- April 25, 2024
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One stage. Three different generations.
On July 10, 15-year-old Sadie Martin will star as Cinderella in the Daytona Playhouse's production of "Cinderella and the Pirates." The Ormond Beach resident is following in the footsteps of her grandfather and uncle, both who performed at the Playhouse in 1990. This performance also marks a significant milestone: It will be the first time they get to see her act on stage.
“It’s a little scary because I have to live up to a certain legacy that they’ve left for me," Martin said. "So it’s a little intimidating, but I’m happy to be here to carry on the legacy.”
The play, written by Sharon Hulm, is a musical comedy presented by the Young Actors Company that takes place during Cinderella's honeymoon. Capt. Bluebeard hijacks the ship and she and the prince are captured by a gang of pirates. Add a rescue team featuring Red Riding Hood (Maya Palacios), Goldilocks (Ivy Lee), the Wicked Queen (Abigail Camacho) and the Wolf (Zytavius Mcleod), and the show is bound to be interesting.
The show will run through July 18, and Martin said it's been beautiful seeing the show come together. Her character of Cinderella isn't your average fairytale princess — she's bratty and sassy, and while she's unlike any character Martin has ever played, the Father Lopez Catholic High School student is having fun. Overall, it's been a great experience, Martin said.
Her grandfather, Carl Tutera, of Ormond Beach, said the family is looking forward to seeing Martin perform.
“It’s great to see, hopefully her following in some theatrical footsteps that we all love," Tutera said. "We’ve been in music, we’ve been in radio, and that’s our whole life really.”
In 1990, he and his son Carmine, Martin's uncle, starred in the Daytona Playhouse production of "Tribute" by Bernard Slade, and their roles couldn't have been more fitting: They played a father-and-son duo in the play.
Carmine Tutera, who briefly worked as a professional actor around that time, stressed the importance of theaters like the Daytona Playhouse.
“The biggest thing is for younger people who are thinking about any kind of career in theater, or acting or drama, I think this is very important — a good stepping stone," he said.
His father agreed.
“A community like this needs local theatre," Carl Tutera said. "This is a great opportunity to see these shows and see these young people perform.”
Martin has been acting since she was in first grade. The stage, she said, is her safe space.
She has always loved being in the spotlight and making people smile. That's what the Daytona Playhouse once did for her. One of the first plays she ever saw was in the same stage she will soon perform in; it was a junior production of Aladdin, and Martin said she knew then that acting was what she wanted to pursue.
“It really kind of gave me a spark and I just want to give that to other people," Martin said.
Will she, her grandfather and uncle ever grace the playhouse's stage together?
"If the right role comes along," Carmine Tutera said.
