Into the Woods: Graham Regional Theatre summer musical returns, lights up the stage this weekend

A culmination of fairy tales and local theater come together this weekend with Graham Regional Theatre’s summer musical Into the Woods at Graham Memorial Auditorium. The annual summer musical ends a summer comeback for the organization which took a short bow during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theater announced in May 2020 it would postpone all productions and activities through the end of June and extended that postponement in July 2020 to January 2021. It was not until June 2021 GRT was able to return to the stage with its Youth Theatre Camps. GRT Executive Director Christian Sanders said he is more than excited for the return of the summer musical and performances in Graham.

“I am exceedingly, exceedingly thrilled (...) and it’s not just to be performing because I don’t get to perform. I’m not in this show. It is to allow people the opportunity to see live theater again and to allow participants to perform live theater again and remember what that felt like because as much as it comes back to you, you forget and little by little as we have gotten further and further through the process we recognize that we need that feeling. And I’m hoping that we have a lot of folks turn out and remember as well why they like having live theater,” Sanders said.

The show will be held at Graham Memorial Auditorium June 25-27 with 7 p.m. performances Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. performances Saturday and Sunday. Auditions for the musical were held in April and Sanders said the actors covering 19 roles in the play have been rehearsing full-time for a little less than a month.

For the rest of the story, see the June 23 edition of The Graham Leader.