Cinderella

🎭 “Oh Yes We Were!” Our Fairy-tale Beginning ✨

Well, there I was—glittery trainers laced tight, nerves doing the cha-cha—ready to step into the spotlight for our very first pantomime production. And not just any panto… this was Cinderella, and it was Sutton Bridge Players’ grand entrance into the magical, mischievous world of full-scale theatre. “Oh yes we were!” The excitement was real, the glitter was abundant, and our dreadful jokes were ready for groaning.

What started four months earlier as a daydream over tea (and maybe a biscuit or three) quickly snowballed into a whirlwind of rehearsals, set-building, script-hunting, prop-wrangling, and backstage bibbidi-bobbidi-bedlam. Our lines vanished faster than Cinders at midnight. Paintbrushes seemed enchanted—always disappearing just when you needed them. And let’s not even talk about the wigs that mysteriously wandered off during tech rehearsal…

But with every rehearsal hiccup, we discovered a little more magic. We scrubbed, stitched, painted, danced, sang, and summoned every ounce of fairy godmother flair and community spirit to turn a blank stage into a sparkling ballroom. Some of us found our inner mice. Others embraced their evil stepsister energy. And one lucky soul got to strut in Prince Charming’s boots—with only minor blisters.

When the curtain finally rose, our cast was ready, our backstage team had earned their halos, and you—our glorious audience—were poised to boo, cheer, laugh, and groan. From spontaneous giggles to heartfelt “aww”s and groan-worthy punchlines we take obscene pride in… you gave the show its final sparkle. Without you shouting “he’s behind you!” loud enough to wake the fairy godmother, it just wouldn’t have been the same.

Even our props had minds of their own—slipping, sliding, and vanishing like a glass slipper at midnight. If anything went missing during the show, chances are it had transformed into a pumpkin or stowed away with the magical mice. Whether it was a wand gone rogue or a line that turned into a punchline, we wore our dreadful humour like a badge of honour.

As we stepped offstage—glitter-sweaty, emotionally floaty, and ever so slightly delirious—oafter all the mishaps, makeovers, and midnight sprints—we looked around and realised: we hadn’t just pulled off a pantomime. We’d waved a wand and turned a humble school hall into a ballroom of pure joy. A community forged through creativity, chaos, and shared love of fairy tales told with flair.

Oh yes it was!