The Zona Gale Young People’s Theatre production for 2010 is the musical “Into The Woods” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine. Artistic Director-Xan Johnson, Production Manager-Patrick Strain, Director-Ned O’Reilly, Vocal Direction-Mary Ott.
The Zona Gale Young People’s Theatre is a series of programs operated by the Portage Center for the Arts, Inc. The programs provide students with the opportunity to study with understanding from professional guest artists and teachers from Wisconsin and around the nation. It is developed to encourage highly motivated and gifted students in the theatre to consider majoring in theatre at the university level and to involve post secondary former students in returning to help with youth theatre activities. The program is committed to producing new dramatic works and classics of relevance by, with, and for children, youth, and the young at heart of all ages. Our specific mission is to provide quality live theatre and theatre education experiences to young people, families, and schools, with affordable public performances, tours, and workshops.
Each year they sponsor programs for the youth of our community, with workshops and a summer’s end production to give our youth a taste of the arts and the fun of live theatre. There are sessions for young children and for young adults. Therefore, if you don’t get to the produciton in 2010 check back in following years and make time to get involved, you will be glad you did.
About “into the Woods”: many familiar fairy tales have been transformed into countless ballets, films, and operas. From Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella to Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bete to Gioacchino Rossini’s La Cenerentola, the magic of fairy tales have inspired myriad works for the stage and screen.
In the mid-1980′s, when a Broadway musical tended to be either a widely-acclaimed hit or a failure, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine were interested in creating a lighthearted, funny musical that would appeal to the middle group—a musical that would entertain a wide audience, but would not necessarily be a box-office smash. Lapine, who had loved fairy tales when growing up, at first conceived of a musical based on an entirely new fairy tale, but the notion of combining several already-cherished fairy tales in one work was rife with possibilities for slapstick humor and witty lyrics.
The resulting musical, Into the Woods, premiered on Broadway in 1987 and was heralded with three Tony Awards and nine nominations. In 1988, it was named best musical by both the Drama Desk and the New York Drama Critics Circle.
However, not all reactions to Into the Woods were favorable.
Rather than continuing the tradition of fairy tales with happy endings, Lapine and
Sondheim have kept true to Grimm’s original versions in Into the Woods, exploring some of the more dark and complex elements of fairy tales, thereby exploring some of the more dark and complex elements that occur in life.
Take the risk, engage your students in drama in the classroom and take them to experience live theatre – learning motivation, creative potential, and community will emerge. Dates for this wonderful show are August 13, 14 ,20, 21 at 7:30; August 15 & 22 at 2:00 pm. Seating is General Admission; Adults $12/Students $7.
301 E. Cook St.
P.O. Box 866
Portage, WI 53901
Phone: 608.742.5655
Fax: 608.742.0246