INTO THE WOODS
Directed by: Mark Lococo
Music Director: Michael McBride
Music and Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Book by: James Lapine
Rehearsals: February 2022
Performances: March 31-April 10, 2022
My final show at Loyola was the fantastic and magical Into the Woods. I served as the Production Stage Manager and this was the biggest project I have worked on to date. I, along with my incredible SM team, helped spearhead new positions at Loyola, including a Deck Stage Manager, an Assistant Deck Stage Manager, and worked with Loyola's first ever student pit orchestra! Overall, it was an incredible experience and was a cultivation of all the skills I have learned over the last few years, and I am extremely proud of the work of our entire company and crew.
Photo credit: Joe Mazza @BraveLux
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My role as production stage manager meant that I was engaged earlier in the process than what may be standard. I started off at the very beginning of this process, starting with helping acquire the license and get our production materials together including vocal libretto scripts, music and conductor scores. I also helped organize the beginning production meetings that started in October 2021. I have realized that I really enjoy seeing the full process of a show and find it really fascinating to see the full scope of a production from the very beginning to the very end.
I helped develop the audition materials, including the audition form and casting post, information to help organize our auditions and callbacks, ran audition and callbacks and facilitated communication between the directors, actors, and our producer/managing director. We had a very intense audition process with over 80 people audition, but we made it to through with a cast of 18 and 5 understudies.
We began our rehearsal process in the beginning of February. Our SM team established how we would work as a group and who would be responsible for tracking entrances/exits and scenic elements, who would set up/clean up the room before and after rehearsals, and what type of tone we wanted to set for the room, among many other duties. We started the process working on the music with our Music Director Michael McBride, and developing a movement vocabulary with director Mark Lococo. This was a fun process to observe and it was really informative to hear the music being learned and the incredible talent of our cast as they began their preparation. I was responsible for all communications during rehearsals to actors, design/production staff, crew, and orchestra members, and this included sending out daily calls and rehearsal reports.
We then began staging the show, and this was a very exciting process to be a part of! I was very passionate about creating a fun environment where everyone felt comfortable getting to build this world together, and I worked hard to try and make everyone feel valued and included and an integral part of the process. Our SM team checked in frequently with the cast and directing team to make sure both parties were comfortable as we moved through the script, and we spent a lot of time and effort finding ways to boost morale and keep everyone's spirits lifted. While there were certain challenges with working with a large cast, we all dove into the fluidity and spontaneity of some rehearsals and everyone was extremely professional and positive as we got this show on its feet. The cast got to do a lot of ensemble work and gestural movement work, and it was so cool to watch them build the language of the show through their actions and movement with the iconic music. While I know what a rehearsal process looks like and how it is supposed to be organized, it is beneficial and informative to see the complexities of each show and how to overcome any unique obstacles that may arise in each show. Overall, I think our rehearsal process was extremely smooth and we were in a great shape before we loaded-in to the Newhart Family Theatre and began our tech process.
I was really excited to begin this tech process! I was genuinely so thrilled to begin calling cues and see everything come together! With such an ambitious show, there were some nerves going into the tech process to make sure we got everything done in time. We spent a lot of time in rehearsals organizing our moments with larger scenic elements, puppetry, and other intricate ensemble generated movement and were able to make it through tech with everything going smoothly; we also had a big crew, including 4 operators, 4 deck crew, 6 wardrobe crew, and an A1 and A2. Everyone came prepared to work and we were able to anticipate the moments that took longer and make it through the whole show by the end of the weekend! I learned a lot about how to run the room, keep everyone on track, motivated, and focused to keep working, as well as come up with fast solutions on the spot. Once we incorporated our orchestra, there was at one point over 80 people in the room! It was quite a lot of people to manage, but our team did a great job and were able to keep on us schedule and ready for audiences to see us!
Photo credit: Joe Mazza @BraveLux
We finally made it to our opening performance! The energy that we all felt with an audience was truly remarkable, and the entire cast, crew, and orchestra gave tremendous performances that made all our hard work worth it. We ended up having a completely sold out run of performances and learned a lot about working with front of house and managing a massive audience size. We had to work through a few challenges, such as an actor getting sick during our first weekend of performances and a few technical elements needing to have some repairs/modifications, but overall it was a magical and incredible run that I am so grateful to be a part of. I learned so much about myself as a leader, a stage manager, and how I want to move forward in the theatre/performing arts world. I am so happy to have been able to cap off my time at Loyola with this show and will always hold this experience and my time here in a special place in my heart. Into the Woods to journey's end, and happy ever after!