“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If youwant them to be more intelligent, readthem more fairy tales.”

---Albert EinsteinWelcome to Skylight Music Theatre’sseason of fairy tales and fantasy forgrown-ups. Join us on a remarkablemusical journey through universal sto-ries that mirror real life issues and helpus understand ourselves and what itmeans to be human.“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragonsexist, but because they tell us thatdragons can be beaten.”

---Neil Gaiman, author of THE SANDMAN and THE OCEAN AT

THE END OF THE LANEDuring our amazing voyage, we’lllearn from CINDERELLA that a kindand generous spirit can triumph overselfishness and vanity. We’ll followDorothy as she travels down the yellow brick road to discover the truthabout THE WIZARD OF OZ. We’ll seehow true love conquers all in ONCEON THIS ISLAND. We’ll be touched bythe courage of an abused boy in THESNOW DRAGON. And in INTO THEWOODS, we’ll find out what really happens after “happily ever after”. Fairy tales, fables and myths have become an integral part of our culture,some pre-dating written accounts.Others are timeless epics based onancient Greek, Roman, Norse andTeutonic mythology. These stories reflect real life challenges and adultthemes such as abandonment, abuse,neglect, envy and jealousy often symbolized by wicked witches, cruelstep parents, scary giants and fierydragons. Our season opener, Rossini’s opera,CINDERELLA, (LA CENERENTOLA), is amixture of comedy, pathos, masquer-ade and magnificent music. This ultimate rags-to-riches story is broughtto life by an outstanding creative teamassembled by Skylight Artistic DirectorViswa Subbaraman, who also servesas Music Director. The production isdirected by Jill Anna Ponasik, ArtisticDirector of the Milwaukee Opera

Theatre. The costumes are the drivingforce in this delightful romp and we arethrilled to have internationally knownfashion designer Cesar Galindo ascostume designer. Galindo’s many accomplishments include his televisionappearance on Bravo’s THE FASHIONSHOW in 2010 and designing forcelebrities including Madonna, JustinTimberlake and Mary J. Blige. “Our production relies on garments toexplore the distinction between innerand outer beauty, a concept that is atthe core of this fairy tale,“ explainsPonasik. “Clothing and the trappingsof overzealous consumption clutter thehousehold. Only after Cinderella isrecognized for her pure heart do webegin to peel away those layers andglimpse the beauty that has endureddespite years of neglect. It was excit-ing to see how Cesar executed theseconcepts in his costume designs.” Longtime Skylight Prop Shop Managerand Assistant Facilities Director LisaSchlenker is the scenic designer. As areflection of the stepsisters’ avarice,self absorption and vain indulgence,Schlenker has envisioned a large andmessy closet/boudoir for the openingscene. “The stepsisters’ consumerismhas spiraled out of control. They nolonger have the ability to discern anything of real value,” she says.“Cinderella weathers it all with grace,offering her stepfather and stepsistersthe mercy of forgiveness.”

music theatre

Audience GuideSee the guide in color online atwww.skylightmusictheatre.org

2014-2015Our 56th SeasonIssue 1, September/October 2014IN THIS ISSUE

AUDIENCE GUIDEResearch/Writing by Justine Leonard

for ENLIGHTEN,Skylight Music Theatre’s

Education ProgramEdited by Ray Jivoff

414-299-4965rayj@skylightmusictheatre.orgwww.skylightmusictheatre.org Cesar Galindo and Lisa Schlenker

