Craig Edwards, Lisa Kerr and More to Lead CINDERELLA at the St. James Theatre

Craig Edwards (Step Mother), Thomas Eccleshare (Prince), Lisa Kerr (Ella) and Lucy Tuck (Step Sister) will reprise their roles in Sally Cookson's enchanting and inventive production of Cinderella: A Fairytale, originally staged to huge acclaim at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol in 2011. They will be joined by Tom Godwin (Step Brother) in the production which begins performances at the St. James Theatre on 12 December 2012, running until 26 January 2013, with press night on 18 December 2012. Musicians are Adam Pleeth and Brian Hargreaves, playing Benji Bower's folk-jazz score.

When Ella's mother dies, she is brought up by her devoted and loving father who teaches her the names and calls of the woodland birds that surround their home. But when her father marries again, Ella's peaceful life is turned upside down by a host of new and unpleasant relations. It appears her only allies are the feathered friends who roost in the trees, but they are no ordinary birds…

With their quirky visual style, crystal-clear storytelling, original live music and pitch-perfect ensemble acting, director Sally Cookson and team bring this classic tale of fortunes reversed startlingly and imaginatively to life.

Craig Edwards' previous work with Sally Cookson includes Treasure Island, The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, We're Going On A Bear Hunt (Bristol Old Vic), The Ugly Duckling (Tobacco Factory Theatre/Travelling Light) Lenny (Travelling Light) and Jump (Myrtle Theatre). His other theatre credits include Around The World in 80 Days, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theatre Royal Bath) Too Many Cooks, The Stones, The Melon Boat, The Last Tyger and Tir Na N'og (Travelling Light) Around The World In 80 Days, Wind In The Willows, Endgame, A Midsummer Night's Dream, An Enemy Of The People, Metamorphosis, Romeo and Juliet (Bristol Old Vic), Ministry Of Fear, Cobbo, You Can't Catch Me, One In A Million (Theatre Alibi), Myrtle On The Mainline, Hello Craig, (Myrtle Theatre ),The Boat Plays (The Gate), Heredity (Royal Court Upstairs),The Snake House (Greenwich Studio), Normal (Finborough /Pleasance). As a director Craig's work includes The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Living Spit & Bristol Old Vic), The Mysterious Vanishment of Pobby & Dingan, Mother Savage (Travelling Light), Romeo & Juliet (Theatre Royal Bath), Danny King Of The Basement (M6 Theatre) and The Nothing Show (Nothing Show Productions). He is a director and co-founder of Shoofly Theatre with designer Katie Sykes.

Thomas Ecclestone trained at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris. He is the co-artistic director of the visual theatre company Dancing Brick with whom he has toured work nationally and internationally. Last year he won the Verity Bargate Award, a nationwide prize for emerging writers, for his first script Pastoral, which will be performed at the Soho Theatre next year. He is currently writing TV and film projects for Baby Cow Productions, Comedy Central and Film 4. Thomas is the Pearson writer in residence at the Soho Theatre. Dancing Brick's show Perle, directed by Valentina Ceschi and performed by Thomas, will be on tour nationwide in May.

Tom Godwin's theatre credits include The Taming of the Shrew (Globe), Bingo (Young Vic), The Crash of The Elysium (Punchdrunk), Enron (Chichester, Royal Court, West End), Earthquakes in London (National), Victory (Arcola), Volpone, Secret Heart (Manchester Royal Exchange), Get Santa! (Royal Court), The Illusion Brothers, Somebody to Love (Blow Up Theatre), Henceforward, Arsenic and Old Lace (Derby Playhouse), We Can Be Heroes (Company F.Z.), Professor Bernardi (Oxford Stage Company), For One Night Only (Clod Ensemble), Elizabeth Rex (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), Signals of Distress (Soho Rep. New York), Robin Hood (Chipping Norton). On television his credits include the forthcoming BBC2 sitcom Family Tree directed by Christopher Guest, Psychoville, Voyages of Discovery, Waking the Dead, Battleplan, Holby City and EastEnders. Next year he will be seen in Richard Curtis' new film About Time.

Lisa Kerr has worked extensively with Out of Joint, including Our Country's Good on tour in the UK and coming to the St. James Theatre in January. Other work for Out of Joint includes Top Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), The Big Fella (UK and Irish tour), Andersen's English and Mixed Up North. Further theatre credits include A Christmas Carol (Manchester Library Theatre) and The Good Soldier (Theatre Royal Bath). On film her credits are Re-uniting the Rubins and Klink Klank Echoes and on television Coming Up: Spoof or Die.

Lucy Tuck's previous work for Travelling Light, under director Sally Cookson is Cloudland by John Burningham and How Cold My Toes - a co-production with Champloo Dance Company. She was Associate Artist with all-female company Foursight Theatre 2006-2011, beginning a programme of work with Six Dead Queens And An Inflatable Henry! Lucy co-devised and performed in productions Can Any Mother Help Me? and Thatcher! The Musical; and co-created Pertencia, Foursight's co-production with mountain-based theatre company Teatro do Montemuro - Portugal. Other theatre work includes: The Wizard of Oz (Palace Theatre, Westcliff); Lick (Mark Storor/Birmingham Rep); Macbeth. Kill Bill Shakespeare (South Hill Park & Wales Tour); Perfect Pie (The Byre Theatre, St Andrews); Peter Pan. The Return Of Captain Hook and Aladdin (Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal); Lady Macbeth Re-Writes The Rulebook (Library Theatre, Manchester); The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (RSC, Stratford & Sadler's Wells); Holding Space (The Clore Studio – ROH2); Macbeth (TNT, European Tour) and Trouble In Tahiti (Southwark Playhouse).

Sally Cookson is a freelance director based in Bristol. She is an associate artist of Bristol Old Vic where her productions have included Peter Pan, Treasure Island, Aesop's Fables, Pains of Youth, Pericles and The Visit. Sally's ongoing collaboration with Travelling Light Theatre has resulted in her directing over ten productions for the company, including Boing; Cloudland; Bob, the Man on the Moon; How Cold My Toes; Shadow Play; Clown; Lenny; Home and Papa Please Get the Moon For Me. For Tobacco Factory, theatre includes The Ugly Duckling, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Further directorial credits include We're Going on a Bear Hunt for Kenny Wax Productions, Lost and Found for Polka Theatre and Stick Man, Aesop's Fables and Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales for Scamp Theatre. Sally's credits as an actress include Daisy in Daisy Pulls it Off at The Globe Theatre, directed by St. James Theatre's Artistic Director David Gilmore, as well as work at The National Theatre, Almeida, Young Vic, Gielgud Theatre and repertory theatres nationwide.

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