By Claire Schneider
This weekend, University of Louisville students are going “Into the Woods” at the Playhouse.
With performances on March 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and March 22 at 3 p.m., the Opera Theatre, University Symphony Orchestra and Department of Theatre Arts are collaborating to perform Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
The first act of the musical weaves fairytales together: Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and more. The thread between them is a baker and his wife who are on quest to reverse the spell causing their infertility.
By the second act, the musical transitions into a dark comedy where the characters must confront the consequences of their actions.
“A lot of them are deeply flawed, and that is what makes them so relatable, because none of them are perfect,” said Joshua Tierney, a graduate conducting student with the School of Music.
Kylie Bennett, as Rapunzel, sings in her tower. (Photo by Claire Schneider / The Louisville Cardinal)
Department of Theatre Arts and School of Music team up
Into the Woods is unique for its deep involvement from both the Department of Theatre Arts and School of Music. The idea was initially halted due to COVID-19, until the Opera Theatre of the School of Music decided to do a musical.
Auditions were open university wide. The cast is primarily music students, with several theatre students and one engineering student.
“We chose this show because it has multiple roles, and we wanted to give a lot of people the possibility of performing,” said director Michael Ramach.
Cory Spalding is with the Kentucky Opera assistantship at U of L, though his first introduction to vocal performance was high school musical theatre. He plays the wolf and Rapunzel’s prince.
“Once I heard that we were doing Into the Woods, my first thought was, ‘I gotta sing ‘Agony,’” Spalding said.
Spalding gets the chance to share the stage with Skylar Swalls, who plays Little Red Riding Hood during Hello Little Girl. Swalls is from the Department of Theatre. It’s an ominous, uncomfortable and funny scene, where the two interact across a wooded set.
“They are all fabulous performers, just as well as us, and I think we’re all surprising one another as we go,” Spalding said.
Musical bonds performers
Off stage, the crew is also filled with collaboration. Theater students are in charge of the costumes, set and props, as well as lighting, with the exception of a lighting designer. The sound design was created by students from the School of Music’s digital media program. The orchestra is students from the School of Music.
“We do everything in house, and theater does everything in house, and then this time getting to collaborate, we get to really have more in depth,” said Tierny. “The sets are a lot more elaborate than anything that we’ve ever done in opera and then the theater department getting a live orchestra is really exciting.”
Grayson Beverly is a first year undergraduate theatre arts major, working as assistant production manager. One issue with accommodating a backstage orchestra was how the actors would hear the music. This was eventually solved by placing speakers on stage, with help mixing the audio from the sound team.
“I have met some really cool people, especially a lot of the people at the School of Music that we haven’t really worked with before,” Beverly said.
Various props for “Into the Woods” are laid out on a table. (Photo by Claire Schneider / The Louisville Cardinal)
Additionally, Beverly worked on the set design. This includes the wooden trees that frame the stage, and the tall, rolling platform that functions both as an additional, magical tree and Rapunzel’s tower. During performances, part of Beverly’s responsibilities are moving it on and off stage, keeping in mind the safety of the actors on it.
After a short technical rehearsal period of only one week, Into the Woods opens tomorrow night.
“If you like musicals, fairy tales, anything, ‘Into the Woods’ is a show for you,” Tierney said.
Photo by Claire Schneider / The Louisville Cardinal
