Into the Woods by the College of Arts Enchants Audiences in a Bold, Inclusive Musical Theatre Production

How far would you go to get what you wish for and what might you lose along the way? These questions sit at the heart of Into the Woods, the latest large-scale musical theatre production presented by the School of Fine Art and Music (SOFAM) and the School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing (SOTEC) in the College of Arts at the University of Guelph. The production invited audiences into a richly layered world where fairy tales collide, choices carry consequences and every path taken reshapes the story that follows. 

Left to right: U of G student actor, ensemble; Meera Sontam as Rapunzel. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo

Foreground: Emma Harper as Jack; background: members of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo 

Running to strong audience turnout with over 1,000 tickets sold across four performances that ran March 13 through March 15, Into the Woods brought together students, faculty and professional collaborators in a complex and ambitious staging that showcased the depth of musical theatre training at the University of Guelph. Audiences responded enthusiastically to the production’s scale, musicianship and storytelling, reflecting the strong engagement generated across campus and the wider community. 

Foreground: Karleigh Martin as The Baker’s Wife; background: members of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo 

Foreground: James Black as Rapunzel’s Prince; background: members of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo  

A Collaborative Vision on Stage

The production was shaped by a dedicated creative team working across performance, music, design and technical production. Key artistic leadership included: 

• Robert Allan, choreographer and assistant professor of Musical Theatre and Dance  
• Dr. Kimberly Francis, music director/faculty lead and director, School of Fine Art and Music 
• Marion Samuel-Stevens, vocal and show director; adjunct professor and vocal music educator in the College of Arts 

Foreground: Charly Graham as Little Red Riding Hood; background: member of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo 

Foreground, left to right: Noah Ryan as The Baker and Stephen Haronitis as The Wolf; background: member of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo 

“The group effort, commitment and support, shared by all members of the cast and crew shows the true meaning of theatre; community, shared experiences, support and collaboration,” commented Marion Samuel-Stevens. 

The production also achieved tremendous success as a result of the impactful contributions from:

• U of G student actors including: 
  • Taylor Pyke (Bachelor of Arts – Major in Political Science and Minor in French) as The Narrator 
  • Georgia Rutter (Bachelor of Biological Sciences – Minor in Music) as Cinderella 
  • Emma Harper (Bachelor of Arts in Music – Minor in Computing and Information Science) as Jack 
  • Matt Curran (Bachelor of Arts in Music) as Jack’s Mother 
  • Noah Ryan (Bachelor of Science in Agriculture – Major in Horticulture) as The Baker 
  • Karleigh Martin (Honours Bachelor of Arts – Major in Music and Minor in Media and Cinema Studies) as The Baker’s Wife 
  • Alexandra Mahony as Cinderella’s Stepmother 
  • Marissa Grace Pavlovski (Honours Bachelor of Arts, Sexualities, Genders and Social Change, with a Minor in Family, Child Studies) as Florinda 
  • Rylee Baird as Lucinda 
  • Jack French (Bachelor of Arts and Sciences, Theatre and Biology) as Cinderella’s Father 
  • Charly Graham (Bachelor of Arts – English Major with a Theatre Studies Minor) as Little Red Riding Hood 
  • Aoibhinn Macken-Luyt (Bachelor of Arts with Specializations in Theatre and Music) as The Witch 
  • Danielle Doucette (Bachelor of Arts in Music) as Cinderella’s Mother 
  • Benny Mckenzie-Sutter (Bachelor of Arts – Major in Music with a Minor in Media and Cinema Studies) as The Mysterious Man 
  • Stephen Haronitis as The Wolf 
  • Crystal Strachan as The Grandmother 
  • Meera Sontam (Honours Bachelor of Science - Major in Biomedical Sciences with a Minor in Music Voice) as Rapunzel 
  • James Black (Political Science) as Rapunzel’s Prince 
  • Ivan Oban as Cinderella’s Prince 
  • Ethan Emes as The Steward 
  • Amie Von Zuben (Honours Bachelor of Arts in Music) as The Giant, Sleeping Beauty 
  • Diana Valliant (Bachelor of Arts in Music) as Snow White 
  • The following members of the THST*3000 Theatre Studies Experiential Learning class: Hannah Abush, Aliza Avon, James Benum, Chelsea Christina, Alexis Cole, Sierra Cole, Emma Galak, Grayson Heltcher, Alexandra Mussar, Ivan Obad, Thea Ridland, Morgan Scheffold-Higdon, Oscar Stonehouse, Grace Tinning, Mia Van Leeuwen and Olivea Wade 
  • Stage band members: Sophia Holden (first violin, concertmaster), Noa Maorov (first violin), Elias Joshi (second violin, principle), Laura Eisenhuth (second violin), Francis Harrison (viola), Oliver Clemo (violin), Olivia Gould (violin), Nigel Hogwarth-Shute (cello), Sun Xiaoyi (bass), Erica Gilmore (flute, principle), Ava Laffin (clarinet, principle), Emma Taylor (bassoon, principle), Adrian Furtado (trumpet), Julie Taylor (trumpet), Hailey Graham (French horn, first - principle), Eleanor Ferreira (French horn, second), Makaila Angolan (piano and synthesiser, principle), Adelaide Lamb (piano, principle), Claude McCaleb-Pauly (piano), Tian Sitahal (synthesiser), Ethan Anger (percussion, principle), Joseph Laezza (percussion), Will McMillan (percussion), Julie Taylor (assistant music director) and Exodous Smith (music arranger) 
  • The ensemble which included the following U of G student actors: 
  • Ella Davis 
  • Natalie England 
  • Laura Fleming 
  • Samantha Glucksman 
  • Hayley Howson 
  • Charlee Hutchings-Saik 
  • Rachel McKenzie  
  • Maddy Meeuwse 
  • Jamie Moro 
  • Tegan Moses 
  • Mycah Olson 
  • Sienna Pinnock 
  • Ahmad Samakie     

