Into the Woods

ECU theater students Gabrielle Goodman and William Wainwright Richardson rehearse for "Into the Woods."

East Carolina University’s School of Theater and Dance will perform James Lapine’s and Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” tomorrow night at 7:30 in McGinnis Auditorium until Sunday evening.

Director of “Into the Woods” Bryan Conger has been working on this production since last semester and is excited to finally bring this production to life on opening night.

“Into the Woods” was a production that had been tossed around when in the planning stages, and it was finally decided on because of the opportunities that it gives to students to challenge themselves, according to Conger.

“I thought also, because it’s a fairy tale, to me I could cast a wide variety of types of actors, so that was really important to me,” Conger said. “Also, it’s complicated material, it’s sophisticated, yet has a commercial appeal doing it as well.”

The tale follows the seven leads as they traverse the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales, trying to find their hearts’ desires. This performance shows that, with everything each character has wished for, that there is a cost to pay, according to Conger.

“I think ultimately what the theater should first and foremost do is take people on a journey, and to entertain them, and I think this play certainly does that. However, I also think we are also in a time that is highly decisive” Conger said. “The sooner we sort of embrace each other’s differences and come together as a community, that’s when we can live in the woods together.”

Stage manager and senior BFA theater arts major Lindsey Boyette has been in charge of making sure rehearsals run smoothly while also communicating between production members since last semester when preparations were taking place.

Having already acted as stage manager for two previous productions, “Peter and the Starcatchers” and “If/Then,” Boyette felt strongly about joining the show and getting the chance to sink her teeth into this production, according to Boyette.

“Nothing brings the actors and myself alive more than an audience member and having a reactive and excited audience, so that’s something I always look forward to,” Boyette said. “And then ultimately, when we open and have our first audience, that’s always something crazy that happens and something magical that happens with that.”

Live theater is not something that most people have experienced before. Being able to have dinner with friends and then later watch a play is an out-of-the-box sort of experience that, according to Boyette, is an incredible thing to experience.

Senior professional acting major William Wainwright Richardson will play as the Baker, one of the main lead roles in the performance. The actor said one of the hardest parts about the performance has been staying focused during rehearsal and using correct emotion.

“One of the challenges for me is just maintaining my focus sometimes during rehearsal. There’s a lot of emotional content in it that demands one hundred ten percent focus from me,” Richardson said. “It should feel like you’ve just run a marathon, but not necessarily your heart rate, but your mental exhaustion from it.”

Richardson said he is ready to tell the story. He is excited to finally have an audience to tell this complex story to, and to be able to witness people’s first impressions to the performance with fresh eyes compared to those who have been working on it since late last semester, according to Richardson.

“I think theater is a great escape for anyone. Any sort of show can do that for me, but “Into the Woods” is such an accessible story for anyone. It’s a story about being a parent, it’s a love story, it’s a coming of age story,” Richardson said. “There’s so many different elements, and, on top of that, it’s so many characters that we know and love.”

Tickets for this performance are $10 for ECU students and $17.50 for general audiences and can be purchased on the School of Theater and Dance website.

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