“Into the Woods Jr.” features all of your favorite characters — Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (and his beanstalk) and the Witch — in this lyrically rich retelling of classic Brothers Grimm fables. The musical centers on a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a witch’s curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse, and wind up changed forever.
Shows are 7 p.m. Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22; and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets are $15 for Adults and $13 Student and Seniors and can be purchased for all four shows by visiting https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/scrantonms/buy-tix.
Run time is 52 minutes, so you can be “into the woods, and out of the woods, and home before dark.”
Featured performers
Anna Giles as the Stewart
Anna is thrilled to be playing the Stewart in this production. She has participated in Scranton Singers for the past two years, but this is her first time in a production. She enjoys mountain biking, reading and listens to far too much music. She would like to thank her parents for always believing in her.
Drew Guerin as The Mysterious Man
Drew is an 8th grader, loves musical theatre, and is excited to play the role of the Mysterious Man. He has been in a few smaller shows before such as “Seussical Jr.” and “Press Start.” They’ve been to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camps, and they are in Scranton Singers. They loves art along with enjoying all different kinds of music and performances. They would also like to give thanks to their parents for supporting them and always being amazing.
Ireland Kane as Florinda
Ireland is excited to be playing the role of Florinda in “Into the Woods Jr.” as a 7th grader. This is her first musical production and she is so happy to be part of it. She loves to swim, sing and hang out with her friends. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support. She would also like to thank all the people who helped make this musical possible, especially the cast, crew and directors.
Mila Robbins as Milky White & Dance Ensemble
Mila is performing in the Dance Ensemble for ‘Into the Woods Jr.’ Her first planned musical was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, so Mila is delighted to be making her stage debut in this production. Mila has always loved to read and sing. She has been a proud member of Scranton Singers for the past two years. Mila has a passion for theatre arts and plans to continue pursuing this interest. She would like to thank her Mom, Dad and friends for always believing in her.
Reyleeann Sewell as Lucinda
Rey has had the best experience playing Lucinda in “Into the Woods Jr.” As a 7th grader, this is her first big musical. She enjoys music and fashion. She always enjoys math which many people don’t know about her. She dreams of being an influencer or an actress. Rey would like to thank her friends Emma B, Emalynn A, Olivia S, and her mom Reyna – thank you for being so close with me.
Eliana Veliquette as Cinderella’s Stepmother
Eliana is in 7th grade and will play the role of Cinderella’s stepmother. In the past they have been stage crew for “Alice in Wonderland.” They enjoy drawing and sometimes playing ukulele. They come from a very musical family and it has encouraged them to get into theatre.
Bailey Atkin as Narrator & Featured Vocalist
Bailey is in 7th grade and is excited to be a Narrator for “Into the Woods Jr.” Bailey has been in more than 12 productions, the majority with Encore Youth Theatre in Hartland, most recently as Rafiki in “Lion King Jr.” Bailey loves to sing, play guitar, and perform. Bailey would like to thank the directors for this opportunity, her friends for being awesome, and her family for all their support. Bailey would also like to thank Corrine Shourds for being a great voice teacher and supporter.
Falyn McCurdy as Narrator
Falyn is a narrator in “Into the Woods Jr.” This is her first time being in a musical and she really enjoys it. Her main hobby inside and outside of school is drawing and art, she also has a passion for the performing arts. At school she takes a graphic design class and its her favorite class. Falyn would love to thank her parents for encouraging her to go outside her comfort zone and audition for “Into the Woods Jr.”
Lily Simpson as Narrator
Lily is super excited to be a part of the “Into the Woods Jr.” school production as a 7th grader. She has been in productions previously with Howell Community Theatre and Hilton Musical Theatre. Lily is excited to be in this new production. She enjoys reading fantasy and playing volleyball. She would like to thank her Mom for making tiresome drives back and forth to get her where she needed to be and her Dad for cracking numerous jokes throughout the production.
Zander Voth as Narrator
Zander is delighted to be playing one of the Narrators in “Into the Woods Jr.” as a 7th grader. This is his second musical production. He has taken drama classes at school leading to small plays and skits, attended the Community Theatre of Howell’s summer camp, and has done set design and some backstage work with Pinckney Players. Zander is a whiz at ping pong and enjoys being out in nature. He would like to thank his Mom, Heather, for encouraging his love of drama.
Abrianah Elliott as Granny
Abrianah is excited to have the pleasure of playing Granny in “Into the Woods Jr.” as an 8th grader. She love singing and has performed with her a cappella group, Scranton Singers throughout the last 2 years. She has also been in choir since 3rd grade, along with vocal lessons. She enjoys spending her time in the water and around her dogs. She would like to thank her parents, siblings and friends for always being there for her and helping her grow into a better person.
