Student Blog: INTO THE WOODS Changed My Life

We all have that one show that has been ever present in our lives, whether we recognized it or not. I, finally, found “my” show this past October and let me tell you, it was so surreal. Looking back and seeing all of the touch points has, just maybe, been my favorite part. If the title didn’t give it away (I, sincerely, hope that no one is shocked by this), it's ‘Into the Woods’. This musical has been my secret shopper, in a sense: following me around, making its presence known, but I didn’t know why until it said “Surprise! I caught you… an offer to be in an ITW production”.

Starting at the beginning (I’ve heard that’s a good place to start), ‘Into the Woods’ entered my life when I was just seven years old. Theater wasn’t anything new to me, I was lucky enough to have parents who took me to see shows, but I wasn’t involved in the theater community. My school district had a program that incorporated school-age children into a volunteer-based theater company; I don’t know why little me rejected the thought of performing, but I never took part. I remember always considering doing one of the shows with a few friends, but even with the independent study incentive (they were just handing this out and I passed on it?!), it never fully captured my attention. These productions were always top-tier and I loved going on a field trip to see the final product. At this impressionable point of my life, the only memory I have of this production is that the Baker wore heeled boots. I am not kidding when I say I can vividly picture them. Why this was the highlight, we may never know, but I’ve never forgotten ACME’s ‘Into the Woods’.

The next time I dabbled in ‘Into the Woods’ viewing was, of course, with the release of Disney’s (James Corden’s) movie adaptation. When I say I was obsessed, I was obsessed! This movie played at least once, if not multiple times, on any 1 hour + car ride; my mom was thrilled. My enjoyment of this musical only grew while my poor mom teetered on the edge of hatred (borderline ‘Cats’ level). This brings me to 2023 when the New York City Center Encores! Broadway transfer was coming to the Ahmanson Theatre. I was so beyond excited for this limited engagement and I had even convinced my mom that she would love it; all I really had to mention was Stephanie J. Block and Gavin Creel. It was, quite frankly, one of the greatest productions/shows I have ever seen. This was in June, a few days away from my ‘Into the Woods’ audition with my local community theater. I have a habit of seeing shows, loving them, and immediately wanting to see them again, so obviously this was no different. I was desperate to see it again and so my mom made me a little wager: if I got cast, we would go back for the closing night performance. 

I, truly, credit this wager and my sheer determination, for me being cast. I would be appearing in my first musical, ever, as… drum roll please… Milky White, the star of the show. Kennedy Kanagawa was absolutely brilliant as the cow as white as milk and my inspiration. As promised, we went and saw the closing night of ITW and it will go down in history as my favorite theater experience; I have never witnessed/been a part of so many standing ovations and they were all so deserved (I could write articles, upon articles about this experience alone). It was a night I’ll never forget. I carried that energy into every rehearsal and performance of PRT’s ‘Into the Woods’ and, yes, my mom is now a big fan! I can’t begin to express how much this show means to me; this is the longest article I’ve written and I’ve only scratched the surface.

This was my first show I had the honor of performing in and I couldn’t be more grateful for the team that took a chance on me. I wouldn’t be where I am, 10 months later, without that beautiful, milky white cow. It was an honor to bring her to life and the most fun I’ve had, to date. That show and that role have opened up so many doors for me and changed my life. I have this gut feeling that my ‘Into the Woods’ journey is far from over and I can’t wait to see where this crazy show takes me. Maybe I’ll be the one wearing heeled boots. Never stop fighting for your dreams, I believe in you!

Until next time,

Brynna

ig: @_br.ynn_

tt: @brynnaweir

"Best to take a moment present
As a present for the moment"

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