Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock
Church Street, Cannock, WS11 1DE
We are proud to present the nation’s favourite pantomime – CINDERELLA and are delighted to be producing it at the Prince Of Wales for the first time.
This year’s hilarious pantomime is suitable for the whole family and audiences will be captivated by this production which is full of magic, laughter, audience participation and spectacular surprises.
CINDERELLA tells the story of a girl who dreams to escape her life as a servant, being bossed around all day by her naughty step sisters. Her best friend Buttons and her Fairy Godmother will make her dreams come true in this enchanting fairytale, as a dashing Prince and his best friend Dandini hold their annual ball at the palace.
Will they find their happy ever after? Book now to find out - but don’t wait till midnight to secure the best seats at Cannock’s professional pantomime – you’re sure to have a ball!
Cinderella Programme
Polka Dot Pantomimes are delighted to welcome you to the Prince Of Wales Theatre, Cannock and this production of CINDERELLA. This is the first pantomime we have produced here and we hope that you will enjoy watching this timeless fairytale as much as we have enjoyed producing it.
For the 2024/2025 season we are producing eight professional pantomimes in Spalding, Bolton, Grantham, Harpenden, Grays, Hastings, Cannock and Bristol. Our pantomimes are consistently of the highest standards and we are delighted that every year we get to work with exceptionally talented performers, wonderful theatre staff, dedicated and hard working backstage teams, and our amazing creative teams - all of who put 100% effort into making our shows accessible and successful! We also love working with our children’s chorus from Studio 5, and our wonderful chaperones – they amaze us every day!
Since 2005 we have produced professional productions of Aladdin, Jack & The Beanstalk, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, The Wizard of Oz, Rapunzel, Dick Whittington and Beauty and the Beast.
We are delighted to be producing professional pantomime at the Prince Of Wales this year and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting your local theatre – we appreciate you spending your time with us and choosing to watch this production –
THANK YOU!
From all of us at Polka Dot Pantomimes, we hope you enjoy this wonderful show and we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2025!
History of Cinderella
How Many Versions?
Nobody really knows how many versions of the Cinderella story there are, but estimates vary from 340 to over 1,500!
In the Italian story, the heroine is called Zezolla and she has not one, but two stepmothers. She plots with her governess to kill her first stepmother, then with the governess to kill her second stepmother, then the governess marries her father and brings with her not two but six cruel stepsisters! Zezolla’s help comes from a magical date tree and, when she eventually comes out on top, she does not forgive her stepsisters, but drives them out of the court.
In a Romanian version, the heroine is an emperor’s daughter whose wicked relations force her to live in a pigsty, and in a Swedish story the fairy godmother is a magic ox!
The Egyptian Cinderella, Rhodope, has her sandal carried off by an eagle and dropped at the feet of the Pharaoh, while in Kashmir, India, she loses her nose ring in the river where it is swallowed by a fish and served to the King.
Shoes
When the president of the Philippines and his wife, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, went into exile in 1986 the new government discovered that they had stolen $860 million from the people. A large proportion of this must have been spent on footwear, because Mrs Marcos is believed to have owned 3,000 pairs of shoes. Apparently she used to buy every available colour in the same size!
Stepmothers
Cinderella is not the only familiar fairy tale to feature a wicked stepmother - what about the Queen who tried to kill Snow White so that she can be the fairest in the land, and the stepmother who persuades her husband to abandon his children in Hansel and Gretel?
Sisters
“There were never such devoted sisters”, so ran a popular song from a few years ago, but is this how you feel about your sisters? Or is it more like “can’t live with them, can’t live without them”? The fate of Cinderella’s stepsisters varies with the different versions of the story; in some she forgives them and helps them find rich husbands after she marries the prince, in others she banishes them from royal court, and sometimes they even end up as blind beggars! In our version they get a taste of their own medicine and get to experience what it feels like to be bossed around and have to clean and tidy all day long. What would you do in Cinderella’s place?
Principal Cast
SIRI HARDUP - Keith De’ Winter
Keith is excited to be back in the proverbial saddle in panto at The Prince of Wales Theatre, Cannock, for Polka Dot Pantomimes version of, ‘Cinderella’.
Although Keith has performed many notable characters, from both stage and screen, including his fabulous Creature work in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, he finally made the transition to the Marvel Universe, appearing alongside Bill Murray (from Ghostbusters), as his sidekick in the blockbuster film, ‘Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania’.
So as BIG, or should that be SMALL, that he was in that film, 2025 sees him appearing in a Disney+ series. But to find out more and get the latest info on what Keith’s up to, you can follow him on various social media sites. (Careful though, you can never shut him up!)
ALEXA HARDUP - Pjotr Greenwood
Pjotr is originally from the Netherlands and studied musical theatre at the Conservatory in Haarlem. He moved to the UK to do the Masters in Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting where he graduated with a distinction in 2015.
At a young age he performed in the opera’s ‘Hansel und Gretel’ and ‘Turn of the Screw’ from the Dutch National Touring Opera.
