BMCU Presents: Cinderella Confidential

The first weekend of October 2024 geared up to be an exciting time at BMCU. The fine arts and theatre department performed the fall 2024 play. The play of choice was Cinderella Confidential. The adaptation was unique and untraditional.

First off, why was Cinderella Confidential chosen as the play for this fall semester? The play’s director was BMCU’s assistant professor of theatre and speech, Dr. Christi Mitchell. She said this was a process of her “praying and seeking the Lord about what would glorify Him best.” All of these considerations were made with the desire “to offer a well-rounded experience for those interested in theatre,” as Dr. Mitchell further noted.

The question of the hour is what Cinderella Confidential had to offer in terms of its unique content. Dr. Mitchell said, “The playwright, Eric Coble, took a classic story …. [and] gave it a fresh spin by adding contemporary characters and characters from other fairytales.” Dr. Mitchell emphasized that “adding these characters created a fun way to tell this story.” Around campus this semester, the play was called a comedy. It truly delivered on that.

Dr. Mitchell has been working hard at directing the actors to “receive all the laughs they can get.” She encouraged the public and the student body to “come see it for themselves”. This play has been a labor of love by Dr. Mitchell and for a handful of theatrically involved students. These students enjoyed the experience while working in a Christian environment. I spoke with Alivia White, an actress in the play, and Bethany Hitt, a stagehand, about their experiences.

White, a veteran of three plays before this one, said she’s grateful for the atmosphere of this play. “All of the people are sweet and talented. The Christian atmosphere is something that I love, as I know everything in the play will be looped back to Jesus,” said White. Her favorite parts have been working on sets and the “tough fun” of revising the script. Some challenges have been playing two characters, a young boy and a mouse, with which she has no personal experiences.

White would like to encourage her fellow students to audition for a BMCU play in the future “even if you have never been in one before or don’t know if you’ll get it.” Speaking of which, Bethany Hitt is a newcomer to theatre. Hitt helped with lights and sound effects. This is her first play. Like Alivia, she has enjoyed the same experiences. The audience thought “it [was] a fun show and you can see how the main characters change over time,” concluded Hitt.

Dr. Mitchell said the play’s message boils down to one word: identity. She pointed out that “most of the characters are driven to be something they are not.. Our identity is in Christ... where we identify ourselves instead of worth and significance in worldly standards.”

This play was performed four times from October 2nd to October 5th. An October 2nd  sneak peek for high schoolers only was at  11am. On October 3rd and 4th, it was at 7pm. The matinee was on October 5th at 2pm. Tickets were $10 for the public. Free admission for students, faculty and staff who present a ID was offered. The location of the play was at Garrett Auditorium. Service as ushers and cast autographed bulletins for extra credit were extended for some BMCU classes.