Acalanes senior Natasha Jarett poses inside Cinderella's carriage Photo provided

"Once upon a time, in a land called Lafayette, there was a lovely young lady named Natasha..."

Acalanes High School recently presented its spring musical production of Cinderella. Directed by students Jason Long and Sarah Sumner, and coordinated by faculty member Bruce Lengacher, this time-tested fairy tale was a major hit. One of the actors, senior Natasha Jarett, was largely responsible for the impressive set.

Aided by fellow students Katie Mitroff and Maddie Sharafian, Jarett spent untold hours building and painting the set. "Natasha left for school at 8:00 in the morning and came home at 9:00 or 9:30 at night for two months," said Natasha's mother, Regine Jarett. Natasha acknowledges that her studies suffered a bit during that time; she built an authentic-looking fireplace complete with a mantel and she transformed an ugly set of green, black and white stairs into a faux-marble masterpiece.

The highlight of the show for Natasha and many others, however, was Cinderella's carriage. After the show, little girls dressed in their finest Cinderella wear waited in line to have their photo taken in the carriage. Natasha built the carriage with the help of her father, who commutes to Los Angeles for work. "I don't get to see him much so it was such good bonding time," she said.

The construction of the carriage was a huge undertaking. Natasha really built the carriage twice; the first had to be redesigned to meet the needs of the show and her wood shop teacher helped with the redesign. "We used Dorskin plywood that bends and curves and took the frame from the wood shop to the chorus room, and I stapled the fabric on. I used water and glue - mosh posh - to paint the fabric to make it stiff and shrink it. Then I painted it and my dad cut pipes to make the wheels," explained Natasha, who was very resourceful with her materials - she used old choir robes to make the curtains for the carriage. "This is how awesome we are at saving money," she said.

The carriage shined like a diamond on stage. "The nice thing I have to say is when everything got dark and suddenly the music went on and when the light came on, the magic suddenly came into the show. It made tears in my eyes because Natasha barely slept to make that carriage - she made the magic happen," said her proud mom.

While Natasha has very limited formal art training - one class during her sophomore year - her end product doesn't reflect it. Her painting skills are impressive and her gift seems to have been passed down from her paternal grandmother, a talented porcelain painter. In addition to her artistic talent, Natasha is also an accomplished musician: she's a vocalist, a harpist and a pianist.