Director’s Notes

““Into the Woods” is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and

book by James Lapine. The musical cleverly weaves the narrative of a number of

familiar characters from the fairy stories written by the Brothers Grimm and two

new characters, the Baker and his wife. “Into the Woods” is a seamless fusion of

fairy tale characters and what happens after “happily ever after”. The main

characters are taken from “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”,

“Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”, as well as several others. “Into the Woods” is tied

together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their

quest to have a family, their relationship with a witch who has placed a curse on

them and their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

The musical debuted in San Diego in 1986 and premiered on Broadway a year

later, where it won several Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Score. With

memorable songs such as “Children Will Listen” and “No One is Alone”, “Into the

Woods” is a “music lover’s delight from start to finish and will forever cement

Stephen Sondheim’s unparalleled position as a giant in the musical world.” (Time

Magazine 1987).

All of the characters in this multi-award winning musical wish for something that

they think will bring them happiness. For the Baker and his wife it is a child, for

Little Red Riding Hood it is adventure, for the two Princes it is the pursuit of new

maidens just out of their reach, for Jack it is fame and fortune, for Jack’s mother it

is money, for Cinderella it is a Prince, for Rapunzel it is freedom, for the Witch it is

to protect her child from the outside world. In pursuit of their dreams the

characters journey independently into the woods, a dark and mysterious place in

which “anything can happen”.

We assume that all fairy stories have a happy ending but in this musical adventure

Sondheim goes to great lengths to remind us that life is full of disappointment and

set-backs, even if we are granted our wishes. He explores what happens after

“happily ever after” and in doing so raises multiple themes: growing up,

parent/child relationships, accepting responsibility and finally, wish fulfilment and

its consequences. As human beings we all have dreams, we all wish for something.

But do we appreciate the consequences? Wishes may not bring what we expect,

things are not always what they seem and people change. “Into the Woods” may

be described as a modern fairy tale and Sondheim’s clever lyrics certainly give an

audience plenty to think about; ”be careful what you wish for”, “to get what you

want, better keep what you have” and again, “best to take the moment present,

as a present for the moment.” These are at the core of “Into the Woods”.

When choosing a school production it is always my intention to involve as many

pupils of all ages as possible and the ensemble nature of “Into the Woods” made it

an ideal choice for this year’s musical. In addition, the themes and issues

Sondheim presents in his lyrics appealed to me. Preparing for a production is

extremely time consuming but it should also be fun and the pantoesque elements

of “Into the Woods” certainly provides this. A musical as well-known and

challenging as “Into the Woods” demands an enthusiastic, committed and

talented cast, crew and creative team and I have been fortunate to work with such

a group of people. I would like to thank each and every one of them. Special

thanks go to my colleagues in the Drama, Music and DT Departments, past and

present, for their unswerving support and hard work. I would also like to thank

James and Jenkins for their sponsorship over the past twenty four years.

Since its premiere, “Into the Woods” has enjoyed international success both as a

piece of musical theatre and now as a film, entertaining audiences world-wide and

earning Sondheim an enviable reputation. I hope, as one theatre critic said of the

original Broadway cast, that our performers “weave their magic spell over you”. I

do hope you enjoy this 2016 Whitchurch High School production of “Into the

Woods”.

Lee Thornton-Phillips.

Sondheim - the name be-speaks theatrical excitement and applause. He is one of the singularly gifted within the ranks of the Broadway musical elite, a man who has spent his entire career making wonderful music. While Stephen Sondheim may be best known in the public view as a Broadway composer, his musical skills actually go far beyond that rather limited sphere. Sondheim has written prolifically and profusely for motion pictures, television dramas, and background songs and scores for legitimate theater, in addition to his extensive catalog of Broadway scores. In fact, Sondheim is one of the very few tunesmiths to have garnered both Tony

awards and Oscars for his multi-directional output, not to mention literally countless other accolades for his unique talents. Stephen Sondheim was born in 1930 and raised in New York City. He graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, MA, where he began a lifetime of award winning, taking down the renowned Hutchinson Prize for Music Composition, following which he studied theory and composition with Milton Babbitt. Sondheim's creativity came into play soon after departing from college when he wrote lyrics for such highly skilled composers as Leonard Bernstein ("West Side Story") and Jule Styne ("Gypsy") within the two year span of 1957 to 1959. Soon thereafter, in 1962, came one of Sondheim's most notable successes, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," in which he created both the music and lyrics. Two years later, a virtually unending series of successful musicals featuring both music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, began their collective run extending well into the 1990s. Beginning in 1964 with "Anyone Can Whistle," the list includes "Follies," "A Little Night Music," "The Frogs," "Pacific Overtures," "Sweeney Todd," "Merrily We Roll Along," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Into the Woods," "Assassins," "Passion" and "Company." During the 30-year run, which features a major Broadway entry approximately once every three years, he was also the lyricist for "Do I Hear a Waltz" and "Candide" and organized revue-style anthologies of his works for such Broadway presentations as “Side by Side by Sondheim”, “Marry Me a Little”, “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” and “Putting it Together”. Again, during the same immensely productive 30-year span, Sondheim addressed the motion picture field, composing scores for "Stavisky" and "Reds" and songs for "Dick Tracy," one of which, "Sooner or Later" won the Academy Award in 1990 for Best Song. For television, he wrote songs for "Evening Primrose," co-authored the film, "The Last of Sheila" and provided incidental music for the plays "The Girls of Summer," "Invitation to a March" and "Twigs." Sondheim is the owner of five Tony Awards (Best Score for a Musical) for "Into the Woods,” Sweeney Todd," "A Little Night Music," "Follies" and "Company." All these shows also won New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, as did "Pacific Overtures" and "Sunday in the Park with George," the latter also receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985, with music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by James Lapine. Stephen Sondheim has served on the CounciI of the Dramatists Guild, the National Association of Playwrights, Composers and Lyricists, and served as its president from 1973 to 1981. In 1983, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1990, he was appointed the first visiting professor of Contemporary Theater at Oxford University. In 1993, he was the recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center honors. Source ttp://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/bio/C75

