M.P. Hassel 

April 29, 2024

Community College of Philadelphia theater students Chrisantin Natisha and Eli Haughton star as TV executives searching for their Cinderella to take the studio out of the #MeToo era. 

Promoted on programs as “A Cinderella story for the Social Media Age,” Playwright Quinn Eli says the play “challenges our assumptions” about Charles Perrault’s fairy tale. Abigail Morris, a troubled TV executive replacing her disgraced male predecessor, “He Who Shall Remain Nameless,” argues with her second-in-command, Mandy Bing, on the future of their studio. Mandy, who once knew Abigail as Abby before the promotion left her stressed and bitter, threatened to quit the studio. While Abigail struggles with her newfound role and Mandy attempts to promote her pilot episode script for The Cinderella Chronicles, Cynthia, Abigail’s temporary assistant, struggles through her first day in the office. Between fielding phone calls and making coffee, Cynthia reigns in the group of women waiting for their audition for the new Cinderella character. 

As it turns out, they are all stepsisters in the waiting room, including Cynthia, who took the temping job to support them. Cynthia, the oldest daughter of the extended family, was always the supporter of the stepsisters who all wanted to be “actors or singers or reality stars or influencers.” Now, after supporting them for so long and taking the job as assistant to a TV executive, the stepsisters all take advantage of Cynthia. Abigail and Mandy, despite their ongoing quarrelling throughout the play, defend Cynthia and end up hiring her. The stepsisters, amazed, come to understand the effect of hard work and begrudgingly learn self-sufficiency. 

None of the stepsisters got the part and likely did not want it because there was no prince in the show. But, because of Cynthia’s humble determination to help others, she earns her job full time. More importantly, she earns confidence in the space she is in. Even the former TV executive “He Who Shall Remain Nameless” admits that the show could easily become a hit and win “every award under the sun.” The ‘happy ever after’ did not depend on marrying a prince but finding one’s place and people. 

The rapid back-and-forth between Chrisantin Natisha as Abigail Morris and Eli Haughton as Mandy Bing made for compelling drama throughout the show. Their chemistry made the final line of the script, “…Call me Abby,” resolves the tension as sweet as milk and honey.  Edward Gaines III, playing the Weinstein-esque former executive “He Who Shall Remain Nameless” delivered soliloquies in reaction to the new state of the studio and embodied the challenging role of the love-to-hate-him character. Following the predecessor were the “men in suits.” Interjections by the group of stepsisters, led by Lulu A. Florea as Sister 1, lightened the heavy monologues and dialogues with dynamic acting exercises, circular arguments, and silly background choreography. Cody Williams played Cynthia, the Cinderella character, that visibly finds her place from an overworked temp to confident and beautiful secretary. The stage was perfectly shared by these performers and the lack of a singular main character allowed for a fuller showcase of these actors’ and actresses’ abilities. 

Theater Professor David Ebersole commented on his first production at CCP as a director: “The production was a huge success. We received so many wonderful comments on the endearing script Professor Eli wrote, and so much praise for the actors. They had a lot of challenges, especially performing the play in a three-quarter thrust staging (audience on three sides.) It was a joy working with them as they rose to the occasion with fearlessness and hilarity. Lastly, during the show everything behind the scenes was run by CCP students as well, and they made it a flawless experience for both everyone onstage as well as off.” 

 According to CCP Theater Professor and Glass Slippers Playwright Quinn Eli, “all of our theatre classes are designed as pre-professional training.” The goal of the theater program at CCP is for students to find their voice and individuality. Professor Eli relayed that graduates of the acting program “can either go to Julliard and pursue further study in the performing arts or can start trying to make a living as actors or as theater-makers.” He added that “It’s not just acting. It could be set design. It could be costumes. It could be lighting, so we try to give students exposure to all those things.” 

Acting classes at CCP include English 131, Introduction to Acting; English 132, Acting 2; English 141, Technical Theater; and English 142, Rehearsal and Performance. Students in English 142 were casted in the play while students in English 141 constructed the set and worked backstage. However, students in all acting classes could audition and participate. 

The English 141 class collectively wrote in a statement: “Glass Slippers was a completely spearheaded CCP production amazingly performed by some of the college’s talented English 142 students and other theatre actors. Cinderella’s classic fable was transformed into a modern-day rendition by writer/theatre Professor Quinn Eli. You would’ve thought theatre Professor Dave Ebersole used a magic wand to direct that many moving parts magically with such grace. Most plays only have 2 or 3 great roles, but the whole cast shined from start to finish during the play’s weeklong run. Theatre Professor Kirsten Quinn did a fabulous job costume designing and producing Glass Slippers. Professor Johnathan Pappas supervised the set construction as his English 141 helped build set, gain experience in lighting, sound, video, stage management, and putting the good of the show first. All students involved had an incredible time executing this year’s production of Glass Slippers. Any student that didn’t get the opportunity to participate or attend the spring play our encouraged to look into theatre department courses such as English 131, 132, 140, 141, & 142. These courses allow students to recognize and hone their potential in a safe environment. Abby & Mandy didn’t find their Cinderella, but everyone went home with a few extra laughs and a smile on their faces.” 

These students that helped produce the play include Julia Garibaldi, Isabella Gill-Gomez, Alexander Castonguay, Jad Smith, and Leena Tran. The assisting professors Noah Mannix, Jonathan Pappas, and Kirsten Quinn. Several members of the cast and crew were also involved in last year’s production of Medea/Media. Professor Eli views the post-Covid theater program with optimism after “a very successful production last year. We’re having a very successful production this year. People became more aware of the program than they might have been before, and I feel like we’re building on that.”