For two weekends, in the middle of Bradley’s campus, a magical world awaits; behind the Hartmann Center doors, in the Meyer Jacobs Theatre, you can be transported “Into the Woods.”
The beloved musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, intertwines several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, from Cinderella and Rapunzel to Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. At the center of it all, a baker and his wife wish to start a family, but a witch’s curse leads them “Into the Woods” and into these legendary stories.
Opening tonight, the show marks Bradley’s first full-scale musical since “Little Women” in 2017, and the scope of this milestone matches its significance.
“The energy is unbelievable, because the scale of this production is nothing that we’ve done in my time,” Theatre Arts Department Chair Chad Lowell said. “A typical show for us has about 30 people involved; we have 77 people on this show.”
This total includes a cast and crew of students from over 30 different majors as well as an accomplished production team. Lowell himself wore many hats, acting as producer, scenic designer and charge artist. Additionally, he recruited Emmy-winning makeup artist Brad Look, costume designer Tom Slotten, music director and Broadway veteran Susan Sommerville-Brown and guest director Al Oltmanns for the project.
With 15 years of formal directing experience, Oltmanns reflected on what makes working at Bradley unique.
“[Bradley has] this really rare lightning-in-a-bottle type of department, where it’s a small department, and you definitely feel at home and cozy, but it attracts such serious artists,” Oltmanns said. “The fact that all of the designers on the production team are really established, impressive people, and even if they’re retired, they’re choosing to be involved in a show here, it just speaks to the standards of the department and the joy that comes out of it.”
Rehearsals began on Sept. 1, and the cast has spent roughly 20 hours a week practicing since then. Now, they hope their time and effort will pay off. All they need is an audience.
“I’ve never been to this many rehearsals in the span of two months,” Gabe Nye, a junior theatre performance major, said. “It’s exhausting, but it’s worth it, because this is what I want to do. I want this to be my career, so I’m grateful for all of this.”
Nye plays two roles: the Narrator and the Mysterious Man. The story he narrates is full of twists and turns, even for those familiar with “Into the Woods,” as Bradley’s interpretation differs from any version before it.
Picture modernized costumes, evil stepsisters inspired by the Kardashians and a man where the Big Bad Wolf would typically be.
“There is still magic,” Oltmanns said. “The witch is very much magical, and giants exist, but everyone we see on stage is a person who is dealing with life just like any of us.”
Through this modern lens, Oltmanns hopes audiences will see the show as a cautionary tale.
“A lot of the story really seemed pressing in 2025 to me,” the director said. “These people are dealing with financial hardship and economic instability, warring with each other and placing blame, and a lot of that is stuff I see every day in the news. I thought this is exciting if we don’t put it in the past … but instead set it as the near future … it helps make it more real and gives people more to chew on when they leave the theater rather than being able to disconnect and sit back and watch a fairytale.”
Another surprise for audience members will be witnessing the first use of the turntable installed over the summer. A circular platform set in the center of the stage, this can move actors and set pieces around, adding dimension to a scene.
“It becomes another element to help tell the story, and it allows us to train students on high-end technology,” Lowell said.
This new feature aligns with the entertainment engineering major, which was introduced this year and is welcoming five students. As part of their curriculum, these students learned to program the turntable for “Into the Woods.”
“We’re only the fifth program in the entire country to have entertainment engineering,” Lowell added. “It’s a project I’ve been working on for 13 years, and it became a reality in August, so I’m really excited … I’m expecting it to take off as a hot new major here.”
As Bradley’s Theatre Arts Department continues to advance, “Into the Woods” acts as a step toward large-scale productions and greater community engagement. After an eight-year break from musical productions, the university is now committed to putting one on every other fall.
Going into the opening weekend, ticket sales are promising. Already, more tickets have been sold for “Into the Woods” than for any show at Bradley in the last decade.
Tickets are sold at the door, but to get them before they sell out, click here or order ahead by contacting sjg@bradley.edu.
Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and next Thursday. On Sundays, a matinee showing will start at 2 p.m.
Everyone is encouraged, at least for a few hours, to step into the magical world of “Into the Woods.”
“I think we have a really solid, excellent production,” Lowell said. “I think everyone will be walking out humming the music for days. I think they’ll be moved to tears, moved to laughter; it’s the full gambit of emotions, and it’s 90 percent student-driven. For a college campus to see peers putting on quality art, I think that’s worth viewing.”
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