Into the Woods
“Dramat’s “Into the Woods” is a quirky, stunning rendition of Sondheim’s classic … At the conclusion of Wednesday’s performance, the audience erupted into an immediate, much-deserved standing ovation. For many, this was not their first “Into the Woods” viewing, but it was surely a version they wouldn’t soon forget” - review, Yale Daily News
“Into The Woods tests its audience’s refusal of illusion. It doesn’t hide anything from the viewer; you can, for instance, see that clump of ladders in the background at all times, just like you can see the clothing racks as clothing racks. What the musical has to do, then, is break the boundary between the imagined and the realistic. However, Into the Woods proves that fantasy does not require elaborate, otherworldly stage designs. Only the bare bones of the theater are required—some clothing racks, a stage platform, the costumes, and the actors … These incongruities are what makes The Dramat’s rendition of Into the Woods refreshingly fascinating. As a member of the audience, you’re encouraged to synthesize reality and fantasy, to free yourself from the confined boundary of either realm and immerse yourself in the hyperreal presentation of the musical in which they entwine. Here, you are both spectator and participant, watching the show and actively suspending your disbelief alongside the actors. You must be creatively brave enough to see the set as them while peering beyond it.” - review, The Yale Herald
In directing this production, I wanted to move away from classic presentations of fairy tales in order to land the musical’s central questions and complicated characters with more clarity and in the bodies and circumstances of these current Yale students. We stripped the theater back to its bare walls and are using objects one might find around Yale’s University Theater during a strike. We approached all aspects of design and performance from the perspectives of the college students experiencing this story right now. The woods are our costume racks, the clothes from their closets, and the fairy tale imagery things found mid-strike on stage, exposing the characters and the story without dwelling on the more classic fairy tale visuals. This will g both the company and the audience a closer and more personal connection to these otherwise whimsical stories, allowing the humans behind each imaginary character shine, and making one feel the real consequences of their sometimes misguided choices.
by Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine
Director: Ryan Dobrin
Choreographers: Thomas Kannam & Amara Neal
Music Director: Nicole Lam
Lead Producer: Nandi Hildebrand
Production Stage Manager: Julia Murphy
Scenic Design: Christian Fleming
Lighting Design: Emiliano Cáceres Manzano
Costume Design: Matthew Eggers & Emily Currie
Sound Design: Michael Willen
Props Design: Jessica Oserogho
Hair & Make-Up Designer: Olivia Catayong
Intimacy Choreographer: Aziza Gharib
Fight Choreographer: Kerry Cripe
Production Officer: Carson White
Technical Director: Dhruv Bhalla
Head Electrician: Allison Calkins
Sound Enginer: Grace Halak
Ensemble: Crawford Arnow, Elsie Harrington, Phoebe Haws, Ben Heller, Benjamin Jimenez, Alice Kasdan, Abram Knott, Hannah Kurczeski, Lauren Marut, Jaden Nicita, Nire Oloyede, Emily Patrick, Daniela Rodriguez-Larrain Fernandez, Sadie Pohl, Megan Ruoro, Eason Rytter, Abigail Yadegar, Sally Zheng
Orchestra: Jasmine Chen, Kelly Chen, Madeline Chun, Harrison Copp, Jia Dunsby, Sharif Hassen, Naomi Jeanne-Main, Nicole Lam, Ethan Mash, David Morgenstern, Eleanor Ohm, Maddy Park, Max Su, Ben Swinchoski, Thomas Walter, Joe Wang, JJ Wyetzner, Alden Yorba, Emily Zhang
Assistant Directors: Tatum Graham & Elizabeth Stanish
Assistant Producers: Nicolas Maynulet & Erica Lu
Assistant Stage Managers: Araiya Casriel, Alice Cui, Sebastian Gervase, Daya Baum, Maya Molina, & Chrysie Alexiou
Assistant Costume Designers: Remi Clark-Redstar, Lyndon Chen, Kellina Brennan, & Alliese Bonner
Assistant Lighting Designers: Owen Pinhasi & Dorothy Ha
Assistant Scenic Designer: Alexa Druyanoff
Assistant Sound Engineer: Cecilia Sun
Hair & Make-Up Team: Kellina Brennan & Lyndon Chen
Production: Yale Dramatic Association at Yale University, University Theatre, November 2024
Photos Courtesy of HanJie Chow
