South Coast Repertory student actors find lessons in ‘Into the Woods’

Aug. 10, 2017 4 PM PT

South Coast Repertory’s student actors are inviting audiences to take a journey with them in exploring favorite storybook characters in a modern take on classic fairy tales.

There might not be a happily-ever-after ending, they warn, but there are lessons.

“Into the Woods,” the Tony Award-winning musical written by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, will be presented through Aug. 20 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. The show will feature about 30 students enrolled in the Summer Players program.

Participants are Orange County students in grades 4 through 12 . They are dedicated actors auditioning for roles in the annual production after at least a year in the SCR Theatre Conservatory.

Hisa Takakuwa, conservatory director, and Erin McNally, an actor, vocalist and longtime conservatory instructor, last led “Into the Woods” six years ago.

The directors — who will mark their 12th musical together this year — said they wanted to tell the story a second time since the piece challenges young actors to explore who they are while they perform a full Broadway musical.

The Tony Award-winning show intertwines the plots of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel” and “Jack and the Beanstalk,” with new characters who discover the consequences of having wishes come true.

Conservatory students Katherine Parrish, who will play the witch, and Kelsey Bray, who will play Cinderella, graduated from high school this year and have been working with Takakuwa and McNally in acting classes and in Summer Players.

Parrish, a Las Flores resident who will attend Manhattan School of Music, and Bray, a Trabuco Canyon resident who will study at Oklahoma City University, said the musical gives them the opportunity to learn about how the actions of individuals affect others.

“It shows that life is a mess, but that’s OK — bad things happen but you can always find someone else who will help you through the hard time,” Bray, 19, said. “You are not alone.”

“The main focus of the show is that when disaster strikes, you have to work together,” Parrish said.

Takakuwa and McNally praised their cast, which is composed of seasoned actors and novices. They said they are fortunate to work with children as doing so keeps their work fresh, questions their creative processes and inspires them to guide with confidence, helping their students reach their potential.

Theater at an early age impacts students’ lives in a number of ways, McNally said, pointing to personal experience.

“This sounds so corny, but theater really did save my life,” McNally said. “It was about confidence, the escape and putting my heart into something while creating a family in the ensemble. It made me feel like a valued member and to be the person I needed when I was young.

“I love getting to see that growth in these kids.”