A-State Theatre to Present Musical, 'Into the Woods'
JONESBORO – Arkansas State University’s Department of Theatre will open the 2019-20 season with “Into the Woods,” a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
Performances are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11-12, at 7:30 p.m., a matinee performance on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Drama Theatre of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr.
“Into the Woods” features a baker and his wife who set off to the forest to undo a curse placed on them by a witch. On their journey, they encounter Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and more fairy tale characters. As they venture through the woods to see their wishes come true, they find that “happily ever after” doesn’t come without a price.
The cast includes Dawson Stevens of Springdale, as Narrator/Mysterious Man; Holly Henson, a vocal performance major from Paragould, as Cinderella; Caelon Colbert of Little Rock, as Jack; Madison Stewart of Trumann, as Jack’s Mother, Carson Horton of Batesville, as the Baker; Starke McGehee of Arezzo, Italy, as the Baker’s Wife; Deronai Sims of West Memphis, as Cinderella’s Stepmother; Katie Vacco of Yellville, as Florinda; Kennedy Woodall of Manila, as Lucinda; Brett Harken, a wildlife ecology major from Conway, as Wolf/Cinderella’s Father; Fernanda Posadas, a theatre and multimedia journalism major from North Little Rock, as Little Red Ridinghood; and Sydnie Walker, a psychology major from Paragould, as the Witch. Stevens, Colbert, Stewart, Horton, McGehee, Sims, Vacco and Woodall are theatre majors.
Other cast members are Madison Wilson, a music education major from Paragould, as Cinderella’s Mother; Angela Lovelace of Jonesboro, as Granny/Giant; Sarah Martin, a music education major from Jonesboro, as Rapunzel; Quaine Hogan, a vocal performance major from Jonesboro, as Rapunzel’s Prince; Joshua Pryor of Clinton, as Cinderella’s Prince; Quinton Sanders, a marketing major from Jonesboro, as the Steward; Kayley Shettles of Jacksonville, as Snow White; and Whitley J. Fore Newman of Harrisburg, as Sleeping Beauty. Lovelace, Pryor, Shettles and Newman are theatre majors.
The musical is directed by Marc Williams, interim chair and assistant professor of theatre. Maria Fasciano, instructor of voice, serves as musical director. Collaborative pianist Emily Trapp Jenkins is the rehearsal accompanist. Suren Petrosyan, director of orchestral activities and instructor of cello, will conduct. Choreography is by Brianna Larson, instructor of dance. Hayley Scott, a theatre major from North Little Rock, is the assistant director.
Scenic design is by Jeff McLaughlin, assistant professor of theatre. Costume design is by Claire Abernathy, associate professor of theatre. Assistant costume designer is Reilly Heffer, a theatre major from Little Rock; associate hair and makeup designer is Precious McCullough, a theatre major from Clarendon. Lighting and sound design is by Caisa Sanburg, assistant professor of theatre.
The stage manager is Michaela Partridge, a theatre and Spanish major from Leola. Assistant stage managers are Abigail Gray of Jonesboro, Katelyn Stanton and Paydon Bradley, both of Trumann. Gray, Stanton, and Bradley are all theatre majors. The properties master is theatre major Peyton Miller of Paragould, and properties carpenter is Clay Bures, a chemistry major from Little Rock. The house manager is Claire Thomas, a theatre major from Batesville.
The audio engineer and sound board operator is theatre major Elizabeth Escobedo of Russellville, and the light board operator is theatre major Grace Dial of Paragould. The spotlight operator will be theatre major Kori Denison of Batesville. Production audio technician is theatre major Hannah Martin of Blytheville. Cody Preston, a strategic communications major from Bono, is the publicist.
Wardrobe crew includes Kirsten Larrison of Little Rock, Mallory Smith of Bono, Kierstin Rogers of Jonesboro, Bryce Moore of White Hall, Amy Faughn of Jonesboro, and Matt Williams, a multimedia journalism major from Hernando, Miss. Backstage crew includes Sam Scott of Flint, Mich., Jonathan Clark of Batesville, and Hayden Boles of Jonesboro. Larrison, Smith, Rogers, Moore, Faughn, Scott, Clark and Boles are all theatre majors.
Tickets for “Into the Woods” can be purchased at AState.edu/tickets or by calling the A-State Box Office Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 p.m. at (870) 972-2781. Tickets are $12-17. Groups of 10 or more should call the box office regarding group sales.
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