Preview and Conversation of Mason's "Into the Woods"

"Into the Woods" performances will be at the Center for the Arts from Friday October 26 to Sunday October 28 (Photo courtesy of Mason's Theater Department).

Preview of Mason's "Into the Woods"
by Connect2Mason reporter Alex Dodson

"Can we break for a minute? We need to adjust the lights."

Instantly cheerful chatter floods the stage of George Mason University’s Center for the Arts as the actors and techies of "Into the Woods" leave character. Discussing the current scene, upcoming songs, homework that has to be done when rehearsal is over or what they are going to dress up as for Halloween, the Mason students seem to be having just as much fun during their down time as when they are onstage performing.

A static feeling courses throughout the theatre during the brief technical interlude, consisting of nervous apprehension mingled within a good dose of excitement. As the Friday night premiere swiftly approaches, the future of Mason's first musical theater program, the offspring of the Theater Department and School of Music, hangs in the balance.

Steven Sondheim's fairy tale medley "Into the Woods" was an appropriate choice for the programs inaugural performance. Playing off the popularity of the show as well as its creator, the fantastical "Into the Woods" can draw in the crowds and generate interest in the Mason community for the program.

The musical follows the intersecting stories of your favorite childhood characters, such as Jack from the beanstalk story, Rapunzel and Cinderella.  Centered around the Baker and his Wife, all of these stories weave together in magic and in song to provide an entertaining theatrical experience. You might even walk away with a few life lessons firmly revitalized in your heart to accompany the gentle tapping of your foot as you reminisce about your favorite song of the night. 

I had the opportunity to catch a fragment of the show at Tuesday night's tech rehearsal. The thing that I found the most impressive was the deft sound mixing of the live orchestra with the actor's singing. Often times a live orchestra in the pit will drown out the singing of its actors, but Mason seems to have struck the perfect harmony in its sound department.

The cast consists of eleven theater majors and eleven music majors, but you can’t tell which actor belongs to which group. The students all give balanced performances from the scenes, and I am looking forward to seeing the entire show.

One scene that particularly stood out for me was the first meeting of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. The sexual undertones were clearly present but never overbearing, while the humor of Red's ignorance to the Wolf's true intentions remains light-hearted enough to placate the mothers of younger views.

If "Into the Woods" is an example of what's to come, than I am looking forward to the continued efforts and collaborations of Mason's Theater Department and School of Music.                                                                          

Performances are:Friday the 26th at 8 p.m.
Saturday the 27th at 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday the 28th at 4 p.m.

Ticket prices:
Students, Faculty, Staff—$15
General Admission—$20

Backstage with the cast of "Into the Woods"
by Connect2Mason reporter Jasmine Smith

The stage is set. Actors are in full costume and ready to rehearse. The lights are low and the house is quiet. For many, this is just a night full of homework assignments and studying for exams.

For others, it’s the night before the opening show. With all the anticipation, remembering lines and undergoing full costume and makeup, actors Rafael Medina and Kyle Imperatore are calm, cool, collected and refined when it comes to the musical production of “Into the Woods”.

“There’s just a beautiful emphasis on human connection and leaning on one another for support, trusting each other and believing in one another,” said Medina, who plays Jack in the show. “I find that to be the most powerful part of this story,”

Medina, a senior at George Mason University majoring in global affairs with a double-minor in music and theatre has always been passionate about theatre. Medina has been acting since his freshman year of high school as well as playing the violin since the age of nine.

Like Medina, Imperatore is more than excited for the opening of such a big production.

“The journey that we’re going on in real life, is something that we’re all participate in together, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that and we think that we’re alone in the world,” said Imperatore, who plays the character of the Baker. Imperatore is majoring in music composition. This will be Imperatore’s first production working with the Department of Theater.

Both Medina and Imperatore are not only excited for the opening night of this production, but see the beauty within the contexts of the script and those participating in the show. “It’s such a huge undertaking for everyone – you know, the cast, the crew, the musicians, even the directors but it’s so worth it, and I think the audience will realize that,” said Imperatore. The hope is to have more joint productions between the School of Music and the Theater Department.

“I think the show is going to be like a gem. People who haven’t been involved with theatre or music at Mason, will really see the gem shine,” said Medina.The production of “Into the Woods” is hoping to drive efforts between the School of Music and the Department of Theater to create a musical theater program for students at Mason. In the fall of 2013, both programs will be offering a certificate in musical theater. The goal is to soon offer a degree program in musical theater to Mason Students.