JAMES LAPINE was born in Mansfield, Ohio and lived there until his early teens when his family moved to Stamford, Connecticut. He attended public schools before entering Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he majored in History. He went on to get an MFA in Design from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California.

After graduate school, he moved to New York City where he worked

part-time as a waiter; a page and tour guide at NBC; a free-lance

photographer and graphic designer; and an architectural

preservationist for the Architectural League of NY. One of his free-lance jobs was designing the magazine of

the Yale School of Drama, Yale/Theater. The dean of the School of Drama, Robert Brustein subsequently

offered Lapine a full-time job designing all of the printed materials for the School of Drama and the Yale

Repertory Theatre as well as a faculty position teaching a course in advertising design.

While at Yale, his students urged him to direct a play during the annual January period when both faculty and

students undertook a project outside of their areas of study or expertise. At their suggestion Lapine directed a

Gertrude Stein play, PHOTOGRAPH. The play was five acts, and just three pages in length. Assembling

students and friends, it was presented in New Haven and came to the attention of director Lee Breuer, who

helped arrange for a small performance space in Soho to produce the work for three weeks. The production

was enthusiastically received and won Lapine an Obie award.

Lapine was then approached to create a new piece for the Music-Theatre Group. He wrote and directed a

workshop version of TWELVE DREAMS, a work inspired by a Jungian case history. The play was later

presented at the Public Theatre and revived by Lincoln Center Theatre. Lapine eventually left the visual arts

for a career in the theatre where he has also written and directed the plays TABLE SETTINGS; LUCK, PLUCK

and VIRTUE; THE MOMENT WHEN; FRAN’S BED; MRS. MILLER DOES HER THING; and ACT ONE, a

stage adaptation of the famous Moss Hart autobiography.

On Broadway he has written the book for and directed Stephen Sondheim’s SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH

GEORGE; INTO THE WOODS; PASSION; and the multi-media revue SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. He also

directed MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG as part of Encores Series at New York City Center. With William Finn

he has collaborated on MARCH OF THE FALSETTOS and FALSETTOLAND, later presented on Broadway as

FALSETTOS; A NEW BRAIN; MUSCLE; and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. He has also directed on Broadway

David Henry Hwang’s GOLDEN CHILD; THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK; Michel Legrand’s AMOUR; THE 25th

ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE; and the 2012 revival of ANNIE. Among his many off-Broadway

offerings were three Shakespeare productions for the Public Theatre.

Don’t ever, never, ever, mess around with my greens

No one is alone

When the one thing you want is

the only thing out of your reach

You’ll just leave him a clue for example a shoe

and then see what he’ll do

Into the Woods to get the thing that makes it

worth the journeying………

The Cast IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

CHORUS

Narrator

Cinderella

Jack

Milky White

Jack’s Mother

Baker

Baker’s Wife

Cinderella’s Stepmother

Florinda

Lucinda

Cinderella’s Father

Little Red Riding hood

Witch

Cinderella’s Mother

Mysterious Man

Wolf

Granny

Rapunzel

Rapunzel’s Prince

Cinderella’s Prince

Stewards

Giant

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Rhys Battle

Naomi Rich

Michael Triggs

Max Rowlands

Max Vella

Emily Hermon

Jack Shephard

Ella Travers

Gemma Goulbourn

Kathryn Totterdell

Leila Navabi

Ethan Thomas

Kate Shephard

Emma Kaler

Lottie Rees

Daniel Jones

Jack Thomas

Harry Kemp

Tierney Kesterton

Josie Wilton-Jones

Angus Robertson

Tom Auton

Ben Rees, Ben Ryan

Rachel Leonard

Fran Pawar

Ella James

Ruby Aston

Jessica Bright

Georgia Cape

Teresa Delfino

James Evans

Sam Hill

Katie Kirby-Jones

Freya Luscombe

Lydia Notley

Isabel Palmer–Smith

Owen Pearce

Tobias Welch

Tom Whittingham

Thomas Wilcox

Phoebe Young

BIRD OPERATORS

Thomas Clarke

Chloe Howcroft

Alys James

Lydia James

Emily McPhee

Angel Onwudiwe

The Band

Violins Maureen Doig-Davies (Leader)

