We sat down with Hannah Noone, director of Cinderella, our seasonal spectacular, and asked her some questions! Read the full interview below…
You can find out more about the show and book tickets here.
Hannah Noone, director
Hi Hannah! There have been countless adaptations of this classic fairy tale. Can you tell us what makes this Storyhouse Originals production of Cinderella special?
The story, the characters and the music. Sam’s done a fantastic job of embracing the core ingredients of what you’d expect in Cinderella and then had loads of fun with it. There’s an enchanted forest, disco goblins and a loveable new character called Susan, the King’s new PA. I think the characters in this version are particularly exciting, you can’t help but invest in them, and tonally it jumps between the joyously absurd to the beautifully everyday. A bit of something for everyone!
What kinds of things do you bear in mind when directing a show for the Christmas period?
Making a Christmas show is an incredible but slightly daunting responsibility. There’s lots of expectations that come with it, and it presents the wonderful challenge of engaging with a broad spectrum of ages. I try not to lose sight of that, and find with the creative team and cast the fun in nurturing and playing with that. I think also finding and keeping hold of the heart beat of the story feels crucial. When I go see something, especially at Christmas, I’m after a good night out, a show with lots of fun, but I also want to care about these characters and their world that they’re inviting me into.
How important is collaboration to you in the rehearsals process?
Collaboration is crucial on a show like this which involves so many elements, departments and at an ambitious scale. I think it might be one of my favourite parts of this job, you get to work with such a range of specialist talents all working together on a shared creation, that then continues to evolve once an audience arrives.
This is your second time directing at Storyhouse. What do you like most about working at Storyhouse?
The people. I love how hands-on and invested the Storyhouse team are, and how much they listen to their audiences. It’s a genuinely exciting and lovely place to work.
Can you give us any insights into the music that will be in the show?
Absolute bangers as well as some more unusual choices for a Christmas show, and we’ve had fun in looking at how and when they pop up in the story. Our highly talented cast and MD Barny have done a stellar job with the music, that will make you want to do a lot of seat dancing, as well as those more surprising sound worlds that pull you into the magic of a story like this.
Describe the show in three words.
Sequinned, spellbinding, surprising!
Favourite Christmas song?
Ooo hard… I’ll go with A Spaceman Came Travelling.
Favourite Christmas food?
Like Cinderella, I too am a big cabbage fan… but with ALL the gravy.
How do you hope the show will make people feel?
Connected in some way… to a character, a song, a feeling, or just with the people you’ll get to share this story with, on that particular night. For me, there’s nothing quite like live theatre, especially at Christmas.
Book tickets for Cinderella here.