He was one of the three piggies in the Dutch production of ‘Shrek The Musical’ which had a six month-long run in Amsterdam before transferring to Antwerp, Belgium, to then go back on tour in the Netherlands in 2012 / 2013
During his time at GSA Pjotr performed in shows such as ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Hands on a Hardbody’ and the devised show ‘Taste of Glass’. He appeared in ‘Don’t Run’, a musical he wrote along with his classmates, which they performed during his degree and had a reprise at the Waterloo East Theatre in London in 2016.
He was the lead vocalist in the 2016 / 2017 International Tour of ‘Best of Musicals Starnights’ which he performed in Germany, Austria and Denmark.
For the past seven years Pjotr has also been known as Poppy Seed which is his drag persona. As a drag queen she performed through the years at the Lipsync 1000 at the Glory and at Drag Idol UK. She was in the music video of Vinegar Strokes 'Camp Queens All Around'. In BBC3's 'Things Not To Say To A Drag Queen' and in the 'It Starts With You' video from the Terrence Higgins Trust. Between 2018 and 2020 Poppy was part of the Globe Girls.
In 2019 Pjotr was one of the dancers in the Lupus charity show ‘Reach Out and Touch’.
During the covid pandemic Pjotr landed the role of Boudewijn in the third season of the American tv series ‘Atlanta’.
Last December Pjotr played the role of Peeta Bred in the Adult Panto ‘The Hunger Gays’ at The Two Brewers in London.
Away from the stage Pjotr has done workshops in Shambala and is a certified angel guide. He also has a podcast called ‘What Is This Feeling’.
CINDERELLA - Holly Elle Martin
Holly Elle Martin has nurtured a lifelong passion for performing, having stepped onto the stage for the first time at just five years old. Her love for the arts blossomed during her early Saturday performing classes, where she discovered the joy of entertaining audiences, and her adoration for singing. Holly’s journey began at Stagecoach, where she trained for seven years before advancing to JAM 2000. As part of their agency, she gained valuable experience working as an extra in TV shows such as Humans, Marcella and Fungus the Bogeyman. She also participated in the New Year's Day Parade twice, winning with her team the second year!
Holly further honed her craft at Stratford Upon-Avon College, where she starred as Elle in their production of Legally Blonde and from her year at SUAC gained a UAL Diploma in Musical Theatre. Following this, she was accepted into Drama School at The Brighton Academy, undergoing three years of rigorous training.
This year, Holly proudly graduated from The Brighton Academy and is thrilled to debut in her first major role, Cinderella!
BUTTONS - Michael McGeough
Michael is super excited to be making his debut with Polka Dot Pantomimes and hopes you all enjoy the show!
Training: Trinity Laban
Stage Credits: ‘Franz’ in Sunday in the Park with George (NYMT, 2017) ‘Shaggy’ in Aladdin (Dubai, 2021), ‘Mad Hatter’ in Alice in Wonderland (Summer Tour, 2022), ‘Jack’ in The Great Christmas Snow Patrol (Harlow Playhouse, 2022), ‘Tommy Tucker’ in Red Riding Hood (The Spotlight, 2023), ‘Buttons’ in Cinderella (The Spotlight, 2023) ‘Colin’ in Puss in Boots (The Spotlight, 2024)
Other Credits: ‘Gingerbread Latte Genius’ in Costa (Commercial, 2017), ‘Wake’ in BUPA (Commercial, 2020)
Credits Whilst Training: ‘Horton’ in Seussical the Musical, ‘Francis Lockwood’ in Betty Blue Eyes, ‘Clifford Bradshaw’ in Cabaret, ‘Ensemble’ in Legally Blonde
PRINCE CHARMING - Ben Featherstone
Training: Bird College
Cruise credits: Lead Vocalist for Viking Cruises
Theatre credits: Donny Dulce in Tony n Tina’s Wedding (Queen Elizabeth’s Olympic Park and London’s Wonderville), Teddy in Jack and the Beanstalk (South Hill Park), Prince Charming in Cinderella (South Hill Park)
TV & Film: Extra in Everybody’s Talking
Other: Singing Waiter (Theatre Cafe Diner, London), Singer at Archer Street (Soho, London)
Credits whilst training: Jake in Side Show, Harry Witherspoon in Lucky Stiff
Ben can’t wait to join the team at Cannock.
Instagram: _benfeatherstone
DANDINI - Theo Mayne
Theo is best known for his breakout appearance on the BAFTA & NTA Winning smash-hit reality TV show
The Traitors and other exciting television projects.
He is thrilled to step into the magical role of DanDini.
Theatre Credits include:
• Miss Understanding in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Rotherham Civic Theatre)
• Amateur productions of West Side Story, High School Musical, The Boyfriend, Windy City, Phantom of the Opera (concert version), and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Immersive Theatre:
• Halloween Street Actor (2019-2022), specializing in improvisational character work.
Television:
• The Traitors (BBC)
• Blankety Blank (BBC)
• Steph's Packed Lunch (Channel 4)
• GB News
• Studio.co.uk advert alongside Josie Gibson
Find him on social media: @theomayne1
FAIRY FLUSTERED & CHOREOGRAPHER - Dani Jae Young
Dani Jae-Young graduated from Masters Performing Arts in 2023 and is thrilled to be back working with Polka Dot this year in Cannock, after spending two Christmas’s performing in Bolton and one in Grays.
