Rehearsals are in full swing for this year’s Chichester Festival Youth Theatre Christmas production and we caught up with the director, Jon Pashley, about what makes this version of Cinderella so special. Jon shares why he loves working with our Youth Theatre and how CFT has played such an important role in his own career…

What is your favourite thing about working with CFYT?

Their enthusiasm is incredible! They’re very funny and very bright. This younger generation is very switched onto social issues and they care deeply about the story they are telling and share what they think and feel about it. There’s a lot of wisdom there when you ask and really listen to what they say.

And what’s unique about working with the Youth Theatre?

They are very open to experimentation and willing to try new things. They are naturally collaborative and incredibly supportive of one another. They’re true team players and have an amazing work ethic.

Cinderella is a familiar and much-loved story for audiences of all ages. Why do you think it still excites audiences today?

The writer Philip Wilson has done a lot of digging into the history of the story and discovered it is over 2000 years old. We've discussed how it has changed and been shaped through its countless retellings over the years. At its heart, it’s about transformation. It’s the story of a girl becoming a woman, but the importance of this narrative has been reduced, as is so often the case in our traditional stories that have historically been written down by men. So we are hoping to celebrate this aspect of Cinderella’s journey in our version.

What is unique about this new version of Cinderella?

This imagining draws largely - but not exclusively - on the Grimm Tales version. Without giving too much away, there’s a section that plays on the ancient Chinese version of the story, which I think will be an exciting surprise for audiences. For those that are familiar with the pumpkin carriage or the magical mice, our version has its roots a little more firmly in the earth. We are telling the folk tale rather than the fairy tale. Our magic grows out of the ground and nature plays a bigger role in the story. It’s ultimately about a family and the community around them going through something challenging together. Like many traditional stories, it begins with a loss – Cinderella loses her mother and a big part of her story is finding out how to live without her, with some magical guidance along the way. There's lots of fun and three nights of revels in the ballroom, too! On the way, Cinderella also falls in love, but she and the Prince go on their own journeys of self-discovery as they get to know one another.

At the beginning of the process, we asked ourselves how we could say something new about Cinderella. We ran two research and development sessions with members of the Youth Theatre. There is a responsibility with the CFYT show that it should speak for the Youth Theatre you are making it for. Over the first R&D weekend, we found the arc of Cinderella’s journey from conversations with the young people about what resonated with them (and what didn’t!). During the second, we tested the visual language of the show with the young people, who were excited about the direction the show was taking, which gave us confidence to keep going on this path. One very special thing about this version of Cinderella is of course that we are working with a huge ensemble of young people – you could tell this story with seven people, but we’re telling it with seventy!

The designs look really exciting. What are you most looking forward to seeing come to life on the stage?

The set itself is such a wonderful arena for the story to unfold in. Simon Higlett knows the Festival Theatre stage so well and has given us an epic Shakespearean space that suits how we tell the story. I'm also delighted to be working with Abigail Caywood again, who designed A Midsummer Night's Dream. I can’t wait to see seventy people in Simon's space all wearing Abigail's designs!

Could you share a bit about your own career as a Director and your personal connection to CFT?

About 20 years ago, I applied for a traineeship at CFT in the Youth Theatre that I didn’t get! But I got a call from the Head of Education at the time and was offered something else, so I did a new traineeship at CFT. I had the opportunity to shadow the Artistic Director Jonathan Church; and spent a week assistant-directing a cabaret show in the Minerva directed by (drum roll, please!) Philip Wilson, so we really have come full circle working together on Cinderella at CFT. It’s been a joy to work together again in a different way. In the meantime, I’ve worked at CFT and on tour as an associate to Dale Rooks on Youth Theatre productions and shows with a young company, including Running Wild, The Butterfly Lion, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Goodnight Mr. Tom.

And finally, can you describe this version of Cinderella in three words?

Joyous, heartfelt, mischievous.

Cinderella is on for just two weeks from 17 - 31 December in the Festival Theatre. Book your tickets now.