PictureThe poster for the original Broadway production of Into the Woods in 1987.

Performing Arts Academy of Marin (PAAM), Mill Valley resident Annie Thistle’s multi-faceted artistic juggernaut that also now includes tumbling and gymnastics hub Tumblespot, is ramping up for its 2018 MainStage Musical – a production of Into the Woods, which “intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests.”

As PAAM seeks performers for the musical, Thistle has scheduled auditions for the performance for Jan. 8 (3:30-6:30pm) and Jan. 10 (5:30-7:30pm), with callbacks set for Jan. 10 (7:30pm-9pm). The auditions are for actors ages 10 and up, and require the preparation of a one-minute song selection from a musical. An accompanist is provided – bring sheet music. Placement is by audition only. $450 production fee for all students.

​PAAM’s rehearsals are set for Sundays and Fridays between Jan. 14 and March 16, with tech week March 18-22 and performance dates March 23-24. 

The main characters of Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, are taken from “Little Red Riding Hood“, “Jack and the Beanstalk“, “Rapunzel“, and “Cinderella“, as well as 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 their interaction with other storybook characters during their journey.

Into the Woods was also a 2014 film directed by Rob Marshall, that featured a cast that included Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, and Johnny Depp. The film garnered three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations. Here’s the trailer for the film: