Apart from the production of the musical, The Into the Woods Jr. Residency has included several other aspects, generating various workshops and projects, initiated by the Resident Artists and by the schools.

From visits to a farm, where the students milked a cow and made butter; hikes deep 'into the woods' to collect rocks, leaves, vines and do tree rubbings; a soil conservation project, writing poems and their own fairy tales, designing sets, props and costumes.

Workshop Descriptions

9/14/01
School Visits for Site Review and Meeting Staff
Lead residency artist, Cheryl Foster, will visit each school to assess space and view classrooms

Week 1 9/17/01 - 9/21/01
Orientation to Into the Woods, Jr.
Discussion of the history and purpose of fables, folk and fairy tales, study of the fairy tales embedded in Into The Woods and discussion of synopsis of Into The Woods

Week 2 9/24/01 - 9/28/01
Into the Woods, Jr. Character and Scene Analysis
Discussion on character and scene analysis as it pertains to costume, set and prop requirements of Into The Woods, Jr.

Week 3 10/1/01 - 10/5/01
Costume Design and Makeup
A brief history of costume and make-up design. What does a costume designer do? How do they do it? Who do they work with and where do they work? How does the designer solve problems? How do the designers and the director work together to tell the story?Discussion of the Into The Woods design concept established by the Kennedy Center and the director and how we will serve that vision. Drawing from the student's experiences and backgrounds, a general discussion of each character and what they think they should look like to help tell the story.

Week 4** 10/8/01 - 10/12/01
Set and Prop Design
Discussion of the definition of a set and the role of a set designer. Attributes of a successful set designer. How to read a play to analyze set and prop requirements. The director/set designer relationship - answers that can only come from the director and his interpretation of the play. Methods of communicating ideas visually - scale drawings, model making, color washes, magic markers, colored pencils. Practice of scale drawing computations.

Week 5 10/15/01 - 10/19/01
Acting Workshop Part I/Introduction to Musical Theater
Discussion of musical theater (origins, timeline of evolution). Discussion of Sondheim and his musicals. Discussion of individuals involved with musical theater production and physical aspects of staging.

Week 6 10/22/01 - 10/26/01
Acting Workshop Part II
Director leads movement and creativity exercises.
Friday, 10/22/01: Field Trip: Tour of the Kennedy Center and the AFI Theater. During the field trip, a discussion of how a costume designer designs for this size theater (the use of color, scale, and detail). Description of the quick changes in this production and how the costumes will be designed and executed to make the "magic" possible. Students will take all information and measurements of stage necessary to complete scale drawings and models in workshops.

Week 7 10/29/01 - 11/2/01
Scene and Prop Analysis
Discussion of materials and tools for making props. Dissecting the play and Directors comments for scene and prop requirements. Color themes, key elements, Directors priorities. Discussion of value of research - photos, articles, Internet.

Week 8 11/5/01 - 11/9/01
Costume Design Part II
Wednesday, 11/7/01 - Field Trip to Oxon Cover Park (exploring the woods)

Week 9** 11/12/01 - 11/16/01
Costume Design: Review and Critique of Designs by Director
Presentation of student's design ideas and discussion of the entire design with Director. Finalization of designs and discussion of how we will acquire materials and important actor information to facilitate the construction of the costumes in the spring.

11/19/01 - 11/23/01
NO SESSIONS - WEEK OF THANKSGIVING

Week 10 11/26/01 - 11/30/01
Set and Prop Design: Review and Critique of Designs by Director
Director will critique student presentations and provide feedback. Final set and prop design decisions agreed upon. Discussion of fabrication techniques an calendar.