About the show

Go to the Woods! An in-the-round, playful yet perilous woodland theatre experience awaits as the Silver Spotlight Theatre wing of MTP presents INTO THE WOODS at the Auburn Stage. This musical theatre adventure follows some of the Grimm Brothers’ most beloved characters as they search for their wishes and see their stories collide in the woods where things don’t always appear as they seem. #SSTWoods

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece... and a rare modern classic. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching.

The story follows 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. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

THE CAST

Narrator - TONI WILSON

Baker - CHAD PURCELL
Barker's Wife - KATHY MacDONALD

Witch - KATE MILNER
Rapunzel - LESLEY ANDREW*
Mysterious Man - JOEL DELL

Cinderella - HELENA JANIK
Cinderella's Stepmother - CAROL TAYLOR-WILKS
Florinda - RACHELLE PETERSON
Lucinda - HEATHER HEATHCOTE

Cinderella's Prince - RICK KISH*
Rapunzel’s Prince - JENSEN CAUGHLIN

Jack - RICHARD CRUM
Jack's Mother - CHERYL DUFFET
Giant - TERI MAY

Little Red Riding Hood - SUSAN McKONE
Wolf - DUNCAN EDGAR
Grandmother - MARIA MARSH

Steward - DON MILLAR
Cinderella's Mother - ANGIE JANSEN
Bird Puppeteer - THERESE HIBBS
Cinderella's Father - MITCH ZIMMER

Snow White - TRACEY ANDRUS
Sleeping Beauty - JANICE VAN DASLER
Milky White - BECKY LENKO

*appears with special permission of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

CAST PHOTOS AND BIOS

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The ARITISTIC & PRODUCTION Team

DIRECTOR: Rick Smith
PRODUCER: Cindi Armer-Almeida
MUSIC DIRECTOR: Andrew Petrasiunas
STAGE MANAGER: Cameron Johnston

LIGHTING DESIGN: Frank Almeida
SET DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER: Tom Smyth
SET CONSTRUCTION COORDINATOR: Gerry Johnston
COSTUME DESIGN: Becky Lenko
SOUND DESIGN: Peter Mennie
PROPS MASTER & WIGS: Dianne Taylor

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGERS: Sharon Lindenburger, Teri May, Janice Van Dasler
PROPS ASSISTANT: Diana Barr
SOUND: Brian Ince

SET CONSTRUCTION & SCENIC PAINTING (THE SWAMP RATS):
Jim Brown, Peter Cassidy, Jensen Caughlin, Bob Gerow, Brian Ince, Mike Jewison, Gerry Johnston,
Paul Mansfield, Emilie Michienzi, Randy Selin, Ofer Bin-Noon, and Tom Smyth

HOUSE TECHNICIAN: Steve Allen
PRODUCTION CONSULTANT: Mike Jewison
PUBLICITY, PROGRAM HEAD, AD SALES: Richard Young
ASSISTANT PROGRAM HEAD: Val Cavalini
MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS LIASION: Mark Baines

Artistic and Production TEAM PHOTOS AND BIOS

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SPECIAL EVENTS

We are thrilled to announce that the presentation for Tom Smyth and Bob Gerow, the next recipients of MTP’s annual Lifetime Membership honour, will take place during our run of Stephen Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS, presented by MTP's Silver Spotlight Theatre. Each year, the MTP board selects individuals whose support of MTP and contributions to the London community at large deserve recognition. Previous recipients of the award include Art Fidler, Liz Van Doorne, Stephen and Deborah Mitchell, Chris Wood, Kevin Bice, Anne Cuthbert, John Gerry, Ross Davidson, Laura Wood, and Angela Southern.

Tom Smyth and Bob Gerow have been the backbone of MTP’s productions, sometimes even literally, for many years, both being deeply involved in the building sets and the maintenance of MTP’s storage and construction facility, affectionately known as “The Swamp”. Both came to join MTP shortly after they each retired and moved to London and then were welcomed into the “Swamp Rats”. In addition to their production work, Tom and Bob both served on the MTP Board of Directors for 15 years and 5 years respectively.

Through his children’s passion for theatre, Tom Smyth was a part of community theatre in Ottawa for 14 years before moving to London in 2007. Since then, he has been involved in 28 MTP shows (and counting!) as a carpenter, set construction coordinator, assistant stage manager and production manager. In addition to his collaboration on numerous other sets, Tom has designed the sets for several of MTP’s productions himself including Nunsense, Songs for a New World and Silver Spotlight’s Grease! and Into the Woods.

Since joining MTP’s Swamp Rats in 2010 with Seussical, Bob Gerow was involved in over 25 productions as a member of the set construction team. Bob was an integral part of MTP’s search for a new storage and construction facility when the original “Swamp” was lost, helping us find our new home on York Street in the facility owned by Big Top Rentals. Through the years of theatrical shutdowns during the pandemic, Bob was instrumental in keeping MTP alive by finding government grants to keep us afloat and prevent us from losing our space once again. 

In addition to their work with MTP, Tom and Bob also shared their construction skills with other local theatre companies including the London Community Players (on a co-production with MTP), Scooter Productions and Theatre Azir. Their passion for live theatre and impressive sets that transport audiences to a whole new world is evident on each production that they lent their hands to and their years of service to the London arts community.

Join us on Sunday November 24, 2024, on the Auburn Stage - The Grand Theatre, for a special honouring of Tom Smyth and Bob Gerow, at the matinee  performance of Silver Spotlight’s INTO THE WOODS! After the show, join us for a reception in their honour as well as that of the talented cast and crew of this magical production.