Wesleyan School ‘Wolf Players’ perform Into the Woods

On February 3, the Wesleyan Wolf Players opened their production of Into the Woods, a musical that intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood.

For several seniors, this will be their last opportunity to perform a musical in the Wesleyan fine arts program. The seniors in the musical are Matt Free, Constance Harris, Elsah James, Ally Jones, and Elizabeth Middleton.

Free decided to participate in Into the Woods because “I have grown to love the program and the people involved. Acting as another character is freeing for me. Most people believe that the more prominent roles get to have the most fun in acting their character, but I have always enjoyed being a nameless face in the ensemble, as you get to create your own character in how you move, speak, and sing.”

Harris echoed this by saying, “This was my last chance to be in a show at Wesleyan and this theatre department has been such a large part of my life for so many years. I wanted to have one last go and share this moment with some really great friends.”

For James, she has auditioned for every production possible during her high school career. This year’s performances have been different than any other, but has also led to learning different acting methods. “Because of the masks, the audience can’t see our faces very well when we’re on stage. I have had to learn how to act and show emotion with my body language and movement, instead of just using facial expressions.”

Middleton said, “I have always loved to sing and act, and since this is my final year of high school I thought I would finish strong by participating in Into the Woods despite the limitations and difficulties of blocking and acting.”

The show runs through the weekend. Tickets are sold out and live streaming is not available for this production.

Source: Wesleyan school release