“Into the Woods” will be performed Friday to Sunday at Dunkirk Secondary School.

Students at the Dunkirk Secondary School are busy preparing for this year’s spring musical “Into the Woods.” The musical will take place at the Dunkirk Secondary School Auditorium from Friday to Sunday. Tickets will be available at the door.

Into the Woods debuted on Broadway in 1987 and has since been revived 3 times. It was the second collaboration between Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from “Little Red Riding Hood” (spelled “Ridinghood” in the published vocal score), “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel”, “Cinderella”, and several others. The musical is tied together by a story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family (the original beginning of the Grimm Brothers’ “Rapunzel”), their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and encounters with other storybook characters during their journey.

The musical theatre program has gone through several transitions over the past few years, but, this year, they are starting fresh with a brand new, professional director, Janie Villella-Sharon. Along with being the general music teacher at Northern Chautauqua Catholic School, Janie has an extensive repertoire in directing, choreography and performing professionally throughout the region and the East coast. She has directed and choreographed over 50 productions and is thrilled to be leading the new team at Dunkirk Secondary School.

“There is something truly special about the students here,” said Ms. Janie (as she is lovingly referred to by her students). “This story is not only about magic but about having faith and trust in others. These are things that this cast has learned throughout the process, how to have faith in each other and to believe in the magic of the future.”

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at the door.