Into the Woods Brightens the Stage

BY AALIYAH WANG ’25

INVITING THE AUDIENCE to a fairytale realm of joy and terror, student performers, musicians, and the Hotchkiss Dramatic Association tech team presented Into the Woods in Walker Auditorium from Nov. 10 to 13.

Into The Woods, a musical written and composed by Stephen Sondheim in 1987, highlights the importance of togetherness, the power of one’s actions, and the significance of seeing the world from an alternate perspective. These themes were woven throughout the production by the direction of MK Lawson, instructor in theater and humanities. Reflecting on the show, she said, “Into the Woods acknowledges that life isn’t always happy ever after, but most importantly what we make of it. Life gets dark for everyone sometimes, but what matters is how we deal with the hardship and learn from it.”

To piece together the show, cast members first met for table reads to analyze the motives behind each character and the overarching theme before putting the story on stage. Meanwhile, the tech crew, led by Derek Brashears, director of theater and technical director, began designing the set, props, sound effects, and lighting. Aster Lee Lufkin ’23 designed the costumes. Simultaneously, guest Musical Ensemble Director Logan Carithers began choreographing the musical pieces of the production. The different groups of the production met up during the final week to bring the entire production together.

In contrast with last year’s musical, Mamma Mia!, Lawson said, “This is a much more complicated show musically, so it challenged our singing actors in a way that Mamma Mia! didn’t. Mamma Mia! is the type of show that is designed to help you escape reality and have a good time. Into the Woods is really designed to make you think and reveal deeper truths about the human condition. Both shows require exceptional skills, but extremely different ones. And we love to present that kind of theatrical versatility in our department.”

Cast members shared some of their favorite moments from the production. Addie Cirulis ’25, who played the Witch, said, “The Your Fault/Last Midnight scene was my favorite part of the entire production! It portrayed an important turning point of the plot where things started to pick up. I also really enjoyed watching both Agony and Agony Reprise [because] the princes are very funny.” Harry Morelli ’23, who played Cinderella’s prince, said, “I loved the scene where Chris Mitchell ’24, the narrator, encounters the giant’s wife. Voiced by both Mrs. [Christy] Cooper and Mrs. [Maggie] Crain, she is near-sighted and can’t tell who is who, so when she is looking for the murderer of her husband, the narrator ends up being pulled into the actual scene to be sacrificed. This is the funniest scene for me, especially when the narrator’s body fell from the ceiling.”

After months of hard work, Into the Woods wrapped on Nov. 13, marking the beginning of a new academic year of productions brought by HDA to the local community. The group followed Into the Woods with its winter performance of Lady Windermere’s Fan in February (view photos at go.hotchkiss.org/windermere). H