Ethan Johnson as Jack
Ethan is thrilled to make his musical debut as Jack in the production of “Into the Woods Jr.” He is a 7th grader, and this is his first musical. He is very excited to perform. He would like to thank the directors: Phil Johnson, Mark Wilson, Olivia McMullen, JJ and Mrs. Hamilton for cheering him on and supporting him the whole way. He takes Choir at Scranton Middle School, likes playing video games, hanging out with friends and enjoys playing outside with his family.
Vivian Privett as Little Red Riding Hood
Vivian is in 7th grade at Scranton Middle School and is extremely excited to play Little Red in “Into the Woods Jr.” Vivian has performed with the Scranton Singers and in 6th grade she played Violet Beauregarde in “Willy Wonka Jr.” She enjoys reading, writing, singing and playing piano. She sends her thanks to her family and framily for always supporting her endeavors, her vocal coach Camille Mikat for her guidance and encouragement and the cast and creative team for supporting her in this role.
Julie Swain as Jack’s Mother
Julie is a 7th grader at Scranton Middle School and she’s thrilled to be playing Jack’s Mother in “Into the Woods Jr.” She is a part of Scranton Singers and performed at the most recent Brighton Idol. She also plays the ukulele and guitar. She wants to send a big thank you to the creative team, her friends, her vocal coach Camille Mikat, and her family who have always supported her dreams. Julie has met a ton of new friends over the past few years and she knows she will have them forever. Thank you for coming and enjoy “Into the Woods Jr.”
Faith Tisdale as The Wolf
Faith is in the 8th grade at Scranton Middle School. This is her first performance, and she is delighted to play the wolf.
Ella Buck as The Witch
Ella is so excited to play the witch in her first Scranton Musical as a 7th grader. She is in Scranton Singers and has performed in many musicals in the past. When she was younger and saw her first play, she ran up to the stage when no one was looking. Soon after, she knew her dream was in the theater. She loved to hang with friends and read. She would love to give a special thanks to her voice and acting teacher, Mrs. Friske, and her family and friends for being so supportive. I LOVE YOU MOM..
Isabelle Friske as Cinderella
Isabelle is really excited to play Cinderella in “Into the Woods Jr.” as a 7th grader. She has done productions at the First United Methodist Church. She loves to sing and dance, and she also loves to read and be outside with her family and friends. She would like to thank her Mom and her voice teacher for helping her get to this point and helping her with her music (singing). She would also like to thank her friends for all the encouragement they have given her throughout this experience.
Carson Shelton as Cinderella’s Prince
Carson has been in multiple musicals since he was in second grade. In his free time he really enjoys snowboarding and hanging out with friends. He would like to thank his Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister and Grandma for being so supportive of him for doing something he is so passionate about.
Jackson VanHall as Repunzel’s Prince
Jackson is excited and thrilled to be part of “Into the Woods Jr.” This is his 5th musical, and he looks forward to many more in the future. He loves to sing and is part of Scranton Singers as a bass. He likes to participate in leadership activities and is a member of WEB and NJHS. Jackson likes to stay active in sports and is part of the Brighton soccer team and enjoys golf in the summer. He would like to thank his friends for believing and helping him with his journey in music. Love you too, Mom.
Mila Woloszyn as Repunzel
Mila is playing Rapunzel. This is her first musical. She hopes it will be the first of many. She loves math and helping out. One way she loves to help out is as a WEB leader at Scranton. She enjoys being with her friends and tries to always make the most out of life. She would like to thank PJ and the crew for giving her the opportunity to have fun and make new friends. She also thanks her parents for working around her crazy schedule.
MJ Bitonti as The Baker’s Wife
MJ is so excited to be playing the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods Jr. as a 7th grader. This has been on of their favorite movies for years and they have always wanted to perform in this show. This is MJ’s 10th show. They have also performed with the Scranton Singers at various concerts and events – you may have seen her perform at the most recent Brighton Idol. MJ loves to sing and act more than anything else. They are also a song writer and have written over 60 songs. They are honored to play this role.
Vaan Otto as The Baker
Vaan is thrilled for his first show with Brighton Musical Theatre. His previous credits include: Young Christopher (“Home for the Holidays,” The Dio), Young Lon/Creighton (“A Thousand Faces,” World Premiere Cast at The Encore), Theo (“Pippin,” Nicely Theatre Group), Flick (“A Christmas Story,” The Encore). This summer, he will appear as Arty (“Lost in Yonkers,” The Dio). Vaan sends thanks to his voice coaches, Marlene Inman & Frank Pitts, and his acting coach Liz Jaffe Smoot. Love to Mom, Dad & Carson.
