New York Stage and Film & BalletCollective to Present THE WOODS

New York Stage and Film and BalletCollective will present The Woods, part of SAF’s 40th Anniversary Season running from July 11-August 3. The Woods will be 1 of 12 public-facing projects in residence in Poughkeepsie, NY, culminating in two public presentations on Saturday July 26 at 8pm & Sunday July 27 at 3pm at Marist University.

The Woods is an immersive concert experience created by San Fermin, led by composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and adventurous production company BalletCollective, led by choreographer/director Troy Schumacher, New York City Ballet. Schumacher and Ludwig-Leone also collaborated closely with Emmy Award-winning set and production designer Jason Ardizzone-West throughout the creative development of The Woods.

Ludwig-Leone and Schumacher have been creative partners since 2013’s “truly singular” (New York Times) ballet The Impulse Wants Company, and have since created eight pieces together, culminating in 2023’s The Night Falls, an “ingenious” (The New Yorker) work of musical theater that merged the worlds of opera and dance.

The music of San Fermin, lauded for its “knack for simultaneously expressing beauty and crisis,” (The New Yorker), lends itself to this expansive setting and theatrical treatment. What is the role of storytelling—and songwriting—in a constantly shifting, often terrifying reality? The Woods celebrates the alchemical power of music and dance to transform fear and loss into life-affirming and communal experiences: in a world that is always in motion, we must resolve to love.

Initial casting includes Lead Vocalists: Allen Tate (San Fermin), Claire Wellin (San Fermin), Mckenzie Cahill; Featured Performers:Annalise Gehling, Sophie Rose Shapiro, Thomas Hogan, Mizuho Kappa, Leslie Andrea Williams; San Fermin band: Ellis Ludwig-Leone (Bandleader), Griffin Brown (Drums), Tyler McDiarmid (Guitar), Stephen Chen (Saxophone); Additional Musicians: Andy Clausen (Trombone), Addison Maye-Saxon (Trombone), Lauren Cauley (Violin); Ensemble Dancers: ArcadianBroad, Justin Daniels, Shizu Higa, Salma Kiuhan, Devin Loh, Solange Rodrigues, Noah Wang, Annika Wong.

Priority Passes for The Woods are $10 and are on sale now through May 10, allowing exclusive access to purchase individual tickets to The Woods before the general public. Please note the Priority Pass only grants early access to purchasing individual tickets—it is not a ticket. Priority Passes can be purchased HERE.

Early Access Tickets for The Woods will be available May 12-14. Only Priority Pass holders will be able to purchase individual tickets during this time. An access code will be sent via email on the morning of May 12 to each pass holder. General Admission Tickets for all 2025 Summer Season projects, including The Woods, will go on sale May 27. Tickets to select performances throughout the Summer Season will include a voucher to a post-show reception with the SAF artistic community.

Please note that The Woods performance area will be standing room only, in a concert-style atmosphere. There will be seating available at each showing upon request. (Priority will be given to patrons who request them for accessibility reasons).