Student performers tell their experiences as they prepare for Kirkwood Community College’s upcoming production of the musical, “Into the Woods”. The musical interweaves multiple tales inspired by the Brothers Grimm. The show, located in the Ballantyne Hall, will run through the first and second weekends of November.
Lyova Merkle played Billy Flynn in Kirkwood’s production of “Chicago” the musical and one of the twins in “The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus”. In the upcoming musical, he plays both Cinderella’s Prince and The Wolf from the fable “Little Red Riding Hood”. He explained that his current role wasn’t without its challenges. “This musical in general just has very difficult music, which is a new challenge to come forth with, a lot of different overlapping parts…Also being cast as two separate roles, the challenge of creating two different characters and really separating them from each other,” he said.
However, Merkle in contrast explained, “I know I just said the music is difficult, but I am very excited to combat this music, it is a show by Stephen Sondheim, it has always been a dream of mine to do a show by him. And it’s one of my favorite shows I have listened to, so I’m very excited for the process, to see it all come together, to see it all happen on stage.”
Another student, Laci McHenry, steps into the role of the Baker’s wife in this musical. She was also in “Chicago” as ensemble and a member of the cell block tango. McHenry expressed a different dynamic to the challenge posed by this production. “It’s probably the most emotionally taxing roll that I’ve had. The music is pretty difficult, but I’ve been able to work on that every week, every day, little by little.
I think just being in a show that’s very emotionally heavy is a little difficult for me, because I’m a little happy-go-lucky, and that can affect my mood, and I try not to let it,” she said.
McHenry also conveyed excitement at getting to work with a talented and hardworking group and exploring her acting abilities. She stated the directors, Dr. Allison Holmes-Bendixen and Emma Kostiv, “really created space where I feel comfortable to explore my character and my choices. I feel so comfortable around this group of people to really make mistakes and to grow.”
Ella Schmitz formerly played Velma Kelly in “Chicago” and Sheila in “The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus”. She plays Lucinda, Cinderella’s stepsister, in this production. Schmitz stated she has been challenged by her new role because, “This role has a lot more physical comedy than I’ve ever had the chance to play with before. I’m both intimidated and excited at the prospect and because physical comedy is a tricky line to walk between campy and overdone, and I really want my character to be campy, but not become exhausting to the audience to have to see that.”
For Lydia Kilgore, who plays Jack’s mother, this is her very first production.
“This is my first real exposure to the world of the theatre. It has been really fascinating, there’s been a learning curve, there’s theater lingo I haven’t known, like when someone says, ‘take five’ and everyone around me says ‘thank you five’. Theres been a lot to learn and really soak up, it’s a whole culture in and of itself…And one of the things I love so so much, the directing team has been absolutely phenomenal.
…The whole directing team has been so not just willing, but excited to help me come into my character and help me feel comfortable and confident and just safe on stage, and in trying to figure out how to be character and portray a person who, in the script it isn’t written in that she has disability, but to let me, Lydia, show through in that character.”
Kilgore stated she was impressed that the directors brought in a mental health coordinator to address the needs of the student performers. “I think that’s so fantastic and goes to show how supportive and how the directing team has every one of our best interests at heart,” she said.
Kilgore added, “As Lyova, Laci and Ella were saying, it’s an emotionally taxing show, Sondheim is a genius, and he absolutely was able to carve in really heavy, really morbid themes, laced in a floaty fairy tale, satirical knitwork. Like Ella said, you can watch the show and be part of the show and pick up something new every time we go through it. We are doing the show for two weekends, and I think if you see it once, you should see it again. Because there’s things you won’t pick up the first time.
It’s beautifully written, it’s heartbreaking, it’s heartwarming it’s sad, it messes with your mind and I’m excited to just be part of it. I get to bring the story to this area, in our interpretation of it. It’s just something I’ve never had the opportunity to be a part of, I just feel really lucky and grateful that I get to do it,” she said.
Categories: Campus News, News
