By: Emilee Caldera
Into the woods is a musical in which entails a series of fairytales intertwined into one performance. Although higher-end performances would be ideal for carrying out this act, our drama club here at Braddock did a great job recreating what is considered a very difficult musical.
Going into the performance, the troupe was very optimistic about how the musical would go, especially with the support of their new teacher, Ms. Pons. When asked how she felt about working with her, Jessica Calle (playing Jack) said “It’s a new experience because we did a lot of things that were new to us because we were so used to the previous routine, but it was good because [in the acting field] you will change directors all the time… it was a positive experience and I look forward to working with her again.”
Although the group did have a hard time with preparing the set, as well as problems in terms of audio, you could see the group’s quick adaptations to the technical difficulties. Despite the fact that these were big challenges, this theatrically advanced collection of student’s hard work paid off with a seamless production that took over two hundred spectators by storm. This production was chosen by first time director, Dustin Duphrey as well as Ms. Pons, who believed that it would be a respectable and challenging performance to put on. Even though they knew it would be demanding, they were both trusting enough in their troupe to make a great turn out and with long daily rehearsals beginning in January, their hopefulness was fulfilled by complete success.
Dustin said that “Although the production was very stressful, we went through thick and thin for this musical, from being here early on Saturdays to late on school nights… but it was more than satisfactory and the actors pulled it off [and he is ] excited to work with Ms. Pons again.” For the seniors who are not as fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with her another year, the experience was heartwarming and they will cherish it as one of their last performances at Braddock. Senior Janelle Gonzalez, says “Honestly I feel heartbroken, it’s really unfortunate that this is the last show that I did with Braddock and I performed my heart out to make up for the past three years.”
This production left us with a sweet taste in our mouths that leaves us with a craving for more. Stay tuned thespian lovers, it seems like there are more big performances to look forward to.
The Watchdog 