This production is generouslysponsored by John Shannon and Jan Serr

Skylight Music Theatre is proud to be a cornerstone member of

Jill Anna Ponasik and Viswa Subbaraman

or The Triumph of Goodness

Musicby Gioachino Rossini

Libretto by

Jacopo Ferretti

English Translation by

Amanda Holden

Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792 –1868)was unrivalled in the Italian musicalworld of his time. Success came earlyin his short but extremely busy andproductive career. In only 19 years,between the composition of his firstcomplete opera LA CAMBIALE DI MATRIMONIO (THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT -1810) and his last, WILLIAM TELL (1829),he composed 38 operas. Until his re-tirement in 1829, he was the mostpopular opera composer in history andhis style dominated Italian operathroughout the first half of the 19thcentury.Rossini’s rich scores are full of inspired, memorable melodies, earn-ing him a comparison with Mozart. Acharacteristic of Rossini's orchestralscoring is a long, steady building ofsound over a recurring melodic frag-ment or ostinato figure, creating "tem-pests in teapots” by beginning in awhisper and rising to a flashing, glitter-ing storm. The style earned him thenickname of "Signor Crescendo". Although Rossini’s crescendos earnedthe disdain of composers such asBerlioz, Wagner and some critics, audiences found them exciting andalso appreciated his skill and original-ity as a composer of overtures. Usingthe same sonata form that the Vien-nese masters used for the first move-ments of their symphonies, Rossini’sovertures were totally different thananything written in Vienna or Italy inthat time. As a boy, Rossini had direct experi-ence with operatic performance, bothin the orchestra pit and on stage. Hewas born into a family of musicians inPesaro, a town on the Adriatic Sea onthe east coast of Italy. His father was ahorn-player and slaughterhouse inspector and his mother was anopera singer. Rossini's father was sympathetic tothe French Revolution and welcomedNapoleon's troops when they arrivedin northern Italy. When Austria restored the old regime, Rossini's father was sent to prison in 1799,where he remained for a year. Rossiniand his mother moved to Bologna,

where she worked as a singer. Herhusband ultimately joined them andplayed in the orchestras of theatreswhere his wife sang. In Bologna, Rossini found a congenialmusic master in Angelo Tesei. Helearned to sight-read, play accompani-ments on the piano and sang wellenough to take solo parts in church.By 1804, when he was just 12, he wasalready beginning to compose. Impor-tant works of this period include sixstring sonatas, unusually scored fortwo violins, cello and double bass,composed in three daysBetween 1810 and 1813, at Bologna,Rome, Venice and Milan, Rossini pro-duced operas of varying success

including TANCREDI (1813), which wasa triumph. By the age of 21, he had established himself as the idol of theItalian opera public.Rossini’s career took him to the majortheatres in Northern Italy, then toNaples, Vienna and finally to Paris.This geographical progression coin-cided with three phases of Rossini‘sart and of the development of his oper-atic style. During the first and mostprolific phase, 1810-1815, he wrote 13operas, most for theatres in Veniceand Milan. Many of these were one-act comic operas; the full-length operas were evenly divided betweenopera buffa and opera seria.In 1815, Rossini accepted the positionof music director at the Teatro SanCarlos in Naples, where he would remain until 1822. During those sevenyears, Rossini continued working prolifically, composing 19 operas.Many of these compositions wereopera seria, including his most famousserious work, OTELLO (1816). Duringthis period, he composed his twocomic masterpieces: THE BARBER OFSEVILLE (1816) and CINDERELLA (1817). THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, Rossini'smost famous opera, was first produced in Rome. Most scholarsagree that the opera was written in twoor three weeks; Rossini claimed it wasonly twelve days. The opera became aroaring success. Rossini followed with CINDERELLA, hisdelightful retelling of the Cinderellastory. Rossini agreed to compose theopera on the condition that the super-natural element be omitted. So inRossini’s version there are no pump-kins turning into carriages, no mice be-coming footmen, not even a glassslipper. The wicked stepmother is nowa stepfather, Don Magnifico. PrinceCharming is called Ramiro and thefairy godmother role is filled by Alidoro, the Prince’s wise tutor. To spice up the plot and provide someclassic mistaken-identity humor,Ramiro changes places with his valet,Dandini, so he can witness the vain,silly and mean behavior of Cinderella’s

CINDERELLAComposer Gioachino Rossini

stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe. As for Cinderella, Rossini has named her Angelina, but she’s still the Cinderellawe all remember and love: shabby, tending fires, collecting ashes andjumping the minute her stepsisterssnap their fingers. And she’s still wait-ing for her prince to come. But it’s notthe glass slipper of fairy tale fame thatdoes the trick, it’s a bracelet!In 1822, Rossini married the renownedopera singer Isabella Colbran and theymoved from Italy to Vienna where hisoperas also were popular. That sameyear, Rossini met Ludwig vanBeethoven, who was then aged 51,deaf, cantankerous and in failinghealth. Communicating in writing,Beethoven said: "So you're the composer of THE BARBER OFSEVILLE. I congratulate you. It will beplayed as long as Italian opera exists.Never try to write anything else butopera buffa; any other style would doviolence to your nature."

