On April 20, 21, 22 and 23, Middleton High School (MHS) Theatre presented its rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Into The Woods.” Around 90 students participated in the production of this show; some were acting, others were part of the stage crew and more played in the pit orchestra. The show was directed by Katrina Brunner, designed by Zane Enloe and produced by Alissa Berman, with music direction by Jamie Pitt.

The process of designing the costumes for this show, while lengthy, was ultimately worth it. The costumes crew– made up of eleven MHS and Clark Street Community School (CSCS) students– began work on the show in mid-February. Their work involved brainstorming ideas for each character, selecting from their stock of existing costumes, ordering new items, making repairs and putting on the finishing touches. From there, the costumes crew focused their efforts on organizing quick changes and preparing for potential costume malfunctions.

Pictured are the “Into The Woods” cast as they run through their final dress rehearsal before opening night. From left to right: Alex Arinkin (12), Mason Bauer (12), Sylvie Schmitz (10), Reese Johanningmeier (11), Vera Akimova (12), Annabelle Latino (12), Grace Freiberg (12), Kate Vatthauer (12), Kennedy Wagner (12), Jack Asmus (12), Roddy McLellan (11), Shay Roy-Lewis (9), Isa Garay (12), Nicky Westerlund (12), Linus Ballard (10), Ava Greenberg (9), Lalou Ratsimihah (12), Matthew Jordan (12), Sophie Pieters (12), Owen Sehgal (10) and Isa Killian (9).

Gallery • 17 Photos

Keira Marckel

The Witch, played by MHS senior Lalou Ratsmihah, begins as an incredibly powerful yet haggard old woman, dressed in a tattered, long black cape. But as the story progresses, The Witch sacrifices her magic powers for beauty. In a mysterious turn of events, The Witch had to be transformed very quickly into a seemingly young, gorgeous, flashy character. Such a sharp transition meant an on-stage quick-change needed to be planned and carried out by the show’s costume crew. The solution was to make the original long black cape easily removable while keeping this sparkly black dress hidden underneath it. After the quick change, The Witch wore the sequined black dress as-is for the rest of the first act. During the second act, The Witch wore the purple cape on the left with purple feathered gloves to maintain her witchy look.