FFA in Indy for convention
By Kenny Forbeck
“Into the Woods”: Twisting musical of fairy tales gone wrong a giant success
By Dee Madden
Late Nights, laughter, and lots of practices
AN inside view of into the woods
By Dee Madden
Late nights, laughter, and lots of practice: An inside view on the casts’ experiences
Dressed in full costume, actors hurry around and chatter. Laughter and singing fills the air backstage as the actors prepare, only a night away from their first performance. The excitement tangible in the air. But beneath these signs of enthusiasm, a nervousness that never seems to go away, no matter how many shows the actors do. This was the set of the musical “Into the Woods” before the final dress rehearsal on Thursday, Nov. 3.Dress rehearsal had its ups and downs, and despite a mistaken line, the actors did amazing. Not only was their singing impressive, so was their acting. The cast had been practicing for over a month, from 3:30 to 6:00 every night, staying until ten the week before opening night. In this article are the views of three of the actors; Gabe Hannah (12), Lexi Ganong (12), and Jack Jorgensen (11), who described what being in the show was like. Gabe Hanna has been in six other plays since freshman year and was intent on the part of the Baker. He practiced his audition songs at home when possible. He was excited to get the part. “Every character is a new adventure,” he said. In a show dominated by singing, portraying a character can be hard. Hanna said, “With so many emotions running high, it’s difficult to take them and put them into a song, especially my favorite scene, ‘No More,’ where the Baker meets his father as family for the first time.” Lexi Gonong played the part of Cinderella and had been in three plays at Craig before this. She was very happy to get the part. “I love the character and the songs she got to sing, especially ‘On The Steps of The Palace.’” She described the practices as hectic and challenging. “Though we had trouble with music timing, we worked through it,” she said. And her favorite scene to play was “Your Fault,” as everyone argues and places the blame, her overall favorite scene was when the Giant searched for Jack. “I thought it was funny watching everyone throw it under the bus.” Her advice to new actors everywhere is, “Don’t be afraid to act. Everyone can act! And give it your all. No one's going to judge you for being strange on stage.” |
Jack Jorgensen has been in four plays before this and auditioned for both Jack and the Baker, but also sang as a prince in the song “Agony” during his auditions.
But he was cast for Jack, which he viewed as a big challenge going to a character he describes as “a dumb kid who grows into a man,” from his last character, in West Side Story, whom he considered to be a jerk. His favorite scene is “Giants in the Sky,” the turning point for his character to appreciate what he had, and for his family to become rich, giving them a slew of different problems. He says, “The show has brought a broader view to fairytales, and the directors made it very thought provoking.” All three of them agree though, that their favorite scene to watch was “Agony.” It was funny and added some comedic relief for a darker show. And watching the princes argue over who had it worse for girls they’d barely spoken to, laughter filled the auditorium. The cast would like to thank the directors for everything, for without them the show would be a mess. Jack Jorgensen said, “If you didn’t want to think deeply about what you're watching, go watch a movie.” |