Cinderella gets feisty in Hemet High production
By Diane A. Rhodes
Correspondent
Like many young girls, Kristiana McKelvey wanted to be a princess when she grew up. At age 6, she donned her Cinderella costume and sat in the audience at Hemet High School to watch its stage production. Ten years later, she is playing the part she dreamed of as she takes the stage in the title role starting Thursday.
“This ‘Cinderella’ (production) is more than just a kind girl who has her dreams come true; she helps the Prince learn to be a leader,” said theater teacher Bret Cherland, who is also directing the production. “She also encourages others to make changes and stick up for what they believe in throughout the play. In my opinion, it is a much more interesting and modern play.”
McKelvey comes from a theatrical family and has been singing and acting on stages since she was 5.
“The moral of this show is kindness and how to take stress with grace and dignity,” she said. “Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it.”
Cherland said this version of the musical has been revitalized with a feistier Cinderella and includes another storyline addressing class inequality. He said McKelvey has a lot of confidence and that it resonates well with this Cinderella as she isn’t afraid to try new things and is far from timid.
Kolten Berg, who plays Prince Christopher, was a musical arts student at the Idyllwild Arts Academy but likes the sense of family he has found at Hemet High.
“You get to grow here,” said Berg, 16, who is in choir with McKelvey. They are good friends.
Cherland said part of good stage chemistry is being able to try new things out and seeing what works.
“Sometimes Kolten and Kristiana have to communicate quickly and easily on stage to work out a bit of blocking or choreography, and it is nice for them to be able to do that as friends,” Cherland said.
Transforming a pumpkin into a carriage is easy to accomplish in the pages of a fairy tale but a little more demanding for the musical’s crew. Tech Director and CTE Technical Theatre teacher Danny West said he is leaning heavily on his junior and senior students who have the skill sets to problem-solve and help with designs. West actually worked on the Cinderella production from a decade ago.
Cherland said putting on plays is truly a labor of love for all involved. With a cast of about 45 in addition to students working backstage and musicians in the orchestra pit, there are more than 100 students involved in the production.
“We choose shows that we think would be thrilling challenges for our students because we know they are fully capable and we have the benefit of an incredibly supportive administration,” Cherland said. “This production has eight different locations, and almost every actor has at least two costume changes. This, combined with all of the strange and wonderful elements of the show — like a pumpkin that turns into a carriage — has been challenging.”
Stage manager Kamiron Werking-Volk is a junior who has been involved with many aspects of theater since middle school. She is responsible for running music, taking notes during rehearsals and making sure actors are on their places during the show.
“I’ve definitely learned some skills that I could transfer to other things, especially with the technical side where you work with computers,” said Werking-Volk, 16. “This job does get stressful, but it’s always really fun. It can be difficult working with teenagers all the time, but we have a great group of actors.”
Cherland said that first and foremost, he wants the audience to enjoy itself.
“Also, I hope our audience appreciates the caliber of work that our students are undertaking at the high school level and will become regular patrons of our productions,“ he said.
Kolten Berg is the Prince and Kristiana McKelvey plays Cinderella cast in Hemet High’s production of “Cinderella.”
PHOTOS: DIANE A. RHODES — CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Cinderella attends the ball as Sebastian (Jai Proppe), the Prince and Charlotte look on.
Nicole Ann Robinson plays the role of Charlotte in the production of “Cinderella.”