CULLMAN – St. Bernard Preparatory School’s production of “Cinderella” was held recently and their talented students and staff presented the story like no other. “Cinderella”, a Rodgers & Hammerstein Production, is a timeless classic enjoyed by many for generations. The junior version of the timeless tale, performed by the students at St. Bernard, had a runtime of about an hour, and the students did a phenomenal job of delivering the story to the audience.
The production was held on the grounds of St. Bernard in the Abbey Byre Center for the Performing Arts, which served as a beautiful setting for the play with the old brick walls and timber ceilings, giving the atmosphere an old-feel, charming atmosphere.
The director, Sharon Fike, is an artist and resident with the Alabama State Council on the Arts and works all over Alabama.
The students carried out every scene with a superior delivery of lines and harmonious collaboration during songs, which truly brought the storybook characters to life with a unique and entertaining personality for each.
The talented cast was the perfect companion to the direction of Fike, who even choreographed all of the steps that flowed perfectly from scene to scene. Another important detail in bringing the cast to life was the addition of colorful costumes.
Cinderella’s transformation dress was designed by the parent of one of the students, while Sarah Anna McCarthy, wardrobe mistress and the student playing the queen, helped pull and design all of the costumes for the rest of the cast as well.
Fike said she had never worked in an environment quite like that of St. Bernard and said she has enjoyed it.
She and her husband, Rodney Fike, who doubles as Technical Director and Drama Instructor, chose Cinderella as the spring production for the students to perform.
“We had a very long season. We started out with a full production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and then we did a full production of ‘The Hobbit’. They [the students] are only used to doing one show here.” Fike commented on the production season.
“The kids worked very, very, very hard and most of them, I would say a good 60 percent had never been on stage before.”
Sharon Fike raved over how well the students did and how hard they worked, as well as thanking the rest of the crew that helped with lighting, music, props and keeping the production running smoothly and making it a success.
Fike and her husband were also very thankful to Abbot Cletus Meagher, Fr. Marcus Voss, Fr. Joel Martin, Mr. John Tekulve, the teachers, staff, coaches, parents, community members and all who contributed in making such a production possible. The collaboration of all parties involved was evident in the outstanding delivery of the production “Cinderella”, which was a welcome and refreshing treat for the community.
This story was originally published in the May 12, 2014 issue of CS print edition
