Cenicienta – Glass Half Full Theatre

Cenicienta

a bilingual Cinderella story

April 17 – May 31, 2015 – ZACH Scott Theatre, Austin TX

On tour regionally and nationwide 2017 – 2024

Written by Caroline Reck and Rupert Reyes

Devised in collaboration with Gricelda Silva

Directed by Caroline Reck

Original Musical Composition by Ammon Taylor

Lighting Design by Rachel Atkinson

Sound Design by Pete Martinez with additional sound and mixing by K. Eliot Haynes

Scenic, Costume, and Prop Design by Caroline Reck

Stage Management by Zac Crofford

Cenicienta: A Bilingual Cinderella Story tackles culture, heritage, and the power of language. Belinda is a modern Mexican-American girl who dreams of becoming a poet like her hero Gary Soto. Ignored by her stepfamily and left alone in the basement to prepare for the party upstairs, Belinda uses her imagination and considerable sense of self to re-enact the story of Cinderella through Object Theater (puppetry with everyday objects). She makes discoveries about her own capacity and self-worth as a person, artist, and member of her familia.

Ten-year-old Belinda is a budding poet and loves to tell stories, but when she’s stuck in the basement preparing for a party upstairs that her stepmother and stepsisters will host, she’ll have to get creative. It’s a story within a story; Belinda lives out her version while also re-enacting the classic tale of Cinderella, using whatever objects are at her disposal: napkins, teapots, and doilies, to name just a few. With these everyday items, a healthy dose of imagination, and a love of poetry passed down by her father, Belinda imagines a bigger world for herself... When she learns that the party's special guest is (real life) writer Gary Soto, Belinda wants desperately to attend the party and share her own writings with Soto. But to do that, she must learn to stand up for herself and take charge of her life and dreams. This captivating bilingual one-woman performance is a modern spin on the beloved fairy tale and tackles cultural heritage, family, and the power of language.

Cenicienta is the story of Belinda, a 10 year-old who has been sent down to the basement to prepare for a party upstairs. She’s a poet and a story-teller, inspired by the poet Gary Soto, who unexpectedly is attending the party up above. Using the everyday objects around her, she tells herself the story of Cinderella to find the courage to confront her step-mother and step-sisters, meet her idol, and share her words.

The role of Belinda was originally created and performed by Gricelda Silva.

Belinda also performed by Madison Palomo & Sonia Mariah Fonseca

Offstage voice are performed by:

Gary Soto: Rupert Reyes

Stepmother: Caroline Reck

Reina: Lilli Lopez & Indigo Real

Preciosa: Marina DeYoe-Pedraza

Cenicienta was originally created and presented in 2015 at ZACH Scott Theatre in collaboration with Teatro Vivo and Glass Half Full Theatre. Glass Half Full began touring it to Austin schools and regionally to festivals in Texas in 2017. After an unexpected pandemic break, Cenicienta began touring nationally in 2021 as part of The Kennedy Center’s digital season. As of 2022, it has been touring nationwide and has been seen by thousands of kids and families across the country.

Learn to puppeteer objects and write bilingual theatre in these videos with Caroline Reck and Rupert Reyes.

With its playful puppetry and poetic spark, Cenicienta is a perfect play for children . . . . It’s fun (and refreshing in this age of technology) to watch Belinda embrace her creativity without the use of screens. . . . The play's dialogue is a melodious sympathy of Spanish and English. . . . This production provides a chance to begin to explore a new language through context clues within the play. . . . This story of Cenicienta isn't like the others, and that is what makes it charming.

“The wonder of “Cenicienta” is the ability of its audiences to identify with Belinda. It embraces her creativity and her love of reading. It revels in the joy of playing with found objects and creating a story. It teaches lessons in the importance of reading and writing and the importance of being courageous and standing up for yourself as well as loving who you are, but it doesn’t hit kids over the head with those lessons.”

. . . students were fully engaged with Cenicienta throughout, even if they didn’t understand one of the languages being spoken. Such moments emphasize the importance of Latinx youth seeing and hearing actors who look and sound like them on stage—such representation is necessary in fostering youth’s connection with theatre.”