Why “into the woods”???
The woods are places of magic, imagination, discovery…
Shakespeare sends the lovers into the forest in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to sort out their tangled lives, where nature is in turmoil thanks to the king & queen of the fairies, where ultimately there is resolution and peace, and where Bottom has a most rare dream…
He sends Prospero and his baby daughter in “The Tempest” to a magic isle “full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not” where they thrive, where enemies are brought to justice and where those who were enslaved find freedom.
The outcasts of “As You Like It” find shelter, food, kindness and romance in the Forest of Arden, allowing them to find themselves and each other.
In “Cymbeline” Imogen finds herself stranded in the forest but it offers her sanctuary, the discovery of her lost brothers and ultimately restoration.
The riotous culmination of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” unfolds amidst the trees of Windsor Park, Falstaff expecting a night of unbridled passion: “For me, I am here a Windsor stag, and the fattest I think in the forest!” but is forced to face up to some home truths.
Time and again the woods, the rural idyll, some kind of Arcadia, offer characters a time out, a place to dream, wonder, play, explore and learn about themselves. And not just in Shakespeare. How many fairy tales require their heroes and heroines to venture into the forest to undergo change and self-determination? Sondheim and Lupine’s “Into the Woods” captures this beautifully with every character embarking their own woodland journey to make their wishes come true. J.M. Barrie shipwrecks the butler, “The Admirable Crichton”, to a tropical heaven along with the household he serves, in order to examine the class system; Samuel Beckett sets his characters in strange, troubling wastelands for their journeys of discovery. The list goes on.
“Into the Woods Drama”, therefore, was created by Miranda to offer participants the chance to explore the magic and imagination of theatre, the power of words and movement, whilst developing their own skills, maybe learning something new, maybe even learning something new about themselves. So what are you waiting for? Like Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, like Imogen, Rosalind, Lysander and Demetrius, come with us, step into the woods…
About Miranda Lapworth Powell
Miranda has a wealth of experience teaching drama, running workshops and drama groups, theatre directing and, indeed, working on her own plays.
She read English at Oxford University, followed by a brief turn as an actress, but swiftly discovered that she was better at telling others what to do. She gained her Diploma from The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and has been directing, examining, writing and teaching for the last forty years.
Catch up on my blog ‘Shakesprattle’ exploring the relevance of Shakespeare today:
https://miranda4967.wixsite.com/mysite
Enjoy my blog on “Busted Flush”, exploring the brutal world of menopause and the victorious triumph of old hags. It is an accompaniment to the play, “Busted Flush”, which I co-wrote and which won a new playwrighting award.