One of musical theater’s most well known performances, “Into The Woods” takes viewers on a journey through Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s revolutionary retelling of old fairy tales. It’s now been brought to life in the Buchanan Center’s Thrust Theatre. To the University of Wyoming students in the cast and behind the scenes, putting on this performance from April 4-14 has been a unique experience.
For Assistant Director and student Lillian Feist, being able to assume such a large role in her senior year, while having mostly only worked with children’s theater previously, has been very fulfilling and educational. She said the technical and large-scale nature of the show has only made her fellow students shine more.
“I think it’s something we see every day in the classroom, but stepping into this new role–this new context–has really shone a light on how amazing my peers are,” Feist said. “I appreciate that. That’s something I’m going to take with me and it’s one of my favorite parts of this show.”
That feeling is reciprocated from within the cast itself. Kayla Coleburn, who plays Little Red Riding Hood, said that cast bonding moments are what makes this theater’s production of “Into the Woods” special.
“I personally feel that a show is only as good as the interpersonal relationships between cast members,” Coleburn said. “So getting to have cast bonding moments from the directors and creative team has been really helpful for creating a show where those relationships transfer well onto the stage.”
This specific production of “Into the Woods” is also unique in that some primary concepts have been tweaked to the directorial vision of Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Matthew Greenberg. Adapting to this challenge has been fun for some of the cast, such as Oscar Erikson, who plays Repunzel’s Prince.
“It’s very different. It’s very unique and new, and some people have a hard time shifting from what ‘Into the Woods’ is as they know it to what Matthew wants us to do, and it’s been a really fun challenge,” Erikson said. “He wants to lean into the idea of growth. Usually, ‘Into the Woods’ is about life and the unknown and the uncertainties and sadness and how life comes to death. He’s been leaning into growth as its own character.”
One cast member in particular has been on his own individual journey of balancing his role in the show as the Baker and running the department’s social media presence as an intern. Carson Almand said it’s been a challenge for him wearing two different hats, but also that it’s incredibly rewarding being able to document personal moments in a way someone who isn’t in the show couldn’t and getting the word out.
“It’s been so much fun. I learn something new with every post I make. That’s one of the awesome things about marketing and media. You figure out new ways to say things, what needs to be said, how to orient things for different audiences. I really enjoy it,” Almand said.
And for seniors such as Almand, having this role and the childhood fantasy aspects that Greenberg implemented as their final production also allows them to experience some of the various facets of childhood before stepping out into their professional lives.
Feist, who is also a senior, said she hopes the next generation of theater students continues taking every opportunity presented to them and that the program continues to support them.
“That’s what this was for me. It opened up to me like, ‘hey, do you want to do this?’ and I just said yes. Take different opportunities, especially with theater and dance,” Feist said. “There’s so much you can do besides dancing and acting. There’s so many routes you can take to open those up. And to the faculty, keep opening up those opportunities.”
“Doing a show like this with that childhood aspect to it has been amazing,” Almand said. “To leave UW on this great note of, ‘yes I’m going into the world of adulthood and work, but I can still have that child-like energy and joy and love and imagination,’ is well, we all need a little bit of that. We could all live our lives a little bit more like children every day in some ways.”
Because this is the final large production UW Theatre and Dance is putting on this academic year, the cast members also said it sets a precedent for where the department is going to go in the following semesters. Erikson, who is a sophomore and will be returning to theater and dance, said that the department seems to have officially bounced back from the effects of Covid.
“We’re finally starting to get a lot of kids back and I’m really excited to see how everything goes next year with people being more passionate and school really ramping up again, ” Erikson said. “The department really nailing in where they want to put their resources has been sort of vague, but I’m really hopeful for all the new freshmen and new students to come in and really add to this place.”
