University Of Kentucky College Of Fine Arts

INTO THE WOODS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

From the Chair

Dear Friends,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2025–2026 season of the Department of Theatre and Dance. Each year, our stages become places where stories take flight and foster meaningful conversations, offer moments of escape, and where movement and music bring awareness to pressing issues and new ideas. Most importantly, they are spaces where our students and faculty bring their artistry, research, and imagination to life before a live audience.

This season offers a remarkable range of productions that showcase the depth and variety of our department: from the magical journey of Into the Woods to the urgent and contemporary storytelling of Hype Man: A Break Beat Play. We continue our strong commitment to dance with the dynamic Visions in Motion concert and the student-driven innovation of A Collective in Muse. We close the season with a bold, reimagined staging of The Great Gatsby, immersing audiences in both the glamour and the disillusionment of the Jazz Age.

These productions represent the collaborative efforts of more than 100 students—actors, dancers, designers, technicians, stage managers, and creators—who bring classroom learning into a professional-caliber performance environment. Guided by our extraordinary faculty and staff, our students take risks, experiment with new ideas, and grow as both artists and individuals.

I am deeply grateful to our Dean, Associate Deans, faculty and guest artists for their vision, to the College of Fine Arts for their unwavering support, and to you—our community of patrons—for making it all possible. Theatre and dance thrive through shared experience, and your presence ensures that our students’ voices are heard.

We are thrilled to share these productions with you, and I invite you to join us in celebrating the artistry, passion, and innovation that define the Department of Theatre and Dance on the prestigious College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky.

With excitement and gratitude,
Susie Thiel
Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance

From the Director

"Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. Do not let it grieve you, no one leaves for good."

For Gavin

A special thank you to Jim Betts at Bluegrass Baking Company, to Joy Kenion and Harlii Lewis, and to Marlena Schieffer and Wright Williams. And to the faculty of the Department of Theatre & Dance: this production is a culmination of all that our students have learned from each of you over their time here. Your guidance, care, and skill has made it possible for them to create this work.

Christina Ritter
Director, Into the Woods

Cast

Roman Tate
Baker

Joslyn Baumgardner
Baker's Wife

Semajé Thornton
Witch

Aria Daffron
Little Red

Elijah Merricks
Jack

Faith Sammons
Cinderella

Zander Chojnacki
Cinderella's Prince/Wolf

Kelsey Roy
Rapunzel

Ian Hammond
Rapunzel's Prince

Caroline Beyer
Narrator