-to-riches story has been turned on its head and cleverly staged to entertain everyone from children to adults.  Featuring:

• Interactive audience participation
• Slapstick comedy
• Cross-dressing characters
• Fantastic dance numbers
• Modern music from Adele, to Walk the Moon, to Whitney Houston

“You won’t find another Cinderella quite like this in Cincinnati!” says Roderick Justice, Producing Artistic Director for The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati and director/choreographer of TCT’s CINDERELLA production. “We look forward to bringing something fresh and new to the Taft Theatre stage that will delight children and adults during the holiday season.”

In this hilarious holiday panto, you’ll jeer at the deliciously dysfunctional stepmother and sisters as much as you’ll cheer for Cinderella in her quest to attend the magnificent Christmas ball. Join TCT this winter to celebrate a Cinderella Christmas.

CINDERELLA presented by The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, December 9-18, 2017.  Saturday, December 9 at 2 PM* (this performance is signed for the hearing impaired), Sunday, December 10 at 2 PM, Sunday, December 10 at 5 PM, Friday, December 15 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, December 16 at 2 PM, Saturday, December at 5 PM, Sunday, December 17 at 2 PM at the Taft Theatre, 5^th and Sycamore Streets in Downtown Cincinnati. Tickets start at $10.  1-800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.

School performances of CINDERELLA will be held December 12-15 during the daytime hours.  TCT’s Sensory Friendly performance will be held on Monday, December 18 at 9:45 AM.  This performance is intended for individuals on the autism spectrum, as well as children (and adults) with other special needs who may benefit. To create a sensory-friendly performance, the show is performed in a welcoming, supportive environment for those with sensory challenges.  Slight adjustments to lighting and sound are made and effects such as fog, strobes, and lights that extend into the audience are minimalized.  A downloadable Social Narrative (in Word format) is made available on the TCT website one week before the performance.  At the theater, TCT provides an area staffed by specialists in the field where patrons can take a break from the performance if necessary, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center has trained staff on hand.

For details about how to purchase tickets to TCT’s school or Sensory-Friendly performances, visit www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

The cast (in alphabetical order):

• Ensemble/Puppeteer ANDREW BLAKE
• Fairy Godmother KAYLA BURRESS
• Pearl CHRIS LOGAN CARTER
• Little Girl BRINLEY CULVER
• Ensemble/Puppeteer NICK GODFREY
• Ensemble/Puppeteer SARAH HACK
• Cinderella KIARA HINES
• Puppeteer/Page ISABELLA LACHEY
• Puppeteer/Page ANDREW LIPPERT
• Doris JOEY LOGAN
• Ensemble/Puppeteer ALLYSUN MELLICK
• Grandfather DAIN ALAN PAIGE
• Ensemble/Puppeteer JONATHAN PENDERGRASS
• Lord High Chamberlain RYAN J. POOLE
• Prince Daniel RYAN CHAVEZ RICHMOND
• Ensemble/Puppeteer KELCEY STEELE
• Ensemble/Puppeteer RENEE STOLTZFUS
• Ensemble/Puppeteer RIA VILLAVER COLLINS
• Stepmother MICHELLE WELLS
• Understudies:
• Stepmother KAYLA BURRESS
• Cinderella SARAH HACK
• Little Girl ISABELLA LACHEY
• Prince JONATHAN PENDERGRASS
• Grandfather, Doris RYAN J. POOLE
• Pearl KELCEY STEELE
• Fairy Godmother RIA VILLAVER COLLINS

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of CINDERELLA is made possible by the generosity of Macy’s and the community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. Season Sponsors are the Charles H. Dater Foundation and the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation.  This program is made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.  Media sponsors are LOCAL 12 and Q102.

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