\u201cInto the Woods\u201d \u2013 a 1986 musical written by Stephen Sondheim \u2013 is an exploration of the temptations and consequences of selfish wishes. But beneath its complex themes, what\u2019s the show\u2019s backbone?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The magic of fairy tales.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That child-like wonder is exactly what director Thomas Times is trying to capture in his recently opened interpretation of \u201cInto the Woods\u201d with Sunnyvale Community Players (SCP), which runs through Sept. 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really focusing on what it was like to hear these stories as a kid because the world is so crazy right now,\u201d Times said. \u201cAs a society, we just need more lighthearted fun.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To bring such an energy to the stage, he\u2019s changed some roles to be played by youth actors \u00ad \u2013 ranging from elementary students to teens \u2013 instead of adults. The role of Jack is played by a youth actor, and both Little Red Riding Hood and the Narrator are split between two youth actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Traditionally, the Narrator speaks directly to the audience, walking them through the interwoven storylines of familiar characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. Now, the two Narrators tell such tales to each other, bringing them to life by playing with their toys. One of the Narrators is Owen Waggenspack, a student at Egan Junior High School.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing Narrator is a team effort,\u201d Owen said. \u201cI have a younger brother, so it\u2019s a lot of the brother dynamic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But apart from these aged-down roles, the rest of the cast are adults. Most are coming from their day jobs. To ensure a seamless transition to the playful environment, Times has the cast play little kids\u2019 games like Zip Zap Zop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe show is very fun and fast-paced,\u201d said Rhea Leonard, who plays the Baker\u2019s Wife. \u201cWe\u2019re able to get into the atmosphere of being silly when we play games before we start.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen said these games have helped the cast grow closer, bridging the gap between ages. He also attributed the cast\u2019s chemistry to the supportive environment and how included SCP makes youth actors feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little intimidated because everyone was really good,\u201d Owen said. \u201cBut it\u2019s become more of a family, so we\u2019ve been able to learn and grow together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to forming a community, Times sees these games as a tool for actors to become more comfortable with the imperfect \u2013 something inevitable in the rehearsal process.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are scared to rehearse because they\u2019re scared to make mistakes,\u201d Times said. \u201cBut our cast has been open to making those mistakes, knowing that they\u2019ll lead us where we need to go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Such a willingness to learn is especially important when considering the show\u2019s demand. There\u2019s the typical Sondheim-style obstacles \u2013 overlapping lyrics and time signature changes \u2013 but cast members have also had to learn something completely foreign to most of them: Folkl\u00f3rico-inspired formations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Folkl\u00f3rico is traditional Mexican folk dancing that employs a wide variety of formations, using people to create geometric shapes and patterns. Formations can convey emotion, draw attention somewhere or, in this case, signify moving through the woods.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Times wanted to include this element after he watched choreographer Megan Spoelstra\u2019s Folkl\u00f3rico show at Lincoln High School. Spoelstra teaches at the school and heads its Folkl\u00f3rico program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed how many formations there were, and how they would move, looking so fluid when they did,\u201d Times said. \u201cWatching that, I was like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m stealing that for the show.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Times, implementing them has felt daunting at times. However, it\u2019s a challenge that the cast has wholeheartedly accepted and seen through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is beautiful how we\u2019ve taken two pieces of art that shouldn\u2019t necessarily work together, and managed to make them work together in a really beautiful and unique way,\u201d Times said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really inspiring to watch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, he\u2019s excited for the audience to watch it as well. They can expect to feel a range of emotions, regardless of their age, Leonard said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can take away something different every time,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cIt really just depends on where you are in life and what you resonate with at the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInto the Woods\u201d is being staged in the Sunnyvale Theatre at the Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive. Tickets are $29.70-$59.42.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cInto the Woods\u201d \u2013 a 1986 musical written by Stephen Sondheim \u2013 is an exploration of the temptations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[88,90,89,138816],"class_list":["post-462747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-stepping_out"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}