playbill vip

A Note from the Director -

Once upon a time…..These four words are part of almost everyone’s childhood. When we are kids they are the beginning of an amazing adventure fullof magic and excitement. A story where the courageous hero fights the villain, good triumphs over evil and where anything is possible. These stories give us hope and a sense that the world is a huge wonderful place. As adults we start use these words to describe a magical time in the past, a time when things were simpler and less fraught with the dangers of everyday life. Tonight I hope that you will see where those two worlds collide.

Directing this show has been a dream of mine for many years. I fell in love with Into the Woods when I first heard Bernadette Peters sing “Last Midnight” on a recording that I borrowed from a friend. Since then I have always wanted to be a part of a fantastic production of this show. Now I have been given that opportunity. I have been involved with the theatre community here for 25 years in various roles and never before have I had such a culmination of talent, hard work and dedication as I have for this show. I feel very blessed to have been able to work with the incredible cast, crew and production staff that has assembled for this production.

As I have talked to people about this show throughout this production it is always hard when someone asks “So what is the show about?”. Besides the beautifully integrated stories of some of our favorite story book characters, the amazing music and lyrics that bring these characters to life and the familiar setting by which the playwright and lyricists have made this show so accessible to everyone, the characters struggles and triumphs are as varied as the stories themselves. It seems that each audience member is able to take away a different experience depending on how they choose to view the way the events unfold. And that is one of my favorite things in theatre. Whenever I do a project I try and make theatre going an experience that not only entertains an audience, but also makes them see life in a new and interesting way.

Being given the opportunity to direct this show would have been rewarding enough for me, however I have been able to enjoy the added benefit of working with some spectacular people throughout this experience. Very often people forget the community part of community theatre. The cast and crew of this show is not only incredibly talented and professional, but they are also wonderful people. These shows bring together a huge variety of people from all walks of life and with all different types of personalities to try and reach a common goal. Along the way we will have hilarious goof-ups, miraculous successes and everything in between. However what will last even after the curtain has come down is the experiences that we have had with one another and the relationships that we have built. Much like the characters in this show, none of us knew exactly what we encounter, and it may not have gone exactly how we planned, but in the end we will be changed after going Into the Woods.

John Tuttle

Director

Into the Woods