'The Other Cinderella' returns to Chicago stage at Black Ensemble Theater

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A beloved holiday production is returning to the Chicago stage.

The Black Ensemble Theater is celebrating 47 years of "The Other Cinderella."

ABC7 Chicago talked to the woman who first had a dream, and is keeping that dream alive.

"The Other Cinderella" runs through Jan. 14 at the Black Ensemble Theater on North Clark Street.

It's a story the show's creator, Jackie Taylor, has been telling since she first played "The Other Cinderella" 47 years ago.

"Cinderella grew up in the projects. The brothers are from the hood. Fairy godmother was from Jamaica. The step mama works in the post office. And, everybody in this kingdom has soul," said Taylor, founder and CEO of the Black Ensemble Theater.

Taylor talked about why she thinks the production has lasted throughout the years.

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"The story is uplifting. It's cross-cultural. And, it delivers a very strong message about the spirit that's inside of us all. When I started the Black Ensemble Theater, there was a vital need for consistent employment for African American artists, employment that they could survive on. And of course, there was a need for cross-cultural understanding," Taylor said.

And, Taylor said, she hopes to break ground on the theater's expansion project sometime next year.

"We're building what we call 'the free to be village' because it's important that Black Ensemble Theater has in place the security that it needs to go beyond Jackie Taylor. And, I want to ensure that Black Ensemble Theater is here to do the work," Taylor said.

It is a message delivered, once again, with "The Other Cinderella."

"We need something that says there is hope. You can be successful and you can achieve, but you must believe it," Taylor said.

You can see "The Other Cinderella" at the Black Ensemble Theater at 4450 N. Clark St.

Visit www.blackensembletheater.org for more information or call 773-769-4451.