Lower Dauphin High School’s musical, “Into the Woods” hosts its opening show tonight after much preparation from dozens of students and staff.
“‘Into the Woods’ is considered one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time,” says musical director and producer Kevin Strawser, “and it is an incredibly difficult and complex show.”
Beginning in mid-December, cast members for the musical worked every day to perfect songs, dialogue and dances. With the intricate and unique timing of the soundtrack, countless hours of effort were needed to produce a clean show.
Once the cast had done their part, all other technicalities were ready to begin. On stage, all members of the musical and additional LD art students spent their weekends constructing a whimsical set that transports the audience “into the woods.” 11 trees, five tree stumps, three houses and one tall tower were built by meticulous hands, altogether taking months to complete.
Off-scene, stage and technical crews rehearsed seamless lighting and scene changes to prepare a visually appealing and seamless performance, and the musical pit began to fill in for pre-recorded soundtracks to create stunning live music. Multiple costumes were sewed for each character, and fit a mystical and woodland color palette. After all of these separate elements were complete, dress rehearsals commenced.
As is with every production, putting all of the elements of “Into the Woods” together proved to be difficult.
“It’s a great show, but at times inconsistent.” says Hunter Myers, who plays the Baker, regarding rehearsals.
After multiple nights of pausing to match scene changes with lighting, fog machines with entrances and spontaneous songs with sheet music, “Into the Woods” performed for the first time on Wednesday, Feb. 28 for the LD sixth grade class and local senior citizens. Strawser could not be more pleased with the results.
“Our students have done such an incredible job bringing this show to the Lower Dauphin stage.”
Tonight, “Into the Woods” will have its first official performance, and all students involved, from freshmen to seniors, are equally as proud as the director of their show.