Marist Theatre’s “Cinderella Caterpillar” is Heartwarming Success

Elena Raiford ‘27 (Prince Caterpillar) and Kristen Stagg ‘27 (Cinderella Caterpillar) in Cinderella Catepillar. Photo by Korinne Finnigan ‘25

For this year’s children’s theatre production, Marist Theatre performed “Cinderella Caterpillar,” a heartwarming and comedic play for all ages. 

“As college students, we can get caught up in our work and forget there’s more to life than writing a paper,” said director Alexandria Shaw ‘24. “This show offers our audience time to relax after midterms and reminds them to smile. It lets us feel like a child again.” 

“Cinderella Caterpillar,” a children’s play written by Jim Houle, follows the story of Bug City celebrity Prince Grasshopper and his search for a princess. When a starry-eyed caterpillar named Cinderella arrives in Bug City looking for stardom, they realize they are the perfect match. Still, the prince’s no-talent sidekick, Queen Bea, will stop at no means to ensure she remains by his side. Through prejudice and adversities, it is up to Cinderella to find her happily ever after. 

“The process of putting on this show was fantastic,” said Stepmother Spider actor Nicholas Ferrari ‘27. “Everyone involved was so nice and great to work with; it made going to rehearsal so much fun every day. [Shaw] was a great director, and I loved working with her and everyone in the cast.”

Each year, Marist Theatre puts on a children's theatre production, along with their other performances, including a comedy or drama, an original play or monologue festival and a musical. Marist Theatre offers various opportunities to become involved in acting, designing or managing.

“Children's Theatre is one of my favorite traditions because I love introducing new generations to the exciting world of theatre,” said production manager Rhiannon Moline ‘25.

“The whole message of the production is to never give up on your dreams,” said Shaw. “As someone who has heard my whole life what I should be doing and how I should do it, this message resonated with me because I wouldn’t be where I am today without following my dreams, and I hope the kids take that away with them.”

The yearly children’s theatre production is put on for Marist students, then for children from elementary schools around the Poughkeepsie area. Because the play is shown a total of eight times to a wide variety of ages, Marist Theatre double-casts the show into two groups: Ladybug and Firefly. 

“I think a great way to connect with everyone through the show was comedy,” said Moline. “During intermission, we would invite kids and cast members on stage to tell jokes; it was one of my favorite parts of the show.”

Ferrari, who was initially worried about the difference in audience, found that both groups enjoyed the show tremendously in different ways. 

“It actually seemed like the college students got more of a kick out of the show at times than the children,” said Ferrari. “I loved performing for both groups, though, and it was very cool seeing what the children laughed at more than the students.”

Despite being helpful in certain areas, Shaw said the cast size was also the biggest challenge.

“When dealing with such a large group, it’s extremely important for me to make sure each actor is completely solid in their blocking so that the show will run smoothly, no matter who they’re performing with,” said Shaw. “Other than that, this show was an absolute joy to work on.”

With a job well done, the Marist community eagerly awaits the Theatre Program’s next performance of Urinetown in the spring.