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Into the Woods to the Braswell Auditorium we go!
January 16, 2023
This year’s musical put on by the Fine Arts Department has been announced as “Into the Woods”. The musical is set to be performed during the final weekend of January 2023 in the Auditorium. Though the musical is still over a month away, The Bengal Beat staff sat down with the Theatre and Choir departments to discuss the preparation that goes into the fine arts department musical.
The decision of which musical would be performed this year was a discussion between the fine arts directors. According to Mrs. Michelle Greene, theatre teacher and director of the musical, it was the aim of the directors to create a performance that was more subtle and would require more focus on the intricacies of the play.
“Usually our musicals have 65 students in them and we wanted to do something smaller where we could really focus on the acting and the moments that you see in the show instead of trying to do these big fun production numbers,” Greene said. “This is a much quieter show.”
The way this play keeps its audience’s attention is different from most other plays. The storyline of “Into the Woods” doesn’t follow one or two main characters in a singular plot line, but rather a variety of characters on their own journeys.
“You also have Little Red Riding Hood who is on her own adventure and she is trying to get to granny’s house and she ends up meeting all these other people as well; it’s a very ensemble show.” Greene said.
Of the many characters in the show, there is Rapunzel’s Prince Charming who will be played by Grayson Dietrich, 12.
“Rapunzel’s Prince is, like, very what you’d expect a ‘frat guy’ to be like, as a prince.” Dietrich said. “He’s very goofy, he’s very confident in himself and his looks and his ability to obtain women. That definitely has influenced the way that I play him: as a toxic, masculine man.”
Hannah Blake, 11, who will play Little Red Riding Hood, describes what sets the “Into the Woods” interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood apart from the others.
“Little Red Riding Hood is not your typical little red,” Blake said. “She is very spunky and feisty. I am excited to play her because our personalities are similar and I get to bring joy to the Braswell Zone!”
Into the Woods has become special to many thespians, Blake included.
“I’ve always loved Into the Woods, I’ve always thought that it was such a challenging show,” Blake said. “I’ve always wanted to do it as an aspiring musical theatre major. I think it’s so special to me and I am so honored to be able to do another Sondheim piece.”
The show will contain a much more narrow cast of performers, which means the the cast and crew will have more focus on perfecting the challenging aspects of it. “Into the Woods” especially is a show that most actors find very difficult.
“I would say the biggest challenge this year is definitely the difficulty level of the music,” Vance said. “[Steven] Sondheim’s works are challenging, and we’ve all been working hard to be our best.”
Braswell performers will face difficulties in a few areas while preparing for the musical.
“The music is very vocally challenging,” Greene said. “Sondheim is a very brilliant composer and he didn’t make it easy for singers to sing his stuff, so you really have to know what you’re doing to do the show. But thankfully we have just an incredibly talented cast, and we have Mrs. Vance who is music directing, and she’s doing such a great job.”
Vance has directed several different plays in the past. In order to effectively play her role in the production, Vance must instruct the performers on the notes and rhythms of the pieces, as well as keeping the actors in good physical condition for the performance.
“The show is different,” Vance said. “The cast is different. I’ve learned to adapt and help the cast members reach their full potential as performers. “Into the Woods” will be no exception.”
Tickets for “Into the Woods” will be available for purchase at braswelltheatre.com.