Fall Musical, 'Into the Woods,' Success!

December 2nd, 2024

Last week, our PACARTS program wrapped up our fall musical– Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods. This production brought audiences back into the transformed gymnasium at Pacifica for a unique theatrical experience. With five sold out shows over two weekends following months of rehearsal and preparation, our student performers and behind-the-scenes crew members did not disappoint. A huge congratulations to our Director of the Arts, Mr. Nate Overby, on his third successful PACARTS production.

Into the Woods is a classic Sondheim musical that intertwines various classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Rapunzel”, “Cinderella”, and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” All of these tales are woven together by the story of a childless baker, played by Pacifica senior Elijah Segal, and his wife, played by junior Nona Goddard, on their journey to start a family. In their quest to break the family curse laid upon them by the witch, played by senior Anna Duboc, they must obtain various items from Little Red, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Jack (played by junior Aurora Malerba, senior Lexi Sexton, sophomore Tara Romero, and sophomore Colin Sexton, respectively). Act I concludes with a seemingly happy ending, which leads into a chaotic twist in Act II that stems from an angry giant, played by sophomore Lola Pedzwater, going on a murderous rampage through the woods. It’s a musical that kept our audiences on the edge of their seats with suspense, romance, tragedy, and laughter.

For the first time ever, our stage was arranged horizontally in the gym, providing unprecedented possibilities for staging and set design. After months of memorizing lines, perfecting harmonies, and blocking scenes, it all came together during tech week with the rest of the crew. Tech week requires students to remain at the school for long rehearsals into the evening, which is both a tiring and exciting time of bonding for our arts students. Get an inside look into tech week here! Our set design crew, led by seniors Vyvien Estes and Luka Vasyanov, labored to create the mystical woods, Rapunzel’s tower, and other prop items. The stage crew, led by senior Anna Mori, coordinated lighting and mic cues meticulously. The backstage crew, led by senior Roman Lenz, worked to transition set elements, aid with costumes, and prepare props. The house crew prepared to greet audience members and offer concessions. It culminated into an incredible set of performances that left us in awe of the talent and hard work put forth by our PACARTS students.

With the closing of Into the Woods, our PACARTS department sets its sights on our spring play, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Thank you to everyone who came to see this amazing production and support our arts students. A very special thank you to our staff who poured their time and talent into guiding our students through this show: Nate Overby, director and producer; Jeffrey Porter, technical director; Andres Fierro, conductor; Carson Vandermade, set design lead; and Violet Comer, choreographer. Another warm thank you to our parent volunteers.

Posted in the category Pacifica Life.