Chichester Festival Youth Theatre
Cinderella
Written by Philip Wilson Music by Jason Carr Lyrics by Philip Wilson and Jason Carr
“For young people, knowing you can identify as whoever you really think you are is more and more relevant, and CFYT has always felt like a space where you can do that.” CFYT MEMBER
Every week, CFYT members meet at locations across the county to discover new skills and explore new stories, make friends, build confidence and, most importantly, “laugh until your sides hurt”* (*direct quote from a member). We currently have opportunities for Year 6 students upwards to join drama, dance, musical theatre and technical theatre sessions. We also have groups for young people with additional needs (CFYT Wednesday in Horsham and CFYT Friday in Chichester). Our weekly sessions take place in locations across West Sussex for you to meet like-minded people and find a space where you can just be yourself!
Find your group across West Sussex and join us! Scan to find out more
cft.org.uk/CFYT
Welcome
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Welcome
A very warm welcome to this performance of Cinderella. A few weeks ago, some of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre members you’ll see on stage today took part in a unique charity gala celebrating 125 years of Noël Coward. A Marvellous Party took place at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre, and they shared the stage with an astonishing roll-call of some of the most distinguished luminaries of British theatre, including Dame Patricia Routledge, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi. Needless to say, they sang and performed with all the skill, panache, enthusiasm and dedication familiar to anyone who’s enjoyed their outstanding Chichester productions over the years, and could stand proudly alongside those titans of the industry. For 21 years, CFYT have taken over the Festival stage at Christmas, delighting audiences young and old. Cinderella continues their tradition of presenting an original play with new music that’s been written especially for the Youth Theatre, and we’re delighted that Philip Wilson and Jason Carr have created a spellbinding new retelling of the classic folk tale. We also welcome back director Jon Pashley, whose CFYT production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was one of the highlights of Festival 2023, and set designer Simon Higlett. Next year, our Youth Theatre will celebrate its 40th anniversary. The lyrics to one of the Noël Coward songs which CFYT performed at the gala had the refrain: ‘There's a younger generation, Knock, knock, knocking at the door.’ The talent of the 72 cast members you’ll see today, and 24 members of the young technical team backstage, promise a rosy future for theatre. Look out for our great February half-term family shows – we hope to see you again for one of those. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Justin Audibert Artistic Director
Kathy Bourne Executive Director
Kathy Bourne and Justin Audibert Photograph by Peter Flude
The Littlest Yak Written and directed by Barra Collins Based on the book written by Lu Fraser and illustrated by Kate Hindley This musical adaptation of the award-winning children’s book will delight audiences young and old with beautiful puppets and catchy tunes. Gertie is in a rush to grow up and be just like the big yaks. But what if there are some things only a Gertie can do? A gorgeous story celebrating you being perfect. Join us this half term for a dazzling adventure into the heart of the Himalayas. Ages 3+
17 – 22 February Minerva Theatre
Check out the full line-up of drama, music,
Dinosaur World Live Olivier Award-winner for Best Family Show 2024 Dare to experience the dangers and delights of Dinosaur World Live in this roarsome interactive show for all the family! Discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs. A special meet and greet after the show offers a chance to make a new dinosaur friend. Don’t miss this fun and mind-expanding Jurassic adventure. Ages 3+
20 – 23 February Festival Theatre
dance and comedy at cft.org.uk
Creative Industries
Careers Day Friday 31 January 2025, 9.30am – 2.30pm. Suitable for Year 9+ and graduates. Are you – or a young person you know – curious about a career in theatre, visual arts, design, writing or music, but don’t quite know where or how to get started? Then come along to our Creative Industries Careers Day on Friday 31 January. Hosted in association with Pallant House Gallery, Chichester College and Creative County West Sussex, and suitable for KS3 to university graduates, we’re inviting the next generation of curious minds to an unmissable day of discovery in the creative industries. Dive into inspiring sessions with creative organisations large and small. Meet with artists, designers, tattooists, theatremakers, writers and creatives, and find out about careers that you didn’t even know existed. If you’re a student choosing GCSE options, next step pathways, or you’re ready to survey the employment landscape, then this careers fair is for you. Whether you’re looking to explore design, writing, music, a skilled trade, technical production, digital creation, gaming, public speaking, theatre
or more, we can help. Receive guidance, and quiz experts on apprenticeships, trainee schemes, career pathways and employment opportunities. Focussing on creative roles across a variety of industries, it’s your opportunity to access presentations, panel discussions, interactive stands, CV sessions – all led by professionals at the top of their game. Angela Watkins, LEAP Projects Manager, says: ‘We want to demystify the many pathways leading into creative careers, and for our Careers Day to be informative and fun. We’ll have outstanding panels of speakers from prestigious organisations such as LW Theatres, Frantic Assembly and White Light, and freelance playwrights, designers and actors at the top of their game, alongside senior CFT leaders, to share their journeys and areas of expertise. We are excited to welcome young people through our doors on 31 January.’ The Creative Industries Careers Day is free to attend but group booking is essential. We recommend a minimum two-hour visit, either for the morning or afternoon session. If you’re a teacher interested in attending with a school group, please advise us of your subject lead, year group, number of attendees and focus of visit, and we can curate a bespoke itinerary. Our Café will be open for refreshments throughout the day. For more information visit, cft.org.uk/creativecareers
Provenance Community Sustainability Creating exceptional food to enhance your Festival experience
Our ethos Delicious dishes are only as good as their component parts and community is a key factor for Caper & Berry and CFT. We believe that working with fantastic local producers has huge benefits to local communities and creates better environments.
