Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 musical, Into the Woods, is a bundle of fairy tales intricately knotted together into a fresh new narrative. We meet everyone from Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel to Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. The familiar stories of these characters are woven together by Sondheim and James Lapine into an often comical and childlike manner. However, the musical is also full of complex characters who face deep moral dilemmas. As the characters journey through the mysterious and metaphorical “woods,” they are powerfully transformed by each other and the consequences of their actions.

This production of Into the Woods hopes to create an immersive and sensory experience. One that will similarly transform our audience as they pass through the doors of the theatre. Each of the technical elements will take our audience through our version of “the woods” where at first glance, everything seems as bright and cheery as a whimsical fairytale. Yet, everything is not as it seems; after all, “there’s something about the woods.” The knots will slowly begin to unravel as the characters cope with the consequences of their choices. The audience will begin to see, hear, and feel the effects of what can happen during a journey in the woods. When the audience returns from intermission, all will be changed. Together with the characters, our audience will begin to realize that change is inevitable and that sometimes doing what we want may not be the same as doing what’s right.