HOLDEN & ARTS ASSOCIATES
SHARING STORIES AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS SINCE 1983
CENICIENTA: A BILINGUAL CINDERELLA STORY
Produced by Glass Half Full Theatre
From Austin, TX
Resources
About the Company
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT ONLY
This digital engagement includes 2 week unlimited access to a password-protected prerecorded video link hosted on Vimeo.
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.
Also available as an in-person touring production in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Glass Half Full Theatre is on the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster, so funding may be available for Texas and Mid-America presenters for either virtual or in person engagements. Learn more here.
Best for Grades: K-6th
Contact us to preview the full length performance.
Curriculum Connections
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Fine Arts: Performance, Film, Puppetry
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Language Arts: Folktales/Fairytales, Poetry (suggested reading: Gary Soto), Spanish, English
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History/Social Studies: World Culture, Latino heritage
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Social/Emotional Learning Development: Bravery, Resilience, Imagination, believing in your self, and helping others. Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self Management, and Relationship Skills.
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National Core Arts Standards: Th:Cr1.1k-6, Th:Cr1.2k-6, Th:Cr, Th:Re7.1k-6
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Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.3
Remote Outreach & Workshops
Please contact us if additional remote outreach or workshops is something you'd like to explore. A member of the creative team may be available to deliver a live Meet the Artists/Q&A or a hands on workshop for participating audiences, such as:
Object Puppetry Workshop: Learn puppetry skills to bring everyday objects to life.
Whether it’s a spoon, teapot, or spool of tape, each object has its own story. The workshop engages students' empathy, collaboration, and fine motor skills to create original performance stories using objects as puppets.
Max 25 students. 1 hour duration (can be shorter).
Digital Tech Specs
This performance is available as a prerecorded link hosted on password protected Vimeo site managed by HAA.
Each site will be made specific to the presenting venue with the following possible models.
A Standard Educational Engagement includes:
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2 weeks of Unlimited Educational Access for Schools (within 60 miles of Venue).
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A custom password protected link with full pre-recorded high quality video, hosted on Vimeo
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Ability to add your venue’s logo and custom welcome greeting
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Ability to add a presenter-recorded Curtain Speech video
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A sample study guide (pdf)
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Additional activities such as live online workshops, masterclasses, etc... available for separate fee with scheduling TBD mutually
For some shows, an Extended Educational Digital Engagement may also be available. This provides the same access and basic resources as a standard engagement but with 5 videos of 15-20ish minutes. The performance video is split into "chapters" PLUS additional resources created by the company. Perfect for viewing over multiple days or sessions and expanding the context or curriculum connections around the show.
A Public Family Engagement includes:
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1 weekend of Access for Public Audiences (within 60 miles of Venue)
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A custom password protected link with full pre-recorded high quality video, hosted on Vimeo
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Ability to add your venue’s logo to Vimeo Page
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Customized Greeting from Company on Vimeo Page
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Ability to add a presenter-recorded Curtain Speech video to Vimeo Page
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A sample study guide (pdf)
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Additional activities such as live online workshops, masterclasses, etc... available for separate fee with scheduling TBD mutually
Please talk to us if you are looking to serve both school and family audiences with this digital presentation and we can combine models for the appropriate access.
Artistic Team
Cenicienta: A Bilingual Cinderella Story
Written by Caroline Reck and Rupert Reyes
Featuring Madison Palomo as Belinda
Offstage Voices:
Rupert Reyes as Gary Soto
Caroline Reck as Stepmother
Lilli Lopez as Reina
Marina DeYoe-Pedraza as Preciosa
Original musical composition by Ammon Taylor
Stage Performance Directed by Caroline Reck
Lighting Design by Rachel Atkinson
Sound Design by Pete Martinez with additional sound and mixing by K. Eliot Haynes
Stage Management by Zac Crofford
Scenic, Costume, and Prop Design by Caroline Reck
Videography by Aaron Mouer
Cenicienta was commissioned by Zach Theater and written by Caroline Reck and Rupert Reyes. It was originally created and presented at Zach Theatre in collaboration with Teatro Vivo and Glass Half Full Theatre. The role of Belinda was originated by Gricelda Silva.
The digital version of the production was presented and recorded by The Kennedy Center in January 2021.
Critical Acclaim
This original show won awards for Outstanding Puppetry, Best Actress, Original Score (B. Iden Payne Awards 2015) and Best New Play (Austin Critics Table 2015).
"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. Instead, they laugh and giggle at Belinda as a worm, a horse, a dramatic story teller." - Review from the Austin American Statesman. Read the full review here.
“Cenicienta accomplishes what children’s theatre should at its best: providing an imaginative tale that’s captivating for children and adults alike, while incorporating cultural and educational facets that pique curiosity and invite further investigation. . . . The production is rife with Spanish phrases, but not so many so that nonspeakers would find themselves confused. It perfectly embraces Austin’s Mexican-American culture but also provides an educational outlet for those looking to brush up on their Spanish. . . . The story itself is as entertaining as it is educational. “ - Review from The Austin Chronicle. Read the full review here.
“...remarked how 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.” -Howl Round Theatre Commons
About the Company
Glass Half Full Theatre was lauded by the Austin-American Statesman for an “inventive blend of puppetry and physical storytelling that employs gestures and expressions in tandem with props and sets to convey the narrative along with a variety of puppetry techniques.” Based in Austin, Texas, the company creates original works for youth and adults, with a focus on environmental and social justice. They have received B. Iden Payne Awards for Direction, Design, Writing, Acting, Puppetry and Visionary Innovation, and Austin Critics Table Awards for Design, Acting and Best New Play. The company follows the rigorous training of Jacques Lecoq and employs sophisticated puppetry forms such as Tabletop, Shadow Puppetry, Body Puppetry, Hand and Rod, Czech marionette, and Object Puppetry. Their original works, including Petra and the Wolf, Once There Were Six Seasons, and The Orchid Flotilla, have toured nationally. Glass Half Full is known for their “precise, engaging, and humorous” approach to real world issues and imaginative solutions.
Check out more about the company and their work on their website here.
Past Productions
