A well-known fairy tale was brought to life for several elementary school classes in Lockport and Newfane.
Students from DeSales, Newfane and Roy B. Kelley Elementary schools were paid a visit by “Cinderella” for story time over the past two weeks.
The “Cinderella” who read a copy of Walt Disney’s version of the classic was Allinee NeGron, who will be portraying the titular character for the Historic Palace Theatre’s musical production of the story that opens later this week. She hopes that, through her role, she can serve as an inspiration to younger audiences.
“When I was a little girl, Disney princesses and empowering stories about women in general just made me feel like I (could play the role) one day…my heart is full,” NeGron said.
For some of those students, story time with Cinderella served as an interactive preview of sorts before they attend the live show at the Palace with their classes.
“The students are excited to see the performance. A lot of them haven’t experienced a show like this,” said Kim Richards, Newfane Elementary third grade teacher.
Whether or not the students are familiar with the story, Newfane Elementary third grade teacher Chere Uhle said the story time was an effective way to engage her students with a “classic” story.
“Having someone else read to them and to have another voice is very engaging,” Uhle said.
After each story time, students asked NeGron questions about the character Cinderella ranging from what it’s like to play her on stage to how the fairy godmother gets the “magic” to transform her dress and the carriage.
Nick Limina, who is portraying Prince Topher, believes their “simple yet profound” production of the show will appeal to audiences of all ages.
“The story of Cinderella is so timeless,” Limina said. “You hear the phrase ‘a Cinderella story’ all the time, but I feel like sometimes people don’t necessarily know what that means, or they don’t stop to think about it. At the end of the day message is to just be yourself, because the prince loves her because of who she is.”
NeGron said she hopes the story time event raises awareness of the arts and encourages children to partake in theater programming at their own schools and in the community.
“It could inspire the next generation of theater and keep the arts alive in a way, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing,” NeGron said.
“Cinderella” will run at the Palace from March 7 through March 17. More information can be found at https://lockportpalacetheatre.org.