T-Shirt Design

Jon Jacquet -designer



Glow in the Dark Version

Character Descriptions

Leads/Principals: These characters have the most stage time in the show, and the most lines of any of the characters. With the exception of the narrator, each of these characters also has at least one solo, duet, or both, as well as other complicated music to learn.

CHARACTER	DESCRIPTION	VOCAL RANGE
PRINCIPALS

THE BAKER	A relatively kind man who lives a simple life in his cottage with his wife. In order to cope with insecurities, he tries to control his wife, while in reality relying on her for quite a lot. He and his wife are childless, and this is their only wish: to have a child.	Baritone: A – high G
THE WITCH (ACT 1)	A hideous, powerful witch who places a spell on the Baker and Baker’s wife, then demanding that they do as she says in order to have the spell reversed. She is selfish and cruel, but even so longs to be a good mother and to protect her child from the evils of the world.	Mezzo-Soprano: Low F - High F with good belt
THE WITCH (ACT 2)	The same character from act 1 (played by a different actor), but now transformed into a beautiful and powerless woman. She is still selfish, but has now begun to reap consequences from her actions. She denounces the other characters for being just as bad as she but for still pretending to be nice and good.	Mezzo-Soprano: Low F - High F with good belt
CINDERELLA	A sweet, young, indecisive maiden who really does not know what she wants. She wants to marry a prince, but at the same time, she cannot see herself with that life. Mourning her dead mother and living under the thumb of an oppressive stepmother and stepsisters, she journeys into the woods to find out who she is.	Soprano: G – High G
JACK	A poor boy who lives with his mother and his pet cow, Milky White. He is young and at the start not very worldly-wise. But as the story unfolds, Jack learns and discovers new things about this world, both through experiences in his own kingdom, and in a kingdom of giants up in the sky.	Tenor or high Baritone: A – High G
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD	Like Jack, she has a lot to learn in this play. Starting out extremely naïve and trusting of all people, she easy to take advantage of. She goes into the woods innocently to see her granny, and comes out of the woods knowing many new things and ready to protect herself against all strangers and potential threats.	Mezzo-Soprano: C – High E
THE BAKER’S WIFE	An independent and stubborn woman who wants to share an equal role with her husband in their relationship. She too, wants to have a child, and her persistence in doing whatever is necessary drives the Baker on when he would have given up. While she tries not to do so, she often ends up taking matters into her own hands.	Mezzo-Soprano: G – High F
NARRATOR	The ‘impartial observer’, he simply passes the story along to the audience, offering extra tidbits of commentary every once in a while about the morality of the characters in the story. He enjoys his role, sometimes making jokes, yet is completely confident that his position is absolutely necessary. It comes as quite a shock when later, the characters turn on him, calling him an “outsider” and…	Baritone: G – High E

Secondary Characters: These characters have less stage time than the leads. Most have at least 5 lines, though many have more than this and/or a medium-sized solo/duet. Most will participate in the full company numbers in addition to their solo pieces.

