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Cinderella star creates unique slippers for musical

The little glass slipper plays a magical role in the Cinderella story.
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Danielle Schultz in her princess gown and “glass” slippers that she created for her role as Cinderella in the Maranatha Players’ production of Cinderella.

The little glass slipper plays a magical role in the Cinderella story.

Like Cinderella herself the slippers in the Maranatha Players musical by the same name have experienced their own mystical transformation.

While her Fairy Godmother changes Cinderella from a plain housemaid into a beautiful princess, Danielle Schultz, who plays Cinderella, has also had a little fun behind the scenes creating her own glass slippers for the production.

The talented Grade 12 student transformed a pair of brown, low-healed pumps that she wore in a production last year into a bright shiny pair of slippers.

She cleaned and sanded the pumps a bit and then covered them with white acrylic paint.  Then she cut out tiny triangles of holographic tape which she glued all over the top of the slippers and sealed with Mod Podge. A light rim of lavender paint around the edges added definition.

Given that the slippers will get a lot of wear on stage, she used silver duct tape for the insides and bottoms of the slippers.

With the help of a classmate Danielle is also creating a pumpkin for the production. The method involves blowing up a large balloon then tying binder twine in various places around the balloon to create the ridges in the pumpkin.

The shape is then the base for the paper mache creation.

“Danielle is very creative,” says director Becky Strickland, who encourages her drama students to take a creative role in whatever area of the production they happen to be working on, be it on stage or behind the scenes.

In addition to learning her lines, Danielle has learned dance routines, new harmonies to sing and has no less than four costume changes in the production.

She says her beautiful teal ball gown was made by parent Pam Kaufman.

With the exception of the costumes which are made by parents, and help with some of the set building, Strickland says all of the props and sets are made by the students.

Danielle spent her early school years at the small rural public school in Tatlayoko, where she was first introduced to theatre by a travelling theatre group.

Later, when her mother took her to see the plays put on by the Maranatha Players at Maranatha Christian School, a dream was born.

“I came to every single show that I could and I thought one day I am going to come and be in one or your plays and here I am,” Danielle says.

When her family moved to Williams Lake a few years ago, Danielle says she tried public school and home schooling, but didn’t find her educational niche in the big city until she enrolled at Maranatha Christian School in Grade 10.

Now in Grade 12, Danielle has acted and helped out behind the scenes on a total of eight plays starting with the school production of Robin Hood when she was in elementary school at Tatla Lake.

She has been in a few Studio Theatre productions since moving to the lakecity. The lead in Cinderella is her fourth production with the Maranatha Players.

“I absolutely love it here,” Danielle says. “I wish I had come here sooner.”

Cinderella will be on stage at the Maranatha Christian School Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8 p.m.

There will be a meet and greet with Cinderella and the cast after the Friday, Dec. 2 production.

Tickets are available at The Open Book: $10 for adults and teens; $8 for seniors and children under age 12.