WSCC Theatre presenting 'Into the Woods' this week

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — The Wallace State Community College Theatre Department will present “Into the Woods.” April 9-12. The musical composed by Stephen Sondheim and written by James Lapine, will be presented at 7 p.m., April 9-11 and at 2 p.m., April 12, in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre. Tickets are $10.
The story is an amalgamation of fairy tales as it follows the adventures of the baker and his wife who, desperate to have a child, go into the woods at the bidding of the old witch. They must gather four items needed to break a spell she cast on the baker’s family. Along the way, they meet up with a cast of characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella.”
“I am so proud of the cast and crew of ‘Into the Woods’ for their willingness to tackle such a difficult piece,” said Lauren Cantrell Salerno, director of Wallace State Theatre. “They have all worked so hard, and it’s going to be an outstanding production.”
Salerno said she’s wanted to present “Into the Woods” for a while now, but waited until she knew she had a group of students who would be up to the task. “This is such a talented and dedicated group of students, I knew they would be able to take on this project.”
The cast includes: Tahauny Cleghorn as Cinderella; Tiffany Richter as Cinderella’s mother; Brad Steele as Cinderella’s prince; Katie Butler as Cinderella’s stepmother; Shannon Embree as Florinda; Julie Newton as Lucinda; Scarlett Dickinson as Giantess; River Shadix as Jack; Kensey Posten and Jack’s mother; Sarah Walker as Little Red Riding Hood; Joel Burks and Mysterious Man; Dylan Self as the narrator; Karessa Kelley as Rapunzel; Paul Minda as the Baker; Julia Neal as the Baker’s wife; Katherine Hetrick as the Witch; Malik Elliott as the Wolf; Hannah Ward as Sleeping Beauty; Billy Brewer as Steward; Marissa Hilton as Snow White; Austin Barnett as Cinderella’s father; Maira Cardenas as Granny; Antinio Cipollari as Milky White; and Ben Miller, Lacey Barrett, Natalee Estes, Kodi Bostic, Cliff Emond and Zach Lindsey in the ensemble. An orchestra will perform the music for the shows.
The film adaptation of the musical was widely acclaimed and nominated for several Oscar awards. The stage version the Wallace State students will present will include scenes omitted from the movie due to time constraints. The stage version consists of two acts, each lasting about an hour. There will be a 15-minute intermission between the two acts.
“Into the Woods” premiered in 1986 in San Diego, conducting 50 performances before moving to Broadway in 1987, where it closed in 1989 after 765 performances, according to Wikkipedia. The original production won the 1988 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, and the original cast recording won a Grammy Award. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards, the show won three for Best Score, Best Book and Best Actress in a Musical.
For more information or for tickets, call 256.352.8277.