Cinderella

Adapted by: Garner Butler and Jeff Unger
Music by: Jeff Unger

Wishes really do come true if you believe in yourself! Cinderella faces a life of drudgery as a servant to her hapless stepsisters and can only dream about going to the Royal Ball. With a little help from her godmother, Cinderella dons a new wardrobe and new faith in herself as she attends the Ball and captivates Prince Andrew. As the clock strikes twelve, Andrew is left holding Cinderella’s shoe and must search for the one true love that fits it.

Cast & Crew

Peter Bass

Prince Andrew, Hortense

As a local Grant MacEwan grad, Peter is delighted that Edmontonians have the opportunity to see new musical theatre - for children no less! Most recently, he has performed with Jubilations Dinner Theatre but you may have seen him in Johnny Guitar, She Loves Me (Plain Janes), The Winters Tale, Promises, Promises, Anything Goes (GMC) and The Brothers Grimm (Opera Nuova).

Brian Bast

Costume Designer

An Actor, Director, Designer and Writer. Brian has been designing costumes for Alberta Opera for the last 3 years on their productions of The Frog Prince and Cinderella: for which he received an Edmonton Sterling nomination for best costumes. Brian has designed for many theatres in Edmonton and around Western Canada including Shadow Theatres, Theatre Network, Red Deer College, Grande Prairie Live Theatre, Theatre Yes, Sound and Fury Theatre and Theatre Prospero. Brian has been the resident Costume Designer for Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts for the last 8 years. A few of his favourite productions he has designed include: Ten x Two, Suessical: The Musical, The Weir, Thoroughly Modern Millie, My Name is Rachel Corrie, As You Like It, The Music Man, Macbeth, Little Shop of Horrors, The Mercy Seat and My Fair Lady. Brian is also a multiple Sterling Award nominee for theatre design and winner for Costume Design for Shadow Theatres 2006 production of 10 x 2. As well as the recipient of the 2007 Beta Sigma Phi Theatre Arts Scholarship Endowment.

Ellen Chorley

Godmother, Gertrude

A graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts program, Ellen has worn many hats as an actor, producer, playwright and theatre instructor. Favourite shows include: Grease (Stage West), Bat Boy: The Musical (Mob Hit), Nunsense (OCE), Full of Hot Air (Evergreen Theatre), and Olympus (Century Theatre). Ellen is the Playwright in Residence for Calgary’s Mob Hit Productions and last summer she wrote, produced and acted in Cinderella the Wizard at the Fringe.

Marissa Kochanski

Set Designer

Marissa opened the Fringe season as set/costume designer and co-creator of Firefly Theatre's production of Duck Duck Bang. Cinderella is Marissa's second design for Alberta Opera; last year she joined the team as set designer for The Frog Prince.

Josh Mellott

Accompanist

Josh is an accomplished performer who started playing the piano at the age of 6. His early musical training was in the classical genre but this soon broadened to jazz and pop when he attended Grant MacEwan College and received a diploma in performance for the jazz piano. This is Josh's second tour with Alberta Opera and he is delighted to be here.

Crystal Oleksyn

Stage/Road Manager

Crystal is very excited to be working with Alberta Opera for a second season. Last year she was the Stage/Road manager for their production of ‘Cinderella’. Prior to working with Alberta Opera, Crystal completed a diploma in Theatre Production from MacEwan Collage, where she was the stage manager for the student production of ‘Urinetown’. She also worked as an apprentice assistant stage manager with Edmonton Opera for the production of ‘The Barber of Saville’. Prior to entering the world of theatre, Crystal completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta majoring in English and a minor in film studies.

Scott Peters

Production Manager, Lighting Designer

Scott is happy to be back for his eighth Alberta Opera masterpiece. He is also the Production Manager for Theatre Network and a freelance designer, musician, and theatre technician. With literally hundreds of ‘grown-up’ productions under his belt, Scott always looks forward to working with Alberta Opera to create some wonderful magic for the kids.

Melody Robinet

Cinderella

Wishes really do come true! When she was five years old, the two things Melody wished for most were to perform on stage, and to become a princess… Melody graduated from the University of Windsor with a BFA in Acting and immediately moved to Alberta where she has been seen in the Oh Canada Eh and Jubilations Dinner Theatres. She hopes to continue working in Alberta for many years to come.

Farren Timoteo

Director

Farren is an Edmonton based actor and director. He had the great fortune to spend his summer in New York City performing in The Winter’s Tale Project (Orange Bus Productions) and was last seen in The Busy World is Hushed (Northern Light Theatre). Farren made his directorial debut in 2005 with Songs For a New World (Take Me Back to Manhattan) and directed The Frog Prince in 2006 when he started his tenure as Artistic Director of Alberta Opera.

Jeff Unger

Musical Director, Composer

This season marks Jeff's 14th consecutive year as Musical Director and Composer with Alberta Opera. Past productions include: The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Puss in Boots, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Red Shoes and Snow White. Along with collaborator Garner Butler, Jeff has co-authored and composed music for ten fairy tale "pocket musicals." Jeff’s decision to retire from touring this year will hopefully afford him time to create even more educational entertainment for children and adults alike.

Bryan Webb

King, Madame Dubois

Cinderella is Bryan's second Alberta Opera show - having been involved in last year’s production of The Frog Prince. Bryan is a graduate of the Theatre Arts program at Grant MacEwan College. He has been a regular on the Fringe festival circuit and his credits include She Loves Me(Leave It To Jane) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (theatREpublic).

Photo Gallery

Adapted by: Garner Butler and Jeff Unger, Music by: Jeff Unger, Photo by Ian Jackson, L to R: Ellen Chorley, Peter Bass, Bryan Webb