St. James construction complicates 'Cinderella'

Seventh-grader Maddy Kelly of Arlington Heights, has performed in a variety of musicals through Setting the Stage Children's Theater Workshop, as well as in productions mounted by her parish, St. James Church.

All of which helped her land the title role in St. James School's junior version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."

The show opened on Thursday and continues with its closing performance at 7 p.m. today. All seats are $6, and school officials recommend parking on the east side of the parish campus, at 820 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights.

Kelly leads a cast of 29 classmates, which includes seasoned and novice performers. Other principals include Phil Wojciak as her prince, Katie Anderson and Ann Schoenbeck as her stepsisters, Danielle Giovannetti as her stepmother, Tim Angerame as the king, Courtney Hering as the queen, and Erin Saflarski as her fairy godmother. All are of Arlington Heights.

Another 16 students worked behind the scenes on the technical crew, including brainstorming with art teacher Chris Trausch to make the oversized food as props, and painting the sets.

Teachers Georgianna Spina and Chris Schmidt have worked together to direct all eight of the school's productions. While both point to the growth they see in students who participate, they concede this year's experience has been challenging.

"We have faced many obstacles this year, with the construction of our new school," Spina says, "but true to the show's theme, 'Impossible' things are truly happening every day, and our show is looking good."

She points to the castle that they had hoped to use from last summer's production of "Beauty and the Beast," that ultimately was torn down, as well as the dressing rooms and some of the backstage areas that are off limits, all due to ongoing construction.

Undaunted, the cast drew help from parents and other parishioners, to help make their fairy tale story come true. They even drew Spina's husband, Joe, to fashion the original sets, including a proper pumpkin carriage for the show's pivotal scene.

"Although we are inconvenienced," Spina adds, "we are feeling blessed and looking forward to enjoying new spaces next school year."