In 1824, Rossini moved to Paris toserve as the music director at theThéâtre Italien. Rossini composed hisfinal opera, WILLIAM TELL (1829), andthen retired from opera composition atthe age of 37. This final work was a political epicabout the 13th-century Swiss patriotwho rallied his country against theAustrians. Its overture is one of themost famous and frequently recordedworks in the classical repertoire and isan unmistakable reflection ofBeethoven's heroic ideal. The music in WILLIAM TELL is remark-able for its freedom from the conven-tions discovered and utilized byRossini in his earlier works, and marksa transitional stage in the history ofopera. Though an excellent opera, it israrely heard uncut today, as the origi-nal score runs more than four hours inperformance.When Rossini’s first wife died in 1845,he married Olympe Pélissier. After living in Florence, they settled in Parisin 1855, where his house was a centerof artistic society. Rossini was a well-known gourmand and an excellentamateur chef and he indulged thesepassions fully once he retired fromcomposing. Today there are a numberof dishes with the appendage "allaRossini" either created by him orspecifically for him. Probably the mostfamous of these is Tournedos Rossini,still served by many restaurants today.After years of various physical andmental illnesses, he slowly returned tomusic, composing obscure little triflesintended for private performance.Often whimsical, these pieces displayRossini’s natural ease of compositionand gift for melody, showing obviousinfluences of Chopin and Beethoven,with many flashes of the composer’slong buried desire for serious, aca-demic composition.He died at his French country houseon November 13, 1868 and wasburied in Père Lachaise Cemetery inParis. In 1887 his remains weremoved to the Basilica di Santa Crocedi Firenze, in Florence, where theynow rest.

CINDERELLA

ROSSINI’S SELECTED OPERAS

THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT (1810)THE CURIOUS MISUNDERSTANDING (1811) THE FORTUNATE DECEPTION (1812)

CYRUS IN BABYLON (1812) THE SILKEN LADDER (1812) THE TOUCHSTONE (1812)

TANCREDI (1813) THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS (1813)AURELIANO IN PALMIRA (1813) THE TURK IN ITALY (1814)

ELIZABETH, QUEEN OF ENGLAND (1815)TORVALDO AND DORLISKA (1815) THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (1816) OTELLO, MOOR OF VENICE (1816)

CINDERELLA (1817) THE THIEVING MAGPIE (1817)

ARMIDA (1817) MOSES IN EGYPT (1818)

THE LADY OF THE LAKE (1819) MAOMETTO II (1820) ZELMIRA (1822)

SEMIRAMIDE (1823) THE JOURNEY TO REIMS (1825) MOSES AND PHAROAH (1827)

THE COUNT ORY (1828) WILLIAM TELL (1829)

LA CENERENTOLA, Covent Garden, 1831

The CharactersAngelina (Cinderella, Cenerentola)Clorinda, Cinderella’s older stepsisterTisbe, Cinderella’s younger stepsisterDon Magnifico, Angelina’s stepfatherPrince RamiroDandini, valet to the PrinceAlidoro, the Prince's former tutorThe SettingThe story takes place in an imaginarykingdom at no specific time in history.ACT IThe scene opens in the once stately,now dilapidated home of Don Mag-nifico di Monte Fiascone (trans:Baron,the magnificent great fiasco). Angelina(Cinderella) is making coffee for herstepsisters Clorinda and Tisbe, as theyprimp and admire themselves (No, no,no, no! I am the best!). While Angelina goes about her work,she sings a sweet song about a Kingwho sets forth to choose a wife (Longago there was a King). There is aknock at the door. It is Alidoro, aphilosopher and friend of the Prince,disguised as a beggar (Will you help apoor old soul?). The stepsisters curtlydismiss him but Angelina discreetly offers him coffee and a piece of bread(Take it quick, don’t let them see you).They are interrupted by the arrival ofthe Prince’s messengers, who announce that the Prince, DonRamiro, is coming to invite Don Magnifico and his daughters to a ballat which he will choose his future wife(Upon the daughters of Don Magnifico). The stepsisters fight with each otherover which one will tell their father thegood news. Their noise awakens DonMagnifico who scolds his daughtersand then recounts the lengthy dreamthat they interrupted (I am summonedfrom my slumber by my daughters).They listen reluctantly, and then go toprepare for the upcoming ball. When the Prince arrives, he is dis-guised as his valet, Dandini, in orderto search for a bride who will love himfor himself and not for his wealth and