Production coordination and technical leadership were led by Bonnie Thomson, production manager and production coordinator, SOTEC, alongside a large team of designers, technicians, musicians, ushers and stage crew whose combined efforts supported the show’s professional polish. Members of that team include: 

• Ryan Ahlers (technical director and scenic construction; audio system design and mixing) 
• Simon Flint (production design, costume construction supervision)   
• Luc James (technical support, band mixing and Radio Frequency technician) 
• Liam Wesley (stage management) 
• Mea Pereira (front of house management and production support) 
• Nicole Sawrantschuk (hair and makeup design) 
• Exodous Smith (light operation and production support)  
• Chloe Oliveira and Eirini Anderson (audio assistant and production support) 
• Lauren Gravelle and Sebin Lim (assistant stage support and production support) 
• Oscar Stonehouse (scenic construction and production support) 
• Geneviève LoCicero (wardrobe and production support) 

Much appreciation is also extended to other key community partners, including Austen Bell who facilitated lighting design, Sara Szymanski who coordinated lighting plot and Red Hauser who arranged additional prop support. The College also thanks North America Construction (1993) Ltd. | NAC Constructors Ltd. for their generous sponsorship of the production. 

In addition, the College is appreciative of the invaluable contributions of the following individuals: 

• Sara and Bill Laidlaw, who are dedicated donors to the performing arts at U of G (Bill is a College of Arts Alumnus, BA '74) 
• Lisa Tersigni-Holt, Zach Henderson and Madi Miller-Gouk from the U of G Conference Services team 
• U of G and College of Arts staff and faculty: 
• Sally Hickson, director, School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing 
• Nicola Ferguson, Barb Merrill and Robert Edwards (administrative support) 
• Cathy Chan and Heather Rattray (multimedia) 
• Samantha Brennan (dean, College of Arts) 
• Emily Deckert (event support) 
• Ann Vandergust (operations and event support) 
• Alexis De Leon (financial coordination)   

Learning, Access and Artistic Growth

A defining feature of Into the Woods was its commitment to inclusive and accessible performance training. The production brought together students from a wide range of academic backgrounds and levels of experience, reflecting the open and barrier-conscious approach to musical theatre education of SOTEC and SOFAM. 

Students in lead and ensemble roles worked alongside peers with extensive performance backgrounds as well as those encountering musical theatre production for the first time. Faculty noted that this mix of experience levels created a dynamic learning environment in which collaboration, mentorship and collaborative artistic discovery were central to the rehearsal process. 

The production also formed part of a broader teaching model that emphasizes experiential learning, professional standards and creative risk-taking within a supportive academic setting. Students were actively engaged not only as performers but also as developing artists working within a fully realized production ecosystem. 

Above: Georgia Rutter as Cinderella. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo

Foreground: Aoibhinn Macken-Luyt as The Witch; background: Emma Harper as Jack, Charly Graham as Little Red Riding Hood and members of the ensemble. Photo credit: Joshua Lonuzzo 

Behind the Scenes Excellence

The success of the production relied on extensive behind-the-scenes collaboration across design, construction, technical production and orchestral performance. The production team contributed to scenic and costume design, sound and lighting, stage management and technical operations, ensuring the production met a high level of artistic and technical execution. 

“This was a tour de force and we did it as a strong team deeply committed to training students to do their very best,” commented Kimberly Francis. 

The band members were part of the production’s full live orchestra, an increasingly rare component in post-secondary musical theatre that added depth and immediacy to the performances and highlighted the program’s commitment to high-level, industry-aligned training. Faculty emphasized that the integration of live musicianship and performance created a uniquely immersive learning environment for students. 

Audience Response and Production Impact

Formal audience feedback indicated strong engagement with the production’s performances, staging and musical execution. The production was noted for its clarity of storytelling, ensemble cohesion and the ambition of its staging.  

Audience attendance reflected broad interest from across the University community and beyond, reinforcing the role of musical theatre as a unifying cultural and educational experience.  

Curious what’s coming up next? Browse upcoming performances and reserve your seats at the Arts Box Office website.