This half term, join us for a fantastic and fun week of theatre, learning and rehearsing a show in just one week... 

The show will be... Cindy - a modern re-working of Cinderella. It has has great songs, superb humour and characterisation, with parts for singers, actors and dancers of all abilities.

The project will be run by Honk! Director and Musical Director Matt Harper and Ellie Saunders. Rehearsals will be 9am-4pm Monday 13th-Friday 17th February with a performance on the Friday. And for those members already doing one or more projects this term, signing up for this Musical in a Week is only £40! For a full synopsis and character list, read on...

CHARACTERS IN “CINDY”
Cindy – Adopted daughter and “Cinderella” character
Justin – Cindy's twin brother
Jason – Cindy's other twin brother
Gladys – Cindy's stepmother
Arthur – Cindy's father
Enzo – Pizza delivery boy, Cindy's love interest
Tracy – The twins' love interest
Headmaster – Head teacher of Forrest Fields school
Mrs hayes – Cindy's music teacher
Other speaking/singing parts:
Bert, Harry, Bad goblin, Sasha, Emily, Evette, Mimi, Phyllis, Martha, Sam & Eric

Synopsis:

Forrest Fields is a secondary school that is going to close unless money can be raised for a new Technology centre. The show opens with kids, teachers and parents with placards milling around the high street of Forrest Fields raising money and singing the first song called SOS – Save Our School – which is built on the Morse code rhythm …dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash.

The show then moves to the caretakers house, where we meet the Carpenter family - Arthur, the caretaker, Jan, his wife, their two sons (twins but not identical) Jason and Justin (dim and dimmer!) ... and, of course, Cindy. But Cindy is not their child - she was adopted - and Cindy has to do all the chores because her father and mother are out at work all day. She has no time to be part of anything outside the classroom, because she has to get home every afternoon to do her jobs. She does, however, have a a deep desire to sing, to be on stage...

Summer term

As you may know, York Theatre Royal are running a big community theatre project in 2012, staging the York Mysteries in York Museum Gardens this August. They aim to involve over 1,000 members of the York community in the cast and crew, so we'll be encouraging all our youth theatre members to sign up to be involved in this huge event. To give our members some experience performing outdoors prior to the production, Upstage Centre Youth Theatre will be contributing to the project's fringe festival York Stories by putting together a performance that will bring together SingUpstage, MoveUpstage and the drama group at an outdoor venue (to be confirmed). This will be led by Anna Wilcox, who previously directed the Summer 2011 Acting Showcase and the Comedy Revue for Upstage Centre Youth Theatre. 

SingUpstage and MoveUpstage will continue on Monday and Thursday evenings respectively and the devised acting piece will run on Sunday afternoons. The final performance will involve all three groups and will run 5^th, 6^th and 7^th July 2012.

 We have also invited Mel Cook back to direct a Half Term Play in a Week in the half term and another Shakespeare in Two Weeks in the summer holidays, who previously directed A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Haunted House at Upstage Centre Youth Theatre. For half term, rehearsals will run all day during the week starting on Monday 4^th June 2012, with a final performance on Friday 8^th June 2012. For Shakespeare, rehearsals will run all day during the week starting on Monday 23^rd July 2012, with a final performance on Friday 3^rd August 2012.

Autumn term

Next year, we'll be looking to follow Glee Mash Up! and Honk! with another musical spectacular in the lead up to Christmas. Rehearsals will be Monday evenings, Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons during term and performances 5th - 8th December 2012. Watch this space, when we'll reveal the chosen show and the production team! The first welcome meetings are Sunday 9th September and 16th September 2012. For those less musically inclined, we'll be running another two projects alongside the musical: a Short Play performing 26th and 27th October 2012 and another Play in a Week in October half term, Rehearsals will run all day during the week starting on Monday 29th October 2012, with a final performance on Friday 2nd November 2012.