Two weeks ago, the F&M Players put on a production of Into The Woods. The play follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel. These stories come together with that of a Baker and his Wife, who have been cursed with childlessness and, in order to break the spell, they must complete several missions involving the fairy tale characters. As expected, chaos ensues, and the characters must come together to restore order, learning about the importance of community in the process. If you saw the Players’ production of this play, you have sophomore Charlie Wynn to thank. Although putting on a play can be chaotic, under the leadership of this ambitious director, the Players were able to come together as a community and succeed.
Where are you from?
Wichita, Kansas
What is your major?
Psychology and Theater
Other than F&M Players, what are you involved with on campus?
PSP, Sweet Ophelia, Chamber Singers, and the Theater Department
When did you first become involved with the Players?
During my freshman year I auditioned for Once On This Island
Why did you decide to direct, rather than perform?
I’ve always wanted to do Into The Woods because it’s been my favorite musical since forever, and I knew that this would be my chance to be more involved with it rather than just being in the show.
Is there any particular reason why it’s your favorite?
I was in first grade and my mom was taking a drama class in college. She had to go as a requirement and I went with her. It was the first show I ever saw.
Did you have any experience with directing prior to this production?
I directed a one-act play during my senior year of high school.
How would you describe your experience with Into The Woods?
I would say it was positive, overall. It was really interesting to see it go from bare bones to a fully fleshed out production because, being in a show, you don’t see that side of it. You don’t see the production before anyone has been cast, so seeing it from that perspective was really interesting.
Was the experience what you expected it to be?
Yes and no. You go in with expectations thinking it’s not going to be as hard, but you also worry about it being much harder.
What kind of feedback have you received?
The chair of the Theater Department, Carol Davis, said that it was the second best production of Into The Woods that she had ever seen, the best being the original. James Lapine, a graduate of F&M, who wrote the book for the play emailed us the Saturday night before the show to wish us good luck.
What are you most proud of?
The way that the cast came together, because it’s a really difficult show. When I went home over Christmas break and said we were doing Into The Woods, people said, “That’s crazy. You can’t do it as a student production. It’s too hard.” But we did it.
If you could go back, would you have done anything differently?
There are little things that I might change here and there, but overall it went better than I could have hoped.
What did you learn from this experience?
I learned that everyone is working towards the same goal. Even if people have little feuds here or there, everyone’s working towards the same thing – to make the production as good as it can be.