BY LEAYNE DEMPSEY, YAA’S DRAMATURG FOR INTO THE WOODS

In advance for this weekend’s premiere of Into the Woods, Leayne Dempsey, our production Dramaturg, brings us this fascinating take in her blog column, Leayne’s POV. Read it below and get your tickets for this weekend’s premiere at www.yaa.org/tickets.

Into the Woods

This spring, Young Artists of America entered into the fairytale world of Stephen Sondheim’s, Into the Woods. This “fairytale musical quest,” introduces us to two new characters: The Baker and his Wife, who journey alongside timeless classics such as: Cinderella, Jack in the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood. 

As the dramaturg for this show, my responsibility was to provide historical context for our company of performers. From learning about the Brothers Grimm Museum and the Grimm’s fairy tales, to a virtual fairy tale tour of Rapunzel’s tower in Germany, to Sondheim’s musical composition style, we used our virtual setting as an opportunity to explore what the world had to offer to this creative process.

Exploring “Happily Ever After” in 2021

At the start of the show, the audience is introduced to the three main storylines all at once. Immediately, the audience learns of each character’s desire, the thing they wish for more than anything. Sondheim seamlessly uses the music to transition between characters and the commencement of their journeys. This is the moment, he describes, when the audience is at, “the edge of the diving board, and ready to go.” As their worlds collide in the woods, we quickly realize that this “fairytale quest” is not what we thought it was, and we are taken on a journey of what it means to live happily ever after.

So, what does it really mean to live happily ever after? Does it mean that we get what we’ve wished for? Do we need others to get to our happily ever after, or can we get there on our own? In 2021, these questions have become even more prevalent as we live our lives through a historic pandemic. The changes in our everyday routines, the interrupted plans of our celebrations, and the postponement of opportunities we felt were once in a lifetime, make the idea of being “out of the woods” and into our “ever after” even more palpable, and possibly even more desirable.

Learning that We’re All Connected

And maybe, it’s the second act that we need to see and hear the most. (Don’t worry, no spoilers here.) It’s the moment when we realize it takes more than ourselves to get to where we want to be. The moment when one becomes two, and when your dreams and wishes become as important as my own. Into the Woods is a beautifully woven musical that reveals that we  are all connected, and despite our ambitions to succeed alone, we have to take the journey together.

This creative team has worked tirelessly to create this production. All of the rehearsals, sound mixing, filming, and editing have culminated into a stellar debut of shear talent. So I invite you to come into the woods with us, let yourself be as enchanted with this story as we have been this spring. Who knows, you may even find that you too wish for something more than anything.

Sincerely, 

Leayne C. Dempsey

Dramaturg, YAA production of Into the Woods

Cited Source: 

Hobson, F. (2016, May 30). Into The Woods: Composer Stephen Sondheim Interview. Retrieved from https://thecarousel.com/beauty/fashion/celeb-style/woods-composer-stephen-sondheim-reveals-score-lyrics-behind-musical-masterpiece/