“Into The Woods” is being performed by the Miami Theatre Players to show the side of fairy tale characters that audiences may not have seen.
A spin-off of classic fairy tale stories, “Into The Woods” follows characters past their happily-ever-afters, winding them around a story of the Baker and his wife. Each character follows one another into the woods to trade what they think will bring them happiness, but what they learn causes nothing but chaos.
“The first act of the show is all about the characters getting what they want,” Lauren Nimetz, a fourth-year English major and assistant director of the production, said. “It’s when the second act starts that you see that you might not actually want what you think you want.”
“Into The Woods” was a challenging production to put on because of the amount of attention it deserved, Blake McGready, a second-year secondary education major and director of the production, said. The show runs two and a half hours long and contains numerous characters.
The Miami Theatre Players voted to put this production on with the consideration that all cast and crew members would be willing to put in the time and effort the show deserved.
“I hope the audience doesn’t forget that this is a student-run production,” McGready said. “That isn’t meant to be a disclaimer, but I think what we do entirely by ourselves is pretty impressive.”
Regardless of the time commitment, Miami is a community organization consisting of those who truly want to be involved, members said. This dedication is reflected in the demeanor of the cast, Nicole Bader, a first-year undeclared major, said.
“We all love theater and we’re all there because it’s our passion,” Bader said. “Since it’s not a requirement, I think it says something that we’re all there because we want to be and that we’re giving it our all.”
Bader plays Cinderella, a character that has always been seen in a certain light. “Into The Woods,” however, illuminates a different side of the classic character. While getting into character, Bader studied other versions of Cinderella to learn all of the qualities of the fairy tale princess.
“People have their own perception of who Cinderella is, but no one knows this Cinderella,” Bader said. “It’s been a challenge to embody her. I tried not to mimic what I saw in the movies. I wanted to make the character my own. All the characters in this show are not what they seem to be.”
“Into The Woods” is very community-driven, much like The Miami Theatre Players, McGready said. He said the message of the organization is mirrored in the play, making their performance much more poignant.
“Act two is all about community. That’s what Miami is,” McGready said. “We’re a community organization, so if you want to be involved, we’re here for you.”
“Into The Woods” will run until Friday, April 6 at 7 p.m. in Studley Theatre.