Narberth Community Theatre Debuts Sondheim's 'Into The Woods' Nov. 4

On Friday at 8 p.m., the Narberth Community Theatre will begin an eight-show run of Stephen Sondheim's offbeat-fairy-tale musical , performed on the stage of the .

Director Steve DiNenno and theatre board president Steve Arcidiacono consider the show, in which famous fairy-tale characters collide and cooperate, a timely production.

"I really love the message of community and of people lifting each other up," said DiNenno, a veteran of Norristown's Barn Playhouse directing his first Narberth show. "It's a very good message that I think people need to hear right now."

The board of the 52-year-old theatre chose Into The Woods in the summer of 2009. Rehearsals began in August, with a cast from all around the suburbs: Conshohocken, Norristown, Ridley, Wayne, Malvern, East Norriton and beyond.

"Everyone's a volunteer. Many people, including myself, have done professional jobs," said Arcidiacono, a Havertown resident who will play the Narrator and the Mysterious Man. "Over the past couple years, about 40 to 60 percent of the cast are brand new people, which is great because it means our names are getting out there in a positive manner."

Casting the shows has become more enjoyable for those in charge as more people have auditioned. About 80 hopefuls, a Narberth theatre record, tried out for Into The Woods. The characters of the Baker, the Baker's Wife, Cinderella's Prince and the Witch were the most competitive.

"There was a point five years ago where it would have been a struggle to get 20 people auditioning. Now it seems to be turning around," DiNenno said. "I think (Into The Woods) is comfortable because it's fantasy. A lot of people know it, they know what it's about."

The uptick in auditions five years ago coincided with what Arcidiacono called a resurgence in creative new musicals that theatres could license for local productions.

"There really wasnt a whole lot new out there. Everybody was rehashing the old chestnuts," Arcidiacono said. But younger shows like Urinetown, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Narberth's next show), Assassins and Avenue Q were finding demand in smaller venues.

"If Broadway does a show but your theatre doesn't do it, you just sit and wait," DiNenno said.

The budget for Into The Woods was in the $10,000 to $12,000 range, about average for a Narberth Community Theatre show, according to Arcidiacono and DiNenno. That included royalties of about $4,000 to the creators.

DiNenno, a Lower Providence resident, collaborates with his assistant director—his wife, Marianne DiNenno. "Without her, I'd struggle immensely," he said.

The director called Into The Woods "without a doubt, my favorite musical ever." He last directed it at the Barn Playhouse in 2003.

That Norristown theatre and Narberth's have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with actors and directors frequenting both. Their seasons don't overlap: Narberth runs from November to May, Norristown from May to October, largely for a practical reason.

"We have heat and no AC," Arcidiacono said. "They have AC and no heat."

Into The Woods is showing Friday through Sunday both this weekend and next, then concluding with two performances the following Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $17 for adults, $14 for children and seniors and can be purchased online, over the phone or in person. For more information, visit www.narberthcommunitytheatre.org.

The theatre will then hold auditions for "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and the same time Nov. 15.