Dreams rising from the Cinders

It’s a third of a dream come true for three young actresses this Christmas as good old fashioned panto returns to Brighton. Fleur Aston, 9, from Worthing, Ella Lucas, 10, from Haywards Heath, and Olivia Langford, 13, from Eastbourne, take turns to play the young Ella in Cinders, which is on now at The Emporium, London Road.

“It’s nice they’ll all get a chance too. It’s every actress’s dream to play Cinderella,” says Justine Martin, also making her professional debut in the role of the adult Cinderella.

Cinders is the only panto in Brighton this Christmas. Or at least, the only one suitable for children and not likely to give the grandfolks some kind of episode. Indeed, from the earliest stages of planning, Cinders was designed to have as broad an appeal as possible; the production promises a treat for all members of the family from ages three and up. In keeping with this, there will be a daily matinee performances for the duration of the run, which lasts right through until 4th January 2014.

Emporium opened in May and has come to twin the Duke of York’s picturehouse as a hub of entertainment diversity for the London Road area. One of very few UK theatres with its own ‘repertory group’ – in-house acting troupe – the venue also hosts a range of events from book readings to life drawing classes and even toy hacking workshops. A party last week attracted such luminaries as Benedict Cumberbatch and Greta Scacchi.

For more information visit http://emporiumbrighton.com.

Words: Ruari Barratt