A FAIRY TALE FIND
Movie being filmed locally lands its star
TROY, N.Y.>> Local filmmakers are hoping that Broadway sweetheart Rachel Resheff will be the next fairy tale princess to strike box office gold.
With the recent box office success of “Beauty and the Beast,” and the trend of girl power fairy tale films breaking box office records, Prinroc Ltd’s “Twelve Dancing Princesses” is a romantic musical romp with a feminist edge.
Troy-based Prinroc Production Company started working on this film in 2015, shooting scenes at local settings like the Canfield Casino, the Old Iron Spring in Ballston Spa and the Roosevelt Baths in Saratoga Springs.
Now, the filmmakers have found their star, securing 16- year- old actress, singer, dancer and writer Rachel Resheff to play Princess Cordelia in the locally produced version of the original Brothers Grimm tale.
Resheff, a New York City native who debuted on Broadway at age eight, recently performed a full production run as Jessica Drexel in Larry David’s new Broadway play, “Fish In The Dark,” her fifth Broadway show. She went on to play ballet girl, Julie Hope, in “Billy Elliot,” Jane Banks in “Marry Poppins” and Jenny in “The People In The Picture,” for which she both originated the lead and was hailed by the Associated Press as “for-
midably talented.”
More recently, she has appeared in the critically acclaimed show “Orange Is the New Black,” “Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket,” as well as Netflix’s new dramatic series “Seven Seconds.”
Next in her acting career, Resheff has agreed to don a tiara in the upcoming princess live action feature fairy tale called “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.”
“When I met Rachel, at the suggestion of executive producer, Michalina Scorzelli, it was clear I had found my Princess Cordelia,” said writer and director, Nicole Coady, in a press release. “She has this wonderful earthy quality and a realness that I think girls and women will really connect with and her background on Broadway makes her a perfect choice for a lavish musical of this sort. I know she has the chops for any song or dance number I throw at her!”
“Twelve Dancing Princesses” will feature 12 young women in major roles, continued Coady, a former Los Angelesbased screenwriter who now lives in Ballston Spa. “We are looking for diversity among our leads, representing young women of all ethnicities, shapes, and sizes. This film will be a celebration of strong, sup- portive women on and off screen.”
In addition to featuring women in lead roles, producer Ann Marie Lizzi, and executive producer Michalina Scorzelli, add to the girl power behind the camera.
Coady said she was inspired to write and direct “Twelve Dancing Princesses” because the basis of the screenplay is rooted in a strong sisterhood, romance, and family bonds.
As a mother, Coady feels strongly that children’s media consumption should not focus on violence and other negative subjects. But instead of complaining about it, she said, “This is an opportunity for me to create an alternative.”
The filmmakers are hoping to create a magical princess movie in the vein of such box office hits as Cinderella and Frozen.
PrinRoc will try to sell the film not only in the U.S., but they also plan to look into European and global distribution.
“With musicals having a bit of a moment,” Lizzi, said in the release. “I think we’re in a good place to be a major contender in the family film market and America will fall in love with Rachel as much as Broadway audiences already have.”
For more information about Prinroc, “Twelve Dancing Princesses” and to watch the movie trailer visit 12dancingprincessesfilm.com, like “:12 Dancing Princesses” on Facebook or follow @12dancingfilm on Twitter.