In our larder Fresh ingredients have been at the centre of Caper & Berry’s ethos since 2004: Ultra Sustainable Suppliers
Chef’s Farms
- Tempus Cured Meats - Charlie’s Smokehouse - Cadd Oxshott Pizza
- Slade Farm Asparagus - Secretts Farm Leaves - Surrey Watercress
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Chichester Festival Youth Theatre
Cinderella
Written by Philip Wilson Music by Jason Carr Lyrics by Philip Wilson and Jason Carr
Telling Tales
‘I will marry whoever this slipper fits!’
There are umpteen, almost infinite, variations on the Cinderella story, old and new. If stories were shoes, Cinderella would fill a very large wardrobe. It’s a tale that we return to, time and time again. In fact, back in 1893, the English folklorist Marian Roalfe Cox compiled a hefty tome entitled Three-Hundred and Forty-Five Variants of Cinderella! In my research, I was fascinated to learn that perhaps the original source (I say perhaps since, as with most folk tales, this has been disputed) is to be found in the ancient story of Rhodopis, as told by the Greek historian Strabo in the first century BC. Rhodopis – or Rosy-Cheeks – was a Greek courtesan living in the Egyptian city of Naucratis. One day, while she was bathing in the River Nile, an eagle swooped down and snatched her golden sandal and flew away with it to the city of Memphis. There, the king was holding court outside, and the eagle dropped the shoe into his lap. Stirred by the beautiful shape of the sandal, the king became obsessed with finding out who it belonged to. He sent out men across his lands, until Rhodopis was found in her home. And ended up – you’ll be unsurprised to hear – marrying the king. Many elements of the tale we know are missing here, though: and it is not until around the ninth century AD that we find the earliest recognisable Cinderella story, the Chinese tale of Yeh Hsien. This is Members of the company in rehearsal
maybe the first retelling that combines a young girl whose mother has died wearing a magic dress to a festival, her rivalry with her stepmother and stepsister, and a search for the wearer of a mislaid shoe. After numerous retellings, including appearances in The Arabian Nights and Giambattista Basile’s Pentamerone (1634), there is a major fork in the fairy-tale road. One, based on Charles Perrault’s 1697 Cendrillon, winds through the centuries towards perhaps the best-known adaptation, the 1950 Disney film. This is the version with a fairy godmother, a pumpkin carriage, rats that turn into
coachmen, a midnight curfew and, of course, a glass slipper. The other road – darker, more hazardous, less well-travelled – follows the version not written but recorded by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm: they may have curated and tweaked stories but mainly they set down narratives whose origins, as with all tales, are found in age-old oral traditions. Even this one has variants, including Thousandfurs; but the core story – known as Aschenputtel or Cinder Girl – involves the spirit of Cinderella’s mother, a wish-giving tree, three balls rather than one, a golden slipper,
and some pretty gruesome shoe fittings, as the stepsisters embark on increasingly desperate attempts to make the feted footwear fit. This is the path I have taken, following in the footsteps of writers such as Angela Carter, Carol Ann Duffy and Philip Pullman (whose Grimm Tales I previously adapted for the stage). As well as Stephen Sondheim, of course, whose musical Into The Woods drew on the same source. Along the way, I stopped off en route to take in elements from earlier versions of this story, as well as other fairy tales – including the central character undertaking seemingly impossible trials, mother and daughter looking identical, and locking people up – to create a special story for the audiences in the Festival Theatre. Alongside integrating these sources, Jon Pashley – the director of this premiere of my new version – and I talked about why this story has retained our interest throughout the centuries. We were struck by how Cinderella has to cope, at a very young age, with bereavement – what counsellors call a ‘world-shattering event’ – and discussed the term ‘emotional ossification’, which relates to how young people who experience trauma are emotionally frozen like bone, until they find release and are able to move on. We also considered how the notion of having to adjust to and cope with the unexpected arrival of step-siblings might resonate with our young cast. As you’ll see, these conversations fed their way into this retelling… While writing, I had in mind the baroquely designed films of Powell and Pressburger, the gothic invention of Tim Burton and the ritual and symbolism of Sergei Parajanov’s The Colour of Pomegranates. But as with all folk tales, your imagination is the key source, to conjure up, create and complete the world required. The Prince is holding a ball – and everyone is invited... Philip Wilson Writer