On August 19 and 20, the Merit School of Music was buzzing with Sondheim sounds! Seven of our scholar-artists and three ChiArts faculty members were a part of Merit’s wonderfully magical production of Into the Woods, JR. Directed by Theatre Conservatory’s A.J. Wester, alongside ChiArts’ Music and Theatre Conservatory’s Julian Chin as the Music Director and Cat Wilson on Lighting Design, the cast of 22 young artists brought the audience through the hilariously intertwined adventures of fairy tales.
Merit School of Music provides students from all over Chicago the opportunity to achieve their personal and musical potential by removing barriers to high-quality music education. Congrats to the following ChiArts faculty and scholar-artists on a successful run!
A.J. Wester, Stage Director
Julian Chin, Music Director
Cat Wilson, Lighting Design
Jordan Davis as Cinderella’s Mother
Miranda Dianovsky as Jack’s Mother
Michael Poulosophos as Wolf
Daniela Reyes as the Baker’s Wife
Aliah Robinson as Lucinda
Niani Soto as Cinderella’s Stepmother
Joanna Starr Poulos as Little Red Riding Hood
Photos courtesy of Merit School of Music.
Merit’s production of Into the Woods JR. was partially funded by Caerus Foundation, Inc., a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and Shure Incorporated.
INTO THE WOODS JR was presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials were supplied by MTI.