Preview: Forte Theatre Company Ventures INTO THE WOODS

Forte Theatre Company invites you Into the Woods at Franklin's Saber Center for the Performing Arts. Led by Artistic Director Randall Dodge and Executive Director Brenda Dodge, Into the Woods runs April 14-23rd.

This 1987 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine features an ensemble cast of iconic fairytale characters. It's the story of what happens after the happily-ever-after. I recently chatted with Randall and Brenda Dodge about the upcoming production:

For those unfamiliar, can you share your elevator pitch for Into the Woods?
Into the Woods combines the fairy-tale stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and more, ultimately going beyond "ever after" to explore what happens next. One of Stephen Sondheim's most popular works, it explores themes like family, acceptance and the lengths we'll go to get what we think we want.

What made you choose Into the Woods to close out your season?
This is the final mainstage show of our 2022/2023 season. We knew we wanted to produce a Sondheim show within the first few years of Forte's existence. Stephen Sondheim is a personal hero of Artistic Director Randall Dodge, who has performed himself in many Sondheim shows including Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music and more. He played the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in a production of Into the Woods on the West Coast and it is one of his top 5 favorite shows of all time.

We knew that the local professional talent that we have previously worked with, and hoped to work with in the future, could make for a perfect opportunity casting-wise. We've been thrilled to see this incredible ensemble come together!

This is a large ensemble cast! What was the casting process like?
We saw more people for Into the Woods than for any other show so far. We ended up having multiple callbacks for this production so we could see how everyone worked together. Ultimately, we feel we landed on a perfect cast.

This ensemble has come together in a remarkable way. When you get this many talented artists together, who are willing to work as hard as they do, magic happens!

What would you like audiences to know about this amazing cast?
The cast is made up of local professional talent, many of whom have worked at Milwaukee Rep, Skylight Music Theatre, Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Opera Theatre.

We have a lot of cast members who come from the opera world, in addition to their musical theatre experience, which is helpful for the intricate musicianship that is needed for this show.

You'll recognize many actors who have been in previous Forte productions, such as Molly Kempfer, Candy Decker, Kathy Pyeatt, Bretty Sweeney and Lydia Rose Eiche Ross (who has been in every Forte show we've produced!). But with a cast of nineteen, we have a lot of new faces in this production too.

What can people expect from the sets and costumes in this fairytale world?
Robert Sagadin has outdone himself in transforming the stage into a lush, mysterious and sometimes frightening forest. Filling a stage of this size definitely comes with its challenges, but the levels, backdrops and lighting effects brilliantly help create this magical world.

Nikki Heiniger has done a wonderful job with the costumes as well. We can't wait for the audience to see the world that's been created.

Anything else you'd like audiences to know?
Forte Theatre Company is trying to up the ante with every production. The Sound of Music, which we produced last fall, was our first mainstage show at the Saber Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. And we're thrilled that for Into the Woods, we'll have our first ever live orchestra. We're so excited to be able to hire local professional musicians, especially on a musically challenging show like this.

Tickets are available at fortetheatrecompany.org for just $20-$30 -- a wonderful value for professional theatre in the Milwaukee area. Forte Theatre Company's mission is to bring professional theatre to Milwaukee's suburbs.

Into the Woods Show Dates/Times:
Friday, April 14th @ 7pm
Saturday, April 15th @ 7 pm
Sunday, April 16th @ 2 pm
Friday, April 21st @ 7 pm
Saturday, April 22nd @ 7 pm
Sunday, April 23rd @ 2 pm