CHARACTER	DESCRIPTION	VOCAL RANGE
PRINCIPALS
CINDERELLA’S PRINCE	Much the same as his brother (Rapunzel’s Prince), he agonizes over tracking down the mysterious girl at the ball. He simply cannot figure out why in the world she runs away from him. Comparing his pain to his brother’s, he is sure that he is worse off and continues the endless pursuit for happily ever after.	Baritone: B – High F
RAPUNZEL’S PRINCE	He is good-looking as any prince should be, and wanders about the kingdom looking for a maiden. Seeing Rapunzel in her tower, he is ‘smitten’ with love and agonizes over his inability to reach her. When he finally does, he (like most princes) is only satisfied for a short time.	Baritone: C sharp – High E
MYSTERIOUS MAN	He is a mysterious character who lives in the woods and often pops out unexpectedly. He has a big secret to hide and his own agenda for helping and advising those with whom he speaks. This character is only in the first act of the play.	Baritone: G – High E flat
WOLF	The classic fairy-tale villain, his one goal is to fill his belly. He is particularly keen on Little Red, and invents a plot to devour both Granny and Little Red in the same day. He gets his consequences. The wolf is featured in two scenes. The actor will then participate in the rest of the chorus numbers along with the rest of the cast.	Baritone: B – High G Flat
JACK’S MOTHER	A single mother, raising Jack alone, she struggles to keep their small family unit afloat. She is constantly berating Jack for his lack of world sense, but it all comes out of her love for him. She does what she can to help herself and her family survive.	Soprano: G – High F sharp
RAPUNZEL	A maiden locked away in a tower, she longs to see the world and to be a part of it. While she calls the Witch her mother and tries to please her, she eventually decides to make her own decisions. She is punished for her disobedience, and lives a fairly pain filled life for most of the play.	High Soprano: C – High G flat
STEWARD	Servant to Cinderella’s Prince, he is ornery, demanding and cruel. He is also a selfish man and makes no effort to hide it except when sucking up to the Prince. He is the chief attendant to the Prince, and likes to do things his own way when not being watched.	Open Vocal Range
CINDERELLA’S MOTHER	Though she is dead, she has a small part to play in this story as well. As Cinderella comes to visit her grave (a tree), she sings out advice and gives her gifts from the tree. Also, she makes sure the Prince chooses Cinderella instead of one of the stepsisters as his bride.	Mezzo-Soprano: D – High F
CINDERELLA’S STEPMOTHER	A fairly small part, she has a few lines and some stage time, which she spends ordering Cinderella around, and/or groveling before her after she’s become the princess. She has a number of featured, short solos and trios within the group songs along with Florinda and Lucinda.	Mezzo-soprano: A sharp – High F
FLORINDA	One of the two stepsisters, she has a similar attitude and disposition toward Cinderella, and receives consequences for her actions.	Mezzo-Soprano: C – High E
LUCINDA	She is much the same as her sister and mother, and has about the same amount of stage time as the other two. Again, she is featured in short sections during many of the group songs.	Mezzo-Soprano: C – High E
GRANNY	Granny is a no nonsense kind of character, and as sweet as she is ‘supposed’ to be, she is quick to take revenge on the wolf that ate her. This is a small part, featured in only one scene specifically. While she has quite a few lines in this scene, she will also participate in the chorus numbers along with the rest of the cast.	Open Vocal Range
GIANT	The giant, who appears in the second act, is the wife of the giant killed by Jack in the first act. She comes down to this kingdom in search of justice and will not stop terrorizing until she has claimed Jack’s life in return. She is a booming voice from offstage. She does not sing, and we never see the actor playing this part. Of course, this actor will be in other chorus numbers as well as a different character.	Open Vocal Range
CINDERELLA’S FATHER	A battered, weak man who is led around by the nose by his new wife. He is oblivious to his suffering daughter and has not much to say about it… or anything. He has about as much stage time as the stepmother and stepsisters, but fewer lines.	Open Vocal Range

Fairy Tale Chorus Characters: These characters will participate in all chorus numbers and will also be featured 1-3 times onstage in the form of quick stage crosses and potentially an extra song.

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White’s Prince

Sleeping Beauty’s Prince

Goldilocks

Papa Bear

Mama Bear

Baby Bear

Straw pig

Wood pig

Brick pig

Doc

Dopey

Sleepy

Sneezy

Happy

Bashful

Grumpy

The Woodcutter

Hansel

Gretel

Woodcutter’s Wife

The Tree Chorus: Depending on the number of kids who audition, this group of actors will number between 5 and 20. The trees will be an integral part of the play as they help the narrator tell the story by creating the constantly shifting locations within the forest. As we bounce back and forth in the woods, we will follow numerous stories simultaneously. The trees will help us make these transitions, whooshing into different positions to create clearings, paths and densely wooded areas within the woods.

While these characters do not dance in the same way as the rest of the chorus, their position will require intense strength and controlled, flowing movement. They will sing during a few sections in the chorus numbers as well as add whispering wind noises and other forest sounds to help establish our environment.

I’m excited about this addition to the show, because the idea of having the forest being ‘alive’ greatly enhances the story. The trees will provide an eerie effect and will close in on the characters both physically and emotionally. Though they will not have lines or solos, these actors will have about as much stage time as the lead characters.

Synopsis

Into the Woods joins a number of well-known fairy tales into one story. Characters such as Little Red Ridinghood and her Granny, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella all live in the same kingdom and each have their own desperate “wishes”. In the first act, each of these characters must go into the woods to get what they want (to lift the spell, to go to the festival, to visit Granny, etc). They, of course, cross paths with each other and most decide to cheat, steal and do whatever is necessary to get what they want from those they meet.

They live happily ever after at the end of the first act, but their kingdom is visited by a giant in the second act forcing them to accept the consequences of their previous actions. After a long blame game, the characters learn that only by coming together and leaving selfish desires behind, can they save themselves from destruction. Into the Woods deals with many deep issues including selfishness, good versus evil, and the idea of how children grow through listening and learning.

Note from the Director

CYT will be performing both acts of the play.

As with many fairy tales, Into the Woods contains elements of ‘magic’, including references to curses and spells, as well as the presence of a witch. It is she who cursed the Baker and his Wife with childlessness, and she requires them to bring her certain items in order to lift this spell. At one point the witch also brings Jack’s pet cow back to life. While these elements might deter some from engaging in the story, I think that these elements only contribute to the final, good moral of the play. Its ultimate message is uplifting and encouraging to Christians and non-Christians alike.