position (Totally quiet. Hello there?There is no answer). The first personhe sees is Angelina, and they fall inlove at first sight (There’s a sparkle inthose eyes). The romantic mood isbroken when the lazy sisters call Angelina to help them prepare for theball. Angelina goes to work, leavingthe Prince alone and bewildered abouthis feelings (What can I say?). He is interrupted by the arrival of thereal Dandini, who is disguised as thePrince (Hasten to make your weddingplans). Dandini is received with extreme obsequiousness by Don Magnifico and his two daughters (Seehim swaying and sighing). As they are about to depart for theball, Angelina begs Don Magnifico toallow her to go as well, but the Baronrefuses (My Lord, please wait a moment). Alidoro reenters with infor-mation that there is a third daughter inthe house, but Magnifico claims shehas died and that Angelina is merely aservant (Here in the register of localspinsters). Alidoro stays behind andpromises to help Angelina get to theball, saying that her good heart will fi-

nally be rewarded (Beauty, grace andcharm can be discovered any moment).The next scene takes place in an ante-room of the Prince’s palace. Don Magnifico is promised the appointmentof chief butler to the Prince and beginstasting the royal wines (But that was asensation; I’m your Steward?). Prince Ramiro, still disguised as hisvalet, has seen enough of Clorindaand Tisbe to know that neither of themcould make him happy (Tell me quicklyin a whisper). The girls are determinedto capture Dandini, who is still disguised as the Prince (DarlingPrincey!). Dandini suggests that one ofthe sisters marry his valet (the Princein disguise). The sisters reject this pro-posal (I can’t have a pair of sisters). Alidoro announces the arrival of an unknown and veiled lady (There’s alady at this place, with a veil upon herface). When she removes her veil, allare surprised by how much she re-sembles Angelina (I don’t know whatI’m thinking). The whole company adjourns to supper (My Lord, the dinner’s ready now).

CINDERELLA

CINDERELLA scenic design by Lisa Schlenker

SYNOPSIS

ACT IIClorinda, Tisbe and Don Magnifico slipback into the anteroom to discuss thegoings on (I think these rogues andscoundrels are having a good laugh).Both sisters believe that they havemade a conquest of the Prince andthey are no longer on friendly terms(Are you still hoping that the Prince willcome begging for your hand?). By thistime, Dandini (still disguised as thePrince) has fallen in love with Angelinaand asks her to marry him. She refuses and confesses her love for hisvalet (The lovely incognita seems tome the spitting image…).The Prince overhears and proposes toAngelina. She admits that she loveshim, but before consenting to be hisbride, the Prince must first find outwho she truly is. She gives him abracelet which matches another she iswearing, and she quickly departs asthe clock strikes twelve. Ramiro

decides to follow the unknown lady tothe ends of the earth and leaves inpursuit of her (Yes, I’m determined tofind her).Don Magnifico enters and asks Dan-dini whether it would be possible tospeed up the wedding. Dandini has asecret to share, but first he asks, if hewere to marry one of Don Magnifico’s daughters, how should she betreated? Don Magnifico tells him shewould have thirty servants, sixteenhorses, a dozen dukes, a coach withsix footmen and fancy dinners alwaysready. Upon hearing this, Dandini con-fesses that he is only a valet. TheBaron is incensed at this trickery (Thisis something quite important).Back at Don Magnifico’s house, An-gelina is once more singing to herself (You are so precious). Her stepsisters,returning from the ball, scowl at her,

for she so resembles their rival (But Ialready told you). A storm rages out-side and, seeking shelter, Dandinirushes in, followed by Ramiro, who isnow revealed to everyone as the trueprince (I need some help, sir). He recognizes the bracelet on Angelina’sarm (Stay there. Look!), and to the disbelief and displeasure of the Baronand his daughters, pronounces her hischosen bride (So I found you?).Angelina, on behalf of Don Magnificoand her stepsisters, begs for thePrince’s forgiveness (Ah my Lord, ifyou love me truly). She also tells herstepsisters that she forgives them,saying that she would like to be theirsister as well as their friend (Ah dearest, I beg you with all my heart-Life can change at any moment).

