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Every journey Into the Woods shows us that wishes are not always pure, good and bad are not that different, and only togetherness can get us through.

JU Cast of Into the Woods

Writing a theme that encapsulates the show is something I always do with my productions.  We come together as a cast, hash through all the characters, all the conflicts and resolutions, and create one sentence that is to us the point of the story. 

We asked a lot of questions about this show: What is wishing for something?  Is moral ambiguity ok if it is a means to an end that benefits everyone?  At what point do we need to rely on each other, admitting we cannot succeed by ourselves?

Some of our on stage community involved our objects.  What sort of separation anxiety does Rapunzel's hair experience?  Why is Milky-White afraid of the woods?  Is Little Red Riding Hood's cape willing to be owned by someone else and why?

Sondheim is always a challenge - his way with words makes digging deep into the text a necessity.  I believe the cast has found a lot of nuance in the text and the music that you will appreciate in this performance. 

I made a deliberate choice to stage Cinderella in the center of the three families.  She is the most stuck in the middle, and her search to find her true home travels the farthest.  In the end, she isn't alone.

This show is very grown up in spite of its use of fairy tales told to children as the vehicle for the morals.  I have so much enjoyed listening to Sarah Parker and Tamara Caudill talk about the histories of these tales in their reading group collaboration with this production.  As with all storytelling, it is an aural tradition, with variations that are created along the way. 

I want to thank my Assistant Director, Emily Pate, for her support and hard work on this show.  I could not have done it without her.  I also want to thank my husband of 23 years, James Beasley, who greets me at the door no matter how late I get home. 

Please enjoy the show!

Sometimes the things you most wish for are not to be touched.  

Slotted spoons don't hold much soup, but they can catch the potato.

The greatest prize can often lie at the end of the thorniest path.

Wanting a ball is not wanting a Prince.

Careful the things you say - children will listen.

No one is alone.

Kimberly Beasley

Director

This production of Into the Woods is a participant in the 51st Annual

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.