STUDENT CENTER BLOG: INTO THE WOODS

STUDENT CENTER BLOG: INTO THE WOODS - Justify The Beans #2

William Peace University's Theatre Department will present Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS from February 13-23, 2013 at the Leggett Theatre. BroadwayWorld is thrilled to welcome one of the shows's stars, Maigan Kennedy (who will play The Baker's Wife), as she blogs the exciting journey to the stage.

Hello again, BroadwayWorld! It is so lovely to see all of your bright shining faces once more.

We are called for rehearsal from 6:30-9:30 Monday through Friday (and sporadic hours on weekends). Though there is a lot of material to cover (a veritable TON), not everyone is on stage learning blocking at the same time. There is an abundance of spare time in which we could be backstage running lines, drinking tea to sooth our hard-working throats, re-working choreography... But we all tend to find other ways to occupy our time.

Julie prefers to do headstands.

Melissa likes to take naps, and may need a bigger couch.

These WPU Nerdles like to have cuddle parties.

Josh enjoys drawing caricatures of his fellow Company members.

And last, but not least, my favorite method of wasting time-- pestering our fascinating and talented costume designer, Laura Parker.

Laura received her bachelor's from Georgia State University and went to Law School at NC Central. She is NC State University's full-time costume technician and a licensed North Carolina attorney.

Laura started making costumes in high school. She was active in the Renaissance Faire and other festivals, making renaissance and medievel costumes for herself and friends.

Even Laura's wedding was Renaissance-themed, because she said it was cheaper and more personal.

After the wedding, she put the left-over costumes on Ebay, where they were sold quickly, and people began requesting custom orders...

Thus, Laura's Renaissance Costuming business ('99-'07) was born!

Laura's favorite materials to work with are natural- silk, wool, linen, cotton, etc. She says they move nicely on-stage and breathe well.

"If you could see her through my eyes..." The gorilla mask is a left-over from WPU's production of Cabaret.

By combining both NC State's and WPU's costume collections, Laura is able to costume any show, anywhere, in any time period.

While in my fitting for the Baker's Wife's costume, I tried on a turn of the century sheer embroidered shirtwaist. The second Laura said, "this shirt is over one hundred years old," my hands started sweating. I don't allow myself to wear white clothing, because my record for keeping a white garment white is 6 seconds.

Fortunately for my nerves, Laura decided on another shirt... But what an experience! Trying on a shirt that's older than my great-grandmother. Maybe even my great-great grandmother... We have our kids real young in the South, y'all.

Stay tuned for more adventures Into the Woods!

For tickets and to learn more about INTO THE WOODS at William Peace, click here.

Maigan Kennedy is a sophomore in the Musical Theatre BFA program at William Peace University. Before college, she spent a year in Turkey, where she learned the language and taught music to children. She has played Celimene in a student adaptation of Moliere's The Misanthrope, and Jesus in Godspell. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the cello, transposing Gregorian chant, and writing autobiographical blips. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her coffee maker and sundry overdue library books.

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