The Horace Greeley Theatre Company Proudly Presents 'Into The Woods'

The following appeared in the October 31, 2016 edition of The Greeley Tribune. It was written by sophomore Aditi Singh, who is a Contributor to the student newspaper.

Greeley Theater will present its first production of the year, 'Into the Woods,' in three performances Nov. 17-19.

The Tony award-winning musical fuses some popular fairytale stories to create a unique narrative.

"This is a tremendously sophisticated and ambitious work, but I am confident Greeley Theater will do justice to it," says Mr. Jonathan Gellert, director and producer of the show.

Consider the riveting plot: A baker and his wife are doomed to childlessness by a witch's curse. They set out to break the spell by fetching the witch four objects: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Their quest leads them into the woods where they encounter Jack (of beanstalk fame), Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. Everyone's wishes come true—so far, so good. But before the audience can revel in the happily ever after, everything descends into chaos. The characters have to contend with the consequences of their actions, an element of reality that conventional fairy tales completely disregard, which catapults this production from mere fantasy to a commentary on responsibility and choices.

If the plot isn't intriguing enough to entice you, the unforgettable rhymes, lyrics and wordplay surely will. "I was raised to be charming, not sincere," croons Cinderella's prince, as the Baker's wife proclaims, "If the end is right, it justifies the beans." These are just a few examples of the show's delightful lyrics.

Preparations for the production are in full swing. Auditions were held in the second week of September, and the cast was announced immediately thereafter. Says sophomore Sabrina Stratton, "Most of the cast members are triple threats, performers who can sing, dance and act." Stratton plays a moosluete--German for "spirit of the woods"--in the play.

Sophomore Alex Milne, who will be playing the Baker, echoes the excitement of being part of this production. "The music is incredibly wordy and fast -paced, and the challenge lies in coordinating vocals and choreography,” he explains. By the time the show opens, the cast will have put in more than two months of rigorous rehearsals.

However, bringing a story to life on stage involves a lot more than just acting.

"The work of the backstage crew is as important as that of the performers," emphasizes Mr. Gellert. "The student heads of each department, such as sound, lighting, costumes, and publicity, are trained through a protégé system over the years, spanning stage-craft classes to school productions."

As a student producer and technical director for this show, junior Jake O'Donovan builds sets and works on sound and lighting after school. "During 'Hell Week,' the week leading up to opening night, we hold full run-through rehearsals every day to ensure that the technical and artistic segments are in sync." In O'Donovan's view, the scale of this musical poses a challenge, because the sets are larger and more complex than most. Junior Ashka Jhaveri, head student costume designer for the show, is in the process of choosing appropriate costumes for the performers, which requires maintaining an elaborate spreadsheet of the outfit each actor wears in every scene. According to her, time management and communication are the biggest challenges.

Junior John Amundsen, who plays Jack, adds that the audience can look forward to many immensely talented numbers as well as gorgeous costumery. Members of the cast and crew agree that participation in theater has honed their skills of coordination, collaboration, attention to detail, and teamwork.

In the words of Greeley parent Alan Nadel, "A well-rounded high school education should include art as well as academics and athletics." Greeley Theater also reinforces a sense of community, attracting community audience members who do not have children at Greeley and indulging them with a show.

Despite the hard work of the cast and crew, the legacy of any production ultimately lies with the audience. Play-watchers give a play its final verdict with their applause and laughter. Don't miss your chance to be part of this audience! Be there in November to watch Greeley bring this classic musical to life.

The Cast. . .

Narrator.................................. Tova Greene

Baker...................................... Alex Milne

Baker’s Wife.......................... Lindsay Shiner

Jack’s Mother......................... Laurel Kastner

Jack........................................ John Amundsen

Little Red Ridinghood.......... Ellie Leibner

Cinderella............................... Ellie Loigman

Cinderella’s Stepmother........ Elena Cantor

Florinda.................................. Sabrina Herman

Lucinda.................................. Gillian Shenkman

Witch..................................... Violet Gautreau

Rapunzel................................ Abby Gould

Cinderellas’ Mother............... Amanda Chin

Cinderella’s Prince................. Sam Harasimowicz

Rapunzel’s Prince.................. Matt Civitano

Wolf....................................... Liam Curtis

Mysterious Man..................... Jackson Gautreau

Granny................................... Sarah Bogner

Steward.................................. Caleb Klein

Cinderella’s Father................. Jared Lazarus

Moosluete (Moss People – Spirits of the Woods – will play many roles)....... Alex Bianchi, Jordan Burrows, Jared Casper, Julia Dalrymple, Eve Dorfman, Juliana Gecaj, Abby Glassman, Sofia Gowdie, Rachel Hare, David Katz, Katie Katz, Melody Leibner, Brady McCarthy, Ciara O’Conner, Samantha Phillips, Lily Restivo, Erin Pirro, Sofia Scarpati, Jacob Kaufman-Shalett, Sabrina Stratton, Kyra Silve, Ryan Van Fleet, Nancy Wei, Jasmine Wei, Lucas Wertheimer, Ava Wildstein, Jordan Ziegler and John Zymeck

The Technical Crew. . .

Ashka Jhaveri, Jake O’Donovan, Collin Dammann, Ben Kaufman-Shalett, Moira Henderson-Semel, Luke Smith, Gabe Ehrlich, Vivian Zymeck, Ethan Rich, Max Auerbacher, Chloe Goldman and Kenny Nohavicka

The Pit Orchestra - Conducted by Mrs. Feldman

Kevin Chang.......... Synthesizer

Seth Kreisler.......... Trumpet

Hyun Jin Lee.......... Violin

Emma Silverman.......... Violin

Penelope Toll.......... Viola

Bob Ye.......... Cello

Dr. Lucia.......... French Horn

Filmed and directed by junior Oliver Bradley

WHEN: Performances:

• Thursday, November 17th at 7pm
• Friday, November 18th at 8pm
• Saturday, November 19th at 8pm

WHERE: Horace Greeley High School Auditorium, 70 Roaring Brook Rd. Chappaqua

Click here to purchase tickets

Come for dinner. . .Stay for the show
The annual Freshman-class-sponsored Family Pasta Dinner will take place on Thursday to coincide with Opening Night.
There will be plenty of pasta dishes, salads and desserts on hand. Please bring the whole family for good food and fun. Walk over after your practice and/or game, or stop by before seeing Greeley Theater Company's Into the Woods.
WHAT: Family Pasta Dinner
WHEN: Thursday, November 17th from 5-7pm
WHERE: Greeley Cafeteria
COST: $5 Students ~ $10 Adults ~ $20 Family (cash only please)

Video, photo via Chappaqua school district