On November 12, Wilmington Friends hosted their first Musical of the year! WFS selected the well-known musical, Into the Woods. The musical consists of famous actors like Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, and Johnny Depp. Like the movie and broadway musical, the WFS production of Into the woods was well received by both adults and students. The journey of creating this fairytale was stressful, time-consuming, and at some points, overwhelming. Every student and teacher involved with this school musical sacrificed many late nights to give the WFS community a great show!

This musical would not have been the same without Piper Roskovensky ‘26. She played Little Red Riding Hood, being the only freshman with a lead role. In an interview, Piper explained how she felt nervous right before she went on stage. But Piper masked her nerves perfectly and performed outstandingly, impressing many in the audience. When asked about how prepared the cast was, Piper said, “Even though we had nerves, I felt that we were all very prepared. We spent so many hours and night rehearsals to prepare for the musical, and it definitely helped us to feel ready for the performance.” Piper’s musical experience was even better because she got to do her first upper school musical with her brother, Duncan ’24. The sibling’s highlight was their duet, Hello, Little Girl. “I think it was fun to perform the scenes together! It was different because I never really worked with him a lot during school, but I think because of the scene, it was comedic for the audience.” (Roskovensky) Once Piper finished her final performance on Sunday, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Though she was filled with pride and elation for everything the cast accomplished, she still felt unhappy thinking over the memories the cast made together. She was sad because she knew she would never get to make the same memories with the same cast.

Emma Slease ‘23, another lead in the musical, played the evil step-sister. Emma was a leader on and off of the stage. Emma was also a captain on the WFS field hockey team. She balanced field hockey playoffs with her team, school work, and the musical. Yet, she is thankful for the experiences that the musical brought her even while her schedule became packed with commitments. “Between school, field hockey, and the musical, my schedule was extremely busy and definitely stressful. However, I don’t regret adding the musical to my schedule because even though it added stress, it was so much fun and I’m so grateful that I was able to participate in something like that before college.” (Slease) Despite being very busy, Emma put her all into every rehearsal. She would rush out of practice just to spend the next few hours rehearsing. She voiced how everyone in the cast came together and worked hard to accomplish their goal of a successful performance. “Our last rehearsal on Thursday definitely could’ve been better, but by Friday morning we pulled everything together and really gave it our all. Each and every cast member worked really hard on their parts, and we couldn’t have done it without our directors, members of tech, members of the pit, and our stage managers.” (Slease) The cast exemplified one of the Quaker SPICES, community, by coming together to create a positive community to complete their performances. The cast spent so much time together which brought them closer to each other.

Finally, it can’t be a musical without directors. Sara Gaines and Margaret Anne Butterfield have been partners for many years. Currently, the duo directs both middle and high schoolers. They have pushed their students out of their comfort zone to create amazing performances. Mrs. Butterfield had a very demanding role in this production. While many students have struggled with being overwhelmed, so did the teachers. “Every production has moments when you get over-tired and stressed, especially the last weeks leading up to performances. That’s all to be expected, however, and the anticipation of the final product keeps you going. I actually enjoy the rehearsal process. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness students growing in ways other than academically. Putting all the little details together is also very satisfying – I love it when a prop gets a laugh or some other reaction!” (Butterfield) She expressed how she never regretted committing to this show. The musical was a great experience for both students and the cast. Each member of the cast worked and sacrificed so much to give our school a fantastic performance!