Marist Theatre Presents ‘Into the Woods’
The cast of Into the Woods standing united for the finale of the show. Credit: Andrew Garret Karl
At the end of March, Marist Theatre presented their spring production “Into the Woods” in the Nelly Goletti Theatre. The show sold out every night and was a big hit with the student body.
The story of “Into the Woods” follows several well-known fairy tale characters, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk) and Rapunzel, as they wander into the woods in search of completing their stories. In their travels, they encounter a baker and his wife who have been cursed with infertility, which can be cured if they bring the witch items from the woods, each coming from a different story book character.
These interactions lead to the characters forming an alliance to overpower the witch, and after everyone’s wishes are granted they face the reality that what we may wish for may not always bring us happiness.
The Marist Theatre adaptation of this production was incredible. The characters were cast perfectly and the crowd was doubled over for scenes in which the characters had some amazing chemistry that you couldn’t help but laugh at.
Emma Gaecklein ‘26 is an avid lover of theatre and absolutely loved the production. “The way the set and characters’ costumes slowly began to deconstruct and become modern was so cool and I wasn’t expecting it,” said Gaecklein.
A crowd favorite scene came from Act I when Cinderella’s Prince, portrayed by Joe Tuotso ‘23, and Rapunzel’s Prince, portrayed by Hugo Gizzi ‘26, come together to sing “Agony.” “Agony” is best described by Bustle as a song, “comparing the misery of their new-found and unobtainable loves.”
Director and choreographer, Professor Andrew Garret Karl, called his experience as an integral part of the show a “dream come true.” Karl described the show as “enormous thematically, technically and vocally.” Because of this, he spent a lot of his time forging a community to tackle the show together to ensure it reached its full potential.
Karl reflected on his time working on this production and recalled his favorite memory. “We needed all the hands we could get to mount the absolutely magnificent set by Dr. Eileen Curley, so I scheduled a ‘paint party’ that lasted into the night. We painted, played music, ate candy and became closer as a community,” said Karl.
Sophia Seriale ‘26, a member of the run crew, commented on this community building. Her favorite part of the entire process of the production was getting to know the cast and crew and forming great friendships.
During high school, Seriale worked both backstage and as a stage manager for their productions and decided to continue through college in hopes of building her skills and résumé.
Karl’s biggest piece of advice for those interested in getting involved with Marist Theatre is, “Simply show up. We are constantly looking for folks to help us behind the scenes. Where else can you be a costume designer, light board op, playwright and actor in the same year? All of those opportunities are available to Marist Theatre students, but you must show up to the General Members' Meetings and get involved.”