CINDERELLA

CINDERELLA costume designs by Cesar Galindo

Cinderella is probably the most popu-lar and universally known story in theworld. She is so ubiquitous that todaya person can develop a CinderellaComplex, drink a Cinderella Cocktail,purchase a pair of Cinderella shoes, orvisit her castle in Orlando, Florida. Ifyou don’t want to travel that far thensimply attend a theatre production (ifyou are reading this, you are alreadyahead of the game and we thank youfor supporting Skylight). Versions of the Cinderella story existin all art forms. For instance, anotheropera based on the story is Massenet’sCENDRILLON (1899). Then there’sProkofiev’s ballet (1945) and currently,Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicalversion is on Broadway. Visit yourlocal public library and you will discover scores of written works onthe subject. Or stay home, make your-self some Cinderella popcorn (yes,there’s really a recipe), and stream aHollywood film—there are over 200movie versions—including the 1950Disney animated classic. Why is Cinderella so prevalent? Whatdoes the story mean? Is it a benignpiece of entertainment or does it, asfeminists suggest, perpetuate misogy-nistic images and concepts of feminineinability and incompetency? Perhapsbecause stories like Cinderella containsymbolic information useful in under-standing the human condition.There is, however, argument over ifCinderella versions are comparable.Can you legitimately connect a Cinderella story from China (for exam-ple) with the plot of Rossini’s opera?Who among us has the cultural com-petency to bridge the ethnic, social,and historical divide that separatesthese two tales? No one. Yet, most ofus feel that these stories are linked because the basic plot of Cinderella,worldwide, is so similar.Consider the Northern Chinese tale,written in 890. It tells of an orphanedgirl elevated to royal status throughthe help of magical forces. This is notvery different from Rossini’s operawere a young woman is transformedwith the help of her mentor and subse-

quently becomes a princess. Both stories have the basic Cinderella elements: facing adversity withcourage and hope, dreaming of a better life, and choosing love overhate. Universal dilemmas not neces-sarily bound by culture, time, or national identity.The feminist debate about Cinderellacenters on their perception that she isthe epitome of a traditional conformistwoman. This attitude seems to stemfrom the Western 20th century versions which focus on Cinderellawaiting to be rescued. It is only whenshe is magically transformed into anobject of decorative beauty, with agown and accessories to match, thatshe becomes noticed. And feministspoint out: a handsome prince pursuesher based solely on her shoe size!The idea that she is a passive victim isdue, in part, to the popular success ofthe 1950 Disney film with its talkingmice and exaggerated comedy. Disney’s CINDERELLA was a retellingof Perrault’s 1697 literary version, originally written to entertain the aristocracy of Louis XIV’s court. Disney’s film was a blockbuster. Itsaved the company from bankruptcyand redefined the status and value ofCinderella for post-war America. Seven years later, Rodgers and Hammerstein again refocused thestory for the American public. Unlike

