Chesterton High School Music Department Presents “Into the Woods” Fall Musical

The Chesterton High School (CHS) Music Department hosted the first showing of the performance “Into the Woods” on Thursday, November 20. 

Mara Huneryager, a junior at Chesterton High School, played the role of Jack’s mom in the performance. Preparation for this performance has been a long process that she’s had a lot of fun with.

“We’ve been rehearsing since the end of September, so it really hasn’t been that long. We’ve been really dialed in on these final practices,” Huneryager said. “It’s been fun exploring the different ways to perceive life.”

“Into the Woods” is one of Stephen Sondheim’s most popular musicals. It takes a combination of fairy tale characters and puts them together in a unique way. The show features a baker and his wife who desperately want a child, Cinderella wanting to go to the King’s Festival, and Jack wishing for his cow to produce some milk. 

The story gets a little complicated when the Baker and his wife find out a witch has cursed them. They can’t have a baby until the curse is broken, so they head into the woods on a journey, running into these familiar characters along the way.

Karleigh Pawlyszyn, a senior at Chesterton High School, played the Witch. Even though getting ready for opening night took a lot of work, she’s glad for how it all came together.

“The music in the show has been the hardest thing, because there’s so much music involved with the lines,” Pawlyszyn said. “This cast has definitely been the closest cast, and it’s such a small group. I feel like we’ve gotten so much closer and we have really locked in our parts.”

After months of preparation and rehearsals, the show has been built up piece by piece for the past two months leading up to opening day.

“Just recently, we’ve gotten our set, our costumes, and mics,” Pawlyszyn said. “It’s just a whole bunch of working parts coming together, and now it’s finally all perfect.” 

When it comes to Pawlyszyn’s favorite part in the musical, it’s a moment that is conveyed with strong emotions.

“It’s definitely the song called ‘Witch’s Lament’ because it’s a sad song, but I’m angry in it,” Pawlyszyn said. “It’s a really good song and I love it. I get to put so much emotion into it. I’m also looking forward to playing my ugly witch character in the beginning of the show because I’ve had to learn this voice and do all these other weird things that she does.”

Not only does this performance showcase a variety of talent, but it brings out the best in a group that considers itself a family.

“Show choir and theater is a lot more physical than people think,” Huneryager said. “This show has been more mentally extreme, because we need to have confidence in ourselves. We’re all best friends, and we all know each other from show choir. Every single one of us is also in show choir. We’ve known each other for such a long time. We’re just like a big family.” 

When the cast, crew, and director are all working together and having a good time, it shows on stage. Those are the shows that people remember years later, and the performers do for a lifetime.

Kristin Morris is the director of the Chesterton High School Music Department. She says this cast is as close as any group that she’s ever directed, and hopes the audience can appreciate their hard work on this show for the entire weekend. 

“Into the Woods” will be performed again on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22, with a 7 p.m. showing on both days in the CHS Auditorium.

For more information on Chesterton High School, you can visit its website.