Morven Graham

Victoria Thomas

Angharad Phillips

Emily Bowen

Ailsa Graham

Violas Naomi Gaffney

Alison Howells

Cellos Jennifer Lloyd

Robert Knowles

Zhiyi Yu

Bass Graham Tuck

Flute/Piccolo Charlotte Manners

Clarinet Joe O’Connell

Bassoon Hannah Towndrow

Horns Tom Griffin

David Wheeler

Trumpet Sian Davis

Percussion Alun Horgan

Piano Lara Jones

Synth Amy Cross

Harp Liberty Welch

Director

Musical Director

Vocal Director

Lee Thornton-Phillips

Eric Phillips

Lara Jones-Price

Technical Director

Lighting Designer

Sound Designer

Projections

Set Construction

Lighting Assistant

Production Manager

Stage Manager

Deputy Stage Manager

Production Consultant

Properties Manager

Assistants

Costume

Wardrobe

Make Up

Phil Hurley

Alan Blakoe

Phil Hurley

Jessica Screen

Bethany Thompson

Mike Williams,

Sam Hotchkiss, Chris Harris

Jamie Holden

William Thomas

David O’Rourke

Eleri Howell

Jessica Screen

Barry Slack

Evie Clarke, Aoife Doherty

Megan Williams

Alys Moores

Rachel Leonard

Charlotte Bertelli

Allaa Abdelgadir

Bethan Casey, Indiana

Thomas, Jessica Walkey, Lucy

Pearce, Maisy McCoy, Sarah

Parker, Tia Warsama &

Anthea Parker

Backstage crew

Runners

Junior Stage Managers

Programme Production

Refreshments

Front of House

Front of House

Managers

Photography & Filming

Ticket Sales

Dan Bushell

Gemma Ceschia

Jack Burnett

Joe Cummings

Mary Palmer-Smith

Thomas Hurley

Tom Clarke

Alfie Stone

Natalie Howell

Phoebe Davies

Lydia Harris

Omar Salman

Callum Nott

Tariq Abufares

Gail PerryShepherd

Sue Vickers

Darryn Havard & GCSE

Business Studies Class

Beatrix Mosey

Bronwen Davies

Charlie Cummings

Euan Brown

Jessica Hayden

Shanan Hamza

Tanisha Fair

Naomi Williams

Grace Burnett

Alun Horgan

Andrew Rooke

Ianthe Nikalaou

Natalia Gomes

Creatives

THE TIME IS NOW WE HAVE TO LIVE …….HE’S THE BEST COW ONCE UPON A TIME

FOOLISHNESS CAN WHERE ARE WE TO GO FOOLISHNESS CAN HAPPEN IN THE WOODS RIGHT AND WRONG DON’T MATTER IN THE WOODS

WHOSE FAULT ? ARE YOU CERTAIN THIS IS THE RIGHT DIRECTION PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES

Acknowledgements Thanks to:

Stage Sound Services

AB Stage Lighting Services

E.V. ENTZ Percussion Hire

Celtic Prop Hire

Just Fancy Costume Hire

Upper & Lower School Offices

Caretakers: Paul Brown, Heath Spring, Mike Kennedy & Gary O’Brien

Textiles Department

P E Department

Years 11E and 13E for contribution to art work

Staff and students past and present who have contributed to and supported this production of “Into The Woods”

CHARTERED SURVERYORS AND PROPERTY CONSULTANTS

Pheonix House 8 Cathedral Road

Cardiff CF11 9JL

Tel: 029 2064 4519 Email: malcolm@ccm-associates.co.uk

COMMERCIAL BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND FACADE SPECIALISTS

THE CAST

THE CAST

THE CREW

Past & Recent Productions at Whitchurch High School

1991 OUR DAY OUT WILLY RUSSELL

1992 WEST SIDE STORY LEONARD BERNSTEIN

STEPHEN SONDHEIM

1994 INTO THE WOODS STEPHEN SONDHEIM

JAMES LAPINE

1995 AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE HENRIK IBSEN

1996 CABARET KANDER & EBB

1997 THE FIRE RAISERS MAX FRISCH

1998 COMPANY STEPHEN SONDHEIM &

GEORGE FURTH

1999 GREGORY’S GIRL BILL FORSYTH

2000 MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG STEPHEN SONDHEIM &

GEORGE FURTH

2001 THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR NIKOLAI GOGOL

2002 SOUTH PACIFIC RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

2003 ROMEO + JULIET WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2004 SWEET CHARITY COLMAN/SIMON/FIELDS

2005 BLOOD BROTHERS WILLY RUSSELL

2006 CAROUSEL RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

2007 MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2008 OKLAHOMA! RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

2009 SWEENEY TODD STEPHEN SONDHEIM

2010 A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE ARTHUR MILLER

2011 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF BROCK AND HARNICK

2012 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

2014 WEST SIDE STORY STEPHEN SONDHEIM & BERSTEIN

2015 FACE BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

Proud to Support All the Drama @ Whitchurch High School........................

And coming soon directly opposite ...... Llandaff North