From Bella to Cinderella

This March, Homer will present its rendition of Cinderella On Broadway, with Bella Sprague leading the show in the role of Ella!

Bella started out dancing when she was just three-years-old. Throughout the years, she has been able to add singing, gymnastics and acting to her resume. “Ever since [I started dancing] I have loved being on stage,” Bella said, and although dance was how she started, she has determined that her favorite method of performance is singing.

Bella certainly has a lot of experience under her belt going into her lead role, as she was involved in all of the junior high musicals, the high school musicals, her annual PAI (Cortland dance company) spring recital, as well as The Nutcracker. When asked which of these performances have been her favorite she responded with “Definitely last year’s Seussical.” Bella played Jojo, the young Who from Whoville who saves the world, in last year’s musical.

With regards to this year, Bella is extremely excited because, as she puts it, “Who doesn’t want to be a princess?” Moreover, Cinderella was one of Bella’s favorite princesses as a child; she feels incredibly honored to be cast in the role.

Bella is looking forward to all of the quick costume changes that occur within the show. We all know the iconic scene where Cinderella’s rag dress transforms into a beautiful ball gown; it should be interesting to see how this is translated to the stage.

According to Bella, she and the cast will have to overcome the challenge of getting to know everyone involved, as there are many new actors and actresses in this production. “The chemistry has been really good [in past years] especially in my grade [12]. We're all really close, so that's nice.” This “chemistry” is important when trying to put on a show. Another difficulty the cast will face is the fact that the show is not the traditional Cinderella that everyone is used to. Instead, it is the Rodgers & Hammerstein version, with different storylines and characters. Bella is confident, however, that the cast will be able to portray the story on the stage to the audience.

Many audience members are unaware of how much a scene must be practiced, as everything and everyone has specific places and positions in which they are supposed to be. This means that rehearsals are full of repeating a scene over and over until it is stage-ready.

Finally Bella left us with some professional tips when the show draws closer. She believes that everyone should drink lots of tea and avoid milk as much as possible. Also, no fancy or special foods should be eaten. Instead, one should stick to one’s normal eating pattern.

We all are excited see how the show turns out during its Homer High School premiere on March 3^rd, 2018. Best of luck to both Bella and the rest of the cast.