Dec. 9, 2021
By Madison Echols
Staff Writer
The spotlight shined on the middle school stage on Nov. 11 and 12 as the audience was welcomed into the home of Ash Girl, her two stepsisters and stepmother.
As Judith (sophomore Ava Bruzzio) and Ruth (freshman Madison Sheppard) prepare for the upcoming ball, Ash Girl (freshman Amelia Sanchez) questions her appearance and refuses to go.
“The Ash Girl” by Timberlake Wertenbaker is a darker retelling of the classic fairytale “Cinderella.” Director Ms. Coppola said the play appealed to her because it delivers an interesting spin on the Brothers Grimm fairytale and Disney’s film version.
“It included the mutilation that the stepsisters suffer in the original fairytale, and the playwright also incorporated the seven deadly sins as malevolent forces that influenced many of the characters to behave badly,” Coppola said.
Senior Gianna Scillia, who played the sin Envysnake, said her favorite scene was when the sins were all being introduced.
“The sins are a team, almost always together… prowling on almost anyone who is coming through the forest,” Scillia said.
She said the purpose of the sins is to bring out the worst qualities of each character.
Sophomore Samantha Cardo, who played the sin Pridefly, said the addition of the seven deadly sins was a creative way to visualize the emotions of the characters.
“[The seven deadly sins] make [the play] come more to life [and] convey those characters’ feelings,” Cardo said. For the majority of the play, Ash Girl is controlled by Sadness (senior Genevieve Pello). Sanchez said “The Ash Girl” is more realistic than “Cinderella” because of its darkness.
“‘Cinderella’ is [happier and] more positive. In ‘The Ash Girl,’ we literally have the seven deadly sins and Sadness, who is unfortunately trying to get Ash Girl to commit suicide,” Sanchez said.
While the characters in the play are exaggerated and fictionalized, Scillia said the sin Slothworm (freshman Autumn Peduto) is the easiest to connect with because of how run down students may feel during the school year.
“Between school, work, volleyball [and] extracurricular activities, I am always tired and drained,” Scillia said.
“The sins are a team, almost always together… prowling on almost anyone who is coming through the forest.”
Junior Aidan Fairchild-Sandoval (Prince Amir) said he relates to the stepmother (junior Cecelia Valdez).
“She has only done what had been done to her. She didn’t know any better,” Fairchild-Sandoval said. “It’s not an excuse, but I feel like I can relate to that and understand where she is coming from the most out of any character.”
The stepmother mutilates her daughters by cutting off Judith’s big toe and Ruth’s heel in order to perfectly fit their feet into the slipper, which will determine who Prince Amir marries.
“The Ash Girl” is the first high school production ever performed in the auditorium of the middle school, which opened last year.
“The benefit was definitely how much space we had. It is a much bigger stage, [but it] wasn’t really designed with sightlines in mind, [and] we had to clip the curtains by the wings,” Fairchild-Sandoval said.
He said the curtains are heavier than those at LHS, which made it more difficult for the cast members to exit and enter the stage.
Freshman Rayan Yamout, who played Angerbird, said one of the advantages of performing at the middle school was having access to better lighting.
“I feel like I am a Broadway actor. It has all the purples, the blues, the greens, and it also has warm colors,” Yamout said.
With over 250 tickets sold, Coppola said the play was a success. She said the experience was much better compared to last year, when the play was rehearsed primarily online and performed remotely.
“It is so much easier to work on building character and blocking when you can be in the same room with the actors. You can also see how the scene is going to look when you have roughly 20 people on stage at the same time,” Coppola said.
Cardo said as an actor, she appreciates the dedication of Coppola, assistant director Mr. Belmont and the crew.
“Everyone put a lot of work into it,” Cardo said. “Even if it is not noticeable, there are a lot of things that happen backstage… and you end up kind of becoming a tiny family.”
