CULLMAN, Ala. – After getting back into the swing of things with “Bright Star” in January, Cullman High School Theatre returns this week with “Into the Woods,” a modern rethinking of classic fairy tales, combining “Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Rapunzel” into one big musical story.
Director Wayne Cook told The Tribune, “We have been working on ‘Into The Woods’ since February. It has become a classic musical by Stephen Sondheim. We put the production together because we have a very strong group of seniors and we wanted to feature them. This production gives many and most of them leading parts in a major production. It is a great way to send out this senior class.
“For those unfamiliar, it is a compilation of tales from the Brothers Grimm. (Grimm Fairy Tales) There is an element of classic story telling where an audience member will see characters they recognize like Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. There is also the deeper message that is basically a commentary of humanity. This production is funny, inspiring, thought provoking, shocking, colorful and magical.”
He continued,
“Our students do a beautiful job acting and singing as they share these stories. Students have been actively involved in set design, artwork, costuming, sound and lighting. They have done a fabulous job in every area. We even have a student who has done animation just for this show. People need to come see it. I think the Cullman community will love this production.”
Getting back onstage
“Our students are eager and excited to do this show. Theatre has been a huge outlet for many during this pandemic. I told students at the beginning of the year that we would fight for them to do the same number of shows we typically do — we have done it. it’s not been easy and there have been numerous bumps along the road, but our students will have completed and performed two shows in the midst of a pandemic. I will say the window for this production required us to get really busy to get it all done. This has not been a typical year by any means, but to send out this tremendously talented senior class in this way feels wonderful.
“Things are better with things getting better with the pandemic. At our school, everyone scheduled their events and projects for the end of the year with the hopes that things would be better. This causes us to have a whole bunch going on two months out before school is out for summer. It’s been wild but we do it all for the students.
“We hope the community will come out and support us as we do this production. Support the arts in our community by coming to see ‘Into the Woods.”
Cast
Baker: Caleb Brown
Baker’s Wife: Mary Claire Page
Witch: Laci New
Jack: Graham Waldrop
Cinderella: Madison Smith
Little Red Riding Hood: Chandler Greer
Narrator: Domenico Brunetti
Prince Charming: Devon Campbell
Rapunzel’s Prince/Wolf: Clay Brown
Jack’s Mother: Kate Rains
Mysterious Man: Cannon Trimble
Rapunzel: Madison Spell
Steward: Logan Kee
Stepmother: Holli Rowan
Florinda: Emiley Gable
Lucinda: Ava Fales
Milky White: Lauren Chapin
Wolf #2: Marcos Zapien
Cinderella’s Father: Lake Murphree
Cinderella’s Mother: Ashlei Bryant
Little Red’s Grandmother: Ariel Jacobs
Giant: Avery Drake
Sleeping Beauty: Lydia Wells
Snow White: Monica Zapien
Three Little Pigs: Alyssa Lindsey, Juliana Laney, Sophia Corliss
Bird Puppeteers: Audrey Nicholas, Carrie Betts
Horse Puppeteers: Braxton White, Harrison Drake
Tree Ensemble/Wedding Guest/Villager: Sage Andrews, Maia Pate, Lana Gibson, Ashlin Schulte, Ashlee Smith, Ashlee Adkins, Haylee Smith, Mary Watwood
Crew
Wayne Cook – Director/ Theatre
Sarah Jane Skinner – Director/ Choral
Tyler Skinner – Director/ Choral
Elizabeth Miller – Visual Arts
John Drake – Bearcat Network
Emma Mansour – Lighting Design
Scott Campbell – Set Design
Leeanna Smith – Theatre Boosters Chair
Noah Carpenter – Production Assistant
Alex Nance – Animation Design
Stage Crew
Olivia Wood – Stage Manager
Livia Laney – Assistant Stage Manager
Alyssa Tancredi, Sara Reeves, Bailey Smith, Zach Holmes, James Kelsey, Morgan Shikle, Morgan Schultz, Kaitlyn Cockrell, Lily West
Tech Crew
Claude Thomas -Manager
Mya Arnold, Anabelle Howze, Katherine Segars, Kaden Glimpse, Cody Clark, Olivia Shelton, Belle Hendrix, Avery Drake, Audrey Nicholas
Art Crew
May Dawsey, Kaytlin Cockrell, Mya Arnold, Gyver Clifton, Yanet Ruiz, Brandon Rodriguez, Haven Gardner, Caren Hernandez, Avery Drake, Cheyanne Ball, Harrison Drake, Alexis Brock
At a glance
Cullman High School Theatre’s production of “Into the Woods”
Thursday, April 29 through Saturday, May 1, 2021
Cullman High School auditorium
Shows at 7 p.m. all days, with 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday
Tickets $10 adults, $5 students, available through www.gofan.com and www.booktix.com.
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