Disney, their made-for television musi-cal rewarded Cinderella’s work ethicand imagination, although it still entrenched sexist values.This CINDERELLA, however, is insome conflict with other versions andvariants collected throughout theworld. Compare the Disney film to themajority of Cinderella stories fromaround the world and the message ofthis archetypal tale broadens and becomes more diverse.For example, in a Welsh version, herwidowed father announces that hisdaughter will be his new wife. It is onlythrough Cinderella’s ingenuity and resistance that incest is avoided. Inthis version she is not passively wait-ing for a prince nor an insipid dupe.In most versions (including Disney’s),when Cinderella is systematicallyabused and/or forced into slavery, shebecomes more resourceful, living byher intuition, optimism, courage andgrit. She becomes an excellent seam-stress, housekeeper, weaver, or cook(depending on the version). These areonly part of her talents.Look worldwide and we discover heras a farmer (Botswana), hunter (CostaRica), tamer of horses (Mongolia), magician (Malaysia) and scholar(Poland). All of these skills—be theyrepresentative of the traditional genderroles historically assigned to women orthe more nontraditional—are acquiredby hard work and patience. The lessonCinderella teaches is not passivity butpersistence. What about Cinderella’s magical mentor? Magical helpers come to Cinderella in diverse and fantasticalforms, appearing in the guise of abenevolent spirit, (Korea), talking fish(China), herd of turkeys (Zuni), FairyGodmother (France) or an enchanteddoll (Russia), to name a few. Magic is granted to Cinderella because she isdeserving and teaches us a lessonabout the power of faith and belief.There are a number of “Cinderlads”too. Their stories begin in the sameway but Cinderlad usually receives

CINDERELLAThe Enduring Cinder Girl by Dr. Robin Mello, Ph.D. 2014

magical weapons, battles evil forcesand rescues a princess. Cinderella, onthe other hand, rarely solves problemswith physical aggression. This may bewhy she is sometimes considered vic-timized and dimwitted. She is neither.In an ancient Scottish version, for example, she plays the riddle game inorder to distract her captors. In Iran,she dupes her stepsister with a magicelixir that makes the hair fall out. Whilein the Ukraine, she befuddles therabbi’s son brilliantly answering ques-tions about the Torah. Cinderella turnsout to be a curious, brave and some-what rebellious young woman.If she was waiting around to be rescued then one would expect Cinderella to behave and obey. Yetthis is not what happens. Our Cinder-girl disobeys, forgets, misunderstandsand stays at the party past midnight. Inan Ojibwa version, she ignores all advice and dares to speak the truth. Inthe British Isles she goes so far as toenter a royal banquet dressed in rags,demanding an audience with the king.Worse, when she breaks taboos sheloses a cherished or valuable personalobject (most often a container or ashoe). Yet, it is only by losing thatshoe that she completes her destiny.This is a story about growing up. Cinderella must test the boundariesand learn the difference between a

wise choice and an unwise one. Shemust sacrifice and take responsibilityfor her own actions. What would hap-pen if Cinderella had come homeearly? Then, she would be stuck inwhat Jung calls the eternal puer, for-ever adolescent, never reaching herfull potential.Think what would happen if she (andwe) did not test boundaries? We wanther to defy convention. Therefore, despite warnings, Cinderella stays toolate at the ball, runs away from home(Egypt), or, as in one Spanish version,leaves her stepmother’s mansion tojoin forces with a vagabond.Breaking boundaries can be frighten-ing so it is comforting to hear, from thisstory, that a happy ending is possible.Luck and fate, represented by a hand-some prince, give us hope. The mar-riage that ends many (but not all)Cinderella tales does not necessarilymean that we must marry in order tobe fulfilled. Fairy tale unions representthe hiero gamos, the “sacred marriage” of Jungian psychology,symbolizing the need for (and impor-tance of) balance in our lives.Cinderella has endured for thousandsof years because she is a timelessheroine who is brave, industrious and empathic. Through time and acrosscultures she changes but she never disappears. That leaves us with one

important, yet unanswered, question:Why? Maybe its because we enjoy theway the story challenges life’s inequalities. Or perhaps it is becausewe want to believe that any of us, all ofus, can realize our dreams, or at leasthope that they are possible. In produc-ing this opera, the Skylight gives us alla wonderful opportunity to figure outthe answer for ourselves.

CINDERELLA

Robin Mello is a professional storyteller, certified special education teacher and narrativescholar who has toured internationally as a teller of tales and teaching-artist. She haspublished articles in THE EDUCATIONAL FORUM, JOURNAL OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCHand THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTS IN EDUCATION, to name a few. Currentlyshe teaches Storytelling, Theatre Methods and Fieldwork, directs the K-12 Theatre Education Program and is Head of the Theatre BA Studies Area at UW-Milwaukee.

