Production photographs – Yeh Shen: The World’s First Cinderella Story

Production photographs of Yeh Shen: The World’s First Cinderella Story (2015), photographed by Robert Workman. Written by Vicky Ireland, directed by Kumiko Mendl. Presented in association with Polka Theatre.

The story of Yeh Shen first appeared in 9th Century China, over 1,000 years before the first European Cinderella story. For our Jan/Feb UK touring production, Yellow Earth and Vicky Ireland reimagined this timeless tale to celebrate Chinese New Year and give everyone a chance to experience this delightful tale.

A beautiful and enchanting tale of a young orphaned girl, a magical fish, a nasty stepmother and sister, and a lost shoe. Will Yeh Shen be able to attend the New Year Festival? How can a fish, a dragon and a horse help her? Will she ever find happiness? And what happens to the shoe?

Yellow Earth brought a new version of this timeless tale to life with puppetry, live music, elements of Beijing Opera and all the excitement, colour and sounds of the Chinese Spring Festival.