Ensemble
Alexis Alford as Ensemble Dancer
Alexis is an 8th grader at Scranton Middle School. This is her 3rd performance with a musical, and she is so happy to be a part of it. She loves dancing and is a baton twirler. She is an avid reader and loves to hang out with her friends. She loves art and coming up with new ideas. She would like to thank her parents for encouraging her to do this and her Uncle JD for sharing his theatrical experience with her.
Summer Beard as Ensemble Dancer
Summer is a 7th grader at Scranton Middle School. She would like to thank this cast because they have helped her have a lot and they have fun. She would like to thank her whole family for telling her not to give up when she didn’t get the role she wanted and pushed her to make a success out of a failure.
Natalie Colombo as Set Movement & Ensemble
Natalie is very happy to be included in Into the Woods Jr. They’ve been in a couple of musical productions before, but this one is probably the best one they’ve been in. They love singing. It’s actually one of their favorite things to do. They also like to draw and do anything creative. They are really happy to be a part of the show.
Delila Demers as Set Movement & Ensemble
Delila is in 7th grade and has been in one other show, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Jr”. She enjoys playing the ukulele and guitar. She is in choir and plans to continue through the rest of school. She would like to thank her parents and sister for always encouraging her.
Julia Harris as Set Movement & Ensemble
Julia is in 8th grade at Scranton Middle School. She is a person who doesn’t like to do a lot, so she would like to thank her parents, her Candy Gamma, and her Great Aunt CC for all the support she’s gotten from them. They have helped her so much.
Emma Johnson as Cinderella’s Father, Set Movement & Ensemble
Emma is elated to play Cinderella’s father in Into the Woods Jr. as a 7th grader. This is her 10th production. Emma takes drama at Scranton and aspires to help people feel accepted and wanted through acting and playing characters. She would like to thank her friends for always being there for her and the cast for being amazing people. Most of all she wants to thank Jesus and her parents for all their support and love.
Sydney Kovacs as Ensemble Dancer
Sydney is excited to have the opportunity to be part of the 2023 Scranton Musical. She is a 7th grader with Into the Woods being her first musical production. She has loved to sing ever since she could remember. She also plays for Top Gun volleyball and enjoys playing piano, the arts and baking. She loves to be outdoors, traveling and camping. She would like to thank all the amazing choir directors and teachers who have pushed her to keep pursuing choir and music.
Lillian Precht as Ensemble Dancer
Lilly is very excited to be a ballroom dancer and house staff in this year’s production of “Into the Woods Jr.” Lilly is in 7th grade and enjoys creating art, singing and dancing. Lilly has been in many plays before, and is very excited for this production. Lilly has loved working with this cast, and hopes there are more opportunities to work with them in the future. She would like to thank her family for supporting her. She would also like to thank the cast and the directors for helping to put on an amazing show.
Kaitlyn Simon as Ensemble Dancer
Kaitlyn is happy to be a part of “Into the Woods Jr.” as a part of the ensemble. Previously, she has been part of “Seussical Jr.” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Kaitlyn loves to read fantasy novels and is on the swim team. She would like to give a big thank you to her parents for encouraging her to try out for the musical.
Madalyn Simon as Ensemble Dancer
Madalyn is thrilled to be in this year’s production of “Into the Woods Jr.” as a 7th grader. She is an Ensemble Dancer. She has been in Maltby’s Willy Wonka Jr. as Mrs. Buckett, she was also in Spencer’s production of “Seussical Jr.” and “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” She enjoys swimming for Scranton’s Swim and Dive Team and Brighton Aquatics. She would like to thank her parents and sister for encouraging her and believing she could do it.
Madilyn St. Clair as Cinderella’s Mother & Ensemble Dancer
Madilyn has always had a love for singing and music from the time she was 3 years old. Her love for acting followed soon after. She has played the narrator in “Wizard of Oz,” Mr. Mayor in “Seussical,” Alice in “Alice in Wonderland,” and she played Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka.” She has enjoyed every moment of all of these plays.
Brynlie Stodgell as Ensemble Dancer
Brynlie is excited to take part in the Scranton Middle School production. She is a ballroom dancer, loves to play volleyball, and go to the movies with friends. The is Brynlie’s 5th musical. She has been in Alice in Wonderland and Seussical the Musical. Brynlie would like to thank the Scranton musical directors because they have shown her that you can’t always be perfect.