Cinderella stories from around the worldChina: YEH-SHEN by Ai-Ling Louie

Egypt: THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA by Shirley Climo France: CINDERELLA by Charles Perrault

India: ANKLET FOR A PRINCESS by Meredith Babeaux Brucker Indonesia: THE GIFT OF THE CROCODILE by Judy Sierra

Ireland: THE IRISH CINDERLAD by Shirley ClimoJewish: RAISEL’S RIDDLE by Erica Silverman

Jewish: THE WAY MEAT LOVES SALT by Nina JaffeMexico: DOMITILA by Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Middle East: THE GOLDEN SANDAL by Rebecca Hickox Native American: THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL by Rafe Martin

United States: BUBBA THE COWBOY PRINCE by Helen KettemanWest Africa: CHINYE by Obi Onyefulu

Zimbabwe: MUFARO'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS by John Steptoe

When the curtain rises on the Skylight’s production of CINDERELLA,audiences will be treated to some ex-citing eye-candy in the fabulous andedgy costume designs of CesarGalindo. Now a top New York fashiondesigner, Galindo’s bio reads almostlike a real-life Cinderella story.Cesar Galindo is a self-taught designer, born in Houston, Texas toMexican parents, the youngest ofeleven children. His mother was anexcellent seamstress and his father'ssense of style gave him the ability tounderstand and conceptualize clothingdesign. As a teenager, Cesar madedresses and sold them in consignmentstores in Houston. His formal training began when heworked for The Miami City Ballet andthe Houston Grand Opera, where hegot his first design experience. In thecover story in the September issue ofMilwaukee’s M MAGAZINE, Galindosays it is a challenge to create

costumes that make as much of astatement in the design shop as theydo under the lights. Galindo moved to New York City in themid-1980s to work at TSE Cashmereas a show room manager. He went onto design for Carmelo Pomodoro, athen-rising international sportsweardesigner. During this time, Galindobegan developing his own line, a signature collection specializing indresses for evening events.He hit the big time in July 1993 whenhis washed silk kimono dress worn bysupermodel Karen Mulder made thecover of ELLE magazine. Once Amer-ica and the rest of the world saw hisdesigns, they wanted more. Galindo’sfirst trunk show was at the renownedMartha’s International on Park Avenue,followed by another success at iconicNew York City retail establishmentHenri Bendel. But his career began to fizzle whenthe recession arrived; at about thesame time he lost his long-time part-ner. Undaunted, Galindo turned to reality TV, where he gained nationalattention as a contestant on the BravoTelevision network’s THE FASHIONSHOW: ULTIMATE COLLECTION. Withfashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and supermodel Iman as hosts, the showsplit the contestants into two fashion"houses" expected to assemble a cohesive fashion show, includingeverything from the lighting, music, theset, and of course the fashions.Galindo didn’t win, but it restarted hiscareer by giving him exposure to important names. He retold his storyon fashion-power- house Joe Zee’stelevision program, ALL ON THE LINE. Galindo’s many other major accom-plishments include working for CalvinKlein and Dolce and Gabanna, creat-ing the wardrobe for Chaka Khan'sWorld Tour with Prince in 1999 and designing costumes for celebritiessuch as Madonna, Mary J. Blige, JoanJett and Missy Elliot. He also designedfor Gwen Stefani's clothing lineL.A.M.B. and re-launched his own couture cocktail and evening wearlabel "Cesar Galindo."

For the last twenty-two years, Galindohas balanced his time designing hisown collection with working as a contract designer for private clientsand established labels. In October2011, Galindo launched CZAR byCesar Galindo, a younger sophisti-cated version of Galindo’s signaturecollection at contemporary prices. Thefollowing year, CZAR S12 was successfully introduced on Cusp, theNeiman Marcus online store. Galindo’s2014 Fall collection was part of NewYork’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.That collection will be available to thepublic throughout the Fall season atAversa, in the Bayshore Town Center. Galindo comes to the Skylight by wayof his friendship with Skylight ArtisticDirector Viswa Subbaraman. The twomet in Houston and when they recon-nected years later, Galindo insisted hewanted to do a show for Subbaraman.With our season opener, a very non-traditional CINDERELLA, Galindo getshis wish.

CINDERELLACesar Galindo-Costume and Fashion Designer

Angelina’s gown designed by Cesar Galindo