Franklin Regional students prepare for ‘Into the Woods’ with a scaled-down audience
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Franklin Regional Senior High School students might be performing Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” but when it comes to health and safety, they certainly aren’t out of the woods yet.
That means this year’s spring musical attendance will be restricted to the families of cast and crew members.
But for director Mark Wolfgang, the crowd is not as crucial as the camaraderie.
“It’s so nice to see the kids doing things they really enjoy, seeing them smile and make some of those connections that are challenging to make in the current educational setting,” Wolfgang said.
Even so, the size of this year’s cast has been cut nearly in half, Wolfgang said. And senior Maria Mento, 18, who will play a lead role as the Baker’s Wife in Sondheim’s tongue-in-cheek take on classic children’s fairy tales, said the full cast has been together for only one rehearsal.
“It’s a lot of practicing on your own and knowing what you’re doing,” Mento said.
This year’s cast also will be singing along to a recording of the orchestration, rather than working with a full orchestra pit.
“We have to know where the pauses are and when to time things,” said senior Keethu Shriram, 17, who will play the Witch. “The nice thing is, once you figure that out, it doesn’t ever change.”
One big change from last year is that the show will not be livestreamed for those wanting to watch from home.
“There’s so many challenges and things I’ve had to tackle that I’d never thought about before,” Wolfgang said. “I wasn’t ready for (streaming) to be added as another wrinkle in a show that’s totally different than how I’ve ever done one before.”
Last year, Wolfgang, the cast and crew were able to sneak in two performances of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” just ahead of the first covid-19 lockdown in Pennsylvania, and they also streamed the show for viewers at home.
Senior Paige Klinger, who will play Little Red Riding Hood, wished more people had a chance to see the show.
“It’s our senior year, so it’s tough not being able to have a full audience,” Klinger said.
Shriram agreed, but added, “We’re just so grateful that we’re able to do a musical.”
That’s the important part for Wolfgang.
“I knew I wanted to do a musical for these students, and I thought this was the best way to make it happen,” he said. “We got support from the administration, and we went for it.”
But with a constantly shifting health-and-safety landscape, especially when it comes to schools, Wolfgang wanted to err on the side of caution.
“We figured it would be easiest to (perform) this for the kids, their families and their closest friends,” he said. “That’s what this year is about. As much as I’d like to invite the community, it’s just not feasible in this setting.
“It was really important for me to give the kids a chance to perform and a chance for their parents to see it,” he said.
“Into the Woods” will run March 11-14 in the senior high school auditorium on the Franklin Regional campus, 3200 School Road in Murrysville.
For more information, including restrictions on ticket sales, see FRHSmusical.com.