Cover Image: Some of the Into The Wood’s cast with props made by Terri Denison (center holding chicken). (from left) Anne Cooksey, Ken Goodman, Craig Welle, Skyler Clayton, Terri, Damon Schleuse, Kerene Larson and Jill Fitzgerald.
HSV Players Presents Into The Woods
Of all the more than 45 props Terri Denison had to create for Into The Woods, a severed toe was probably the weirdest! But with a little clay and creativity, she did it – along with a wide variety of props that make this musical comedy come alive. Terri enthused, “Creating a chicken to run across the stage was probably the hardest, but that toe was a weird one. But wait until you see the princes ride their ‘horses’ across the stage!”
Terri is the prop master, set designer, and stage manager for Into The Woods, which will hit the stage at the Woodlands Auditorium on June 22-25. Months of work went into creating props, sets, costumes, music, sound, and special effects resulting in this spectacular presentation.
Designing the set was no easy task – it included a brick tower, trees, stumps, stone paths, and several homes for the fairy tale characters in the play. Terri Denison began working on the concepts when the play was announced, combing area flea markets and antique shops for items that could be turned into props. She works with Ralph Butler, who builds the sets for the Players’ productions. Her work really kicks in during the play’s run when she is also the stage manager, which means making sure all those props get into the right hands at the right time, the sets are in the right place, the lights go up and down, and the curtain opens and closes at the right times.
She did the same jobs for last year’s production of The Wizard of Oz but did it from a wheelchair with a broken leg. Terri has always been passionate about art – painting, drawing, pottery, graphic arts and more. “Working on these productions has become an obsession, seeing my visions come to life,” expressed Terri.
Into the Woods, a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Sondheim and based on the book by James Lapine, is directed by Kat Clayton and produced by Janis Bremer. The musical direction is by Lynne Border.
The play is a fun (and different) take on several Brothers Grimm fairy tales that explore the consequences of the characters’ wishes and the quests they undertake to make those wishes come true. A baker and his wife want a child, but first they’ve got to lift a family curse placed by an ugly old witch. They set off into the woods with a three-day deadline to find the four ingredients the witch demands for lifting the curse.
Terri and her husband Dan, Vice President of the HSV Players, relocated to the Village from Omaha, Nebraska in 2020.
The production is at the Woodlands Theater in Hot Springs Village on June 22-25 Click here to purchase tickets. For those traveling from outside Hot Springs Village, just be prepared to show your tickets at the gate.
By Becky Babineaux, HSV Players
