Cinderella with a local spin!

A local pantomime by our Acting Circle members!

The Courtyard’s Acting Circle group, for performers aged 18 plus, had a busy week over Christmas taking a very unique performance to two local care-homes.

Both Broomy Hill Nursing Home and Holmer Manor Care Home were treated to a bespoke version of Cinderella. The script was adapted to place the action right in the middle of the care homes and with lots of local references and jokes, it was fun for all of the family as well as the residents and care-workers.

Group members had been attending weekly acting sessions since September and after being approached by the homes in October, had been working hard to create something really special.

What the cast thought

Ian Hassel, a cast-member, said ‘When I joined the Acting Circle at the beginning of the autumn term little did I know that I would end up playing the part of Thelma in the pantomime, Cinderella. I didn’t take it too personally when I was cast as one of the ugly sisters! I was SO excited about performing this for the residents. The whole cast threw themselves wholeheartedly into the rehearsals and we had enormous fun preparing for our debut!’.

The group feels very privileged to have been invited into residents’ homes and hopes that Cinderella gave them a really lovely start to the festive period. As Lexi Myers, who played the part of Buttons, said ‘We absolutely loved bringing Christmas spirit to the care-homes’.

The Acting Circle is an adult drama session that explores a range of drama styles and techniques in a welcoming and fun space, open to all aged 18+. Whether you want to develop performance skills, or just like the idea of socialising with like-minded individuals – this session is for you. Sessions run as weekly drop-ins on Tuesdays 7.30pm – 9pm and start again on Tuesday 9 January. New joiners very welcome!

Photos by Amy Azais