Since graduating Dani has been busy singing and dancing in ‘Total Pop Party’ touring the UK.
She found her love for the arts training at Italia Conti Associates before becoming a regular teaching assistant at the establishment. She now teaches her own classes at Razmatazz Rayleigh, Mushroom and ACA since moving to Essex full time.
Dani sends a massive thank you to everyone at Polka Dot for the opportunity to perform this year as ‘Fairy Flustered’. This is her first professional choreography credit and she is super excited.
Dani hopes you all enjoy the show and wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, especially her family and friends traveling from West London
FAIRY SUPERIOR - Emily Oakes
Emily trained at Chichester Conservatoire and is excited to be making her Polka Dot Pantomimes debut! Oh yes she is! She can’t wait to get out her fairy wings as Fairy Superior.
Theatre credits include: ‘Pat the Pig’ in Three Little Pigs the Musical (Lost the plot 2023), ‘Singer’ in Jubilee Singers Tour (2022), ‘Lead Vocalist’ in West End Sundays (2022), ‘Fairy’ in Puss in Boots (Lada Productions, 2021).
TV/Film credits include: Presenter for Luno Advert (2023), Dr Oekter Christmas Advert (2022), Mukbang Dates for Snap Chat (2022)
Chorus - Studio 5
Anouk Saqib, Alexandra Roba, Abraham Burton, Ava Wilsher, Harmony Phizacklea-Hayes, Teah-Rose Swann, Cassis Ray, Amelie Howell, Niamh Moore, Megan Green.
Scene Synopsis
ACT ONE
Prologue & Scene 1 – THE STORY SO FAR!
Scene 2 - STONEYBROKE VILLAGE SQUARE
Scene 3 – FAIRYLAND
Scene 4 – THE FOREST PATH
Scene 5 – PRINCE CHARMING’S FOREST
Scene 6 - FAIRYLAND
Scene 7 – THE KITCHEN AT HARDUP HALL
Scene 8 – THE TRANSFORMATION
ACT TWO
Scene 9 – PRINCE CHARMING’S BALLROOM
Scene 10 – ON THE WAY HOME
Scene 11 – THE SISTER’S BOUDOIR
Scene 12 – SONG SHEET
Scene 13 – THE ROYAL WEDDING
Song List
ACT ONE
Song 1 – OVERTURE
Song 2 – JOURNEY TO THE PAST
Song 3 – WOMAN’S WORLD
Song 4 – TOGETHER WE’LL BE OK
Song 5 – GREATEST DAY
Song 6 – SOMEDAY
Song 7 – TONIGHT BELONGS TO YOU
ACT TWO
Song 8 – I DON’T WANNA WAIT
Song 9 – I DON’T CARE
Song 10 – TEXAS HOLDEM GHOST GAG
Song 11 – GET ON YOUR FEET
Song 12 – SWEET CAROLINE SONG SHEET
Song 13 – CELEBRATION BOWS
Song 14 – TOGETHER WE’LL BE OK REPRISE
Production Team
DIRECTOR: LORINDA KING
CHOREOGRAPHER: DANI JAE YOUNG
WRITERS: DARREN MADDISON & LUKE ATTWOOD
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: STEVE HESSION
VOCAL COACH: BEN FEATHERSTONE
SCENERY: PAUL LAZELL
COSTUMES: POLKA DOT PANTOMIMES
STAGE MANAGER: AMIRAH STOREY
COMPANY MANAGER ON BOOK: CONOR LAVELLE
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: ALEX DAVIES
CHAPERONES: ANNA HOWELL, ANITA SAQID, BARBARA GILLESPIE, DIANE PHIZACKLEA, JULIE GREEN, LISA WILLSHER, LIZ SWANN, SAM TEECE, HEATHER PESKETT
Prince of Wales Theatre
Theatre Manager – Richard Kay
Deputy Manager – Lauren Draper
Duty Manager – Louise Booth
Box Office – Val Cunningham, Jan Turner
Catering – Elaine Hughes, Margaret Taylor, Katie Birch, Nicki French, Kay Walker, Jo Norgrove, Petra Schilling, Abigail Wilkes
Housekeepers – Lorraine Veste, Chrissy Wheatley
Technical Manager – Andy Kennerley
LX – Andy Kennerley, Sam Shelley
Sound – Andy Derry, Sam Shelley
Stage Crew – Ian Collins, Ian Cheadle, Lauren Knowles
Follow spot – Mick Perry
Polka Dot Pantomimes
COMPANY DIRECTOR: DARREN MADDISON
PRODUCER: CATHERINE MAYER
TECHNICAL PRODUCER: BEV A.M. PASKELL
FINANCE: HELEN WRIGHT
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: TONY MAYER
ADMINISTRATOR: ELAINE BARRON-CLARK
HEAD OF CASTING: LUKE ATTWOOD
SOCIAL MEDIA: JOEY RODAK
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: STEVE HESSION
