'INTO THE WOODS' AT THE MEDIA THEATRE FEATURES CASSIDY ELSE AS THE STEPMOTHER THIS JULY

The Media Theatre has Stephen Sondheim’s Tony winning musical “Into The Woods” on stage this summer, July 7 through July 30. The show is being produced as a teen musical experience, in which a youth cast performs along with two local (and slightly older) actors who have had professional or university experience.

Cassidy Else, who has been a student at The Media Theatre since she was five years old, plays the role of Cinderella’s Stepmother in the musical. Heading into the 8^th Grade at Drexel Hill Middle School this fall, she’s been seen previously on The Media Theatre stage in “Annie”, “Snow White” “Magic Tree House”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Disney’s Cinderella Kids”, “The Jungle Book”, “Jack Frost” and in the Broadway Series professional production of “Gypsy”. Currently, she is also in “Alice In Wonderland” as the Queen of Hearts throughout the summer. At her school, she was in “The Little Mermaid” and “Peter Pan”.  She is a former “Vocalist Junior” second place winner (2015), and has been a part of the theatre’s New School for three years.

CASSIDY ELSE

“I don’t think “Into The Woods” comes across as a fairy tale,” she said. “It’s more like a reality check about how everything in life doesn’t always have a happy ending. It teaches a good lesson about not being greedy and that you can’t always get what you wish for.”

“Having a Sondheim show performed by teens is a great demonstration of how hard we are all working, and how much we love the piece,” she explained.

“To approach the role of Cinderella’s Stepmother, I’ve used my past acting experience to help me portray this complex person,” Cassidy continued. “She starts out stubborn and rude, but in the end realizes how important it is to keep her daughters safe.”

She summed it up with, “Being on stage has made me more open in talking to people. Also acting and theatre assist in making friends, and it’s really helped me in school by raising my confidence level. So, there’s a lot you can discover through acting!”

For tickets to this summer's "Into The Woods" at The Media Theatre (July 7-30) call 610-891-0100 or visit mediatheatre.org. Performances are Friday nights at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Most roles are double cast, so it's a different cast each weekend!