Cullman High School is set to open its production of Into the Woods on Thursday. Tickets are available now.

The Cullman High School theatre department is gearing up for its next major production this week with Into the Woods, and theatre director Wayne Cook says it should be a truly inspiring performance for the cast, crew and community.

Into the Woods is a musical that weaves the plots of several Grimm fairy tales, melding characters from stories like Little Red Riding Hood. Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. The musical connects through the story of a childless baker and his wife as they embark on a quest to start a family, which leads to twists and turns that find them crossing paths with several different storybook characters.

The CHS theatre department, led by the senior class, has been working on the production since February, and now all that work is finally ready to open in front of a live audience.

“We put this production together because we have a very strong group of seniors and we wanted to feature them,” Cook said. “This production gives many and most of them leading parts in a major production. It is a great way to send out this senior class. This production is funny, inspiring, thought-provoking, shocking, colorful and magical, and our students do a beautiful job acting and singing as they share these stories.”

Students were actively involved in every aspect, from set design, artwork, costuming, sound and lighting to bring the production together. A student even put together original animation work just for the show.

“They have done a fabulous job in every area.” Cook said. “People need to come see it. I think the Cullman community will love this production. We really hope the community will come out and support the arts in our community.”

Being able to focus on theatre has been a great outlet for students during the pandemic, though Cook noted it hasn’t been easy to keep everything running smoothly through the safety protocols. But it was well worth it, especially with opening day now so close.

“I told students at the beginning of the year that we would fight for them to do the same number of shows we typically do, and we have done it,” Cook said. “The window for this production required us to get really busy to get it all done. This has not been a typical year by any means, but to send out this tremendously talented senior class in this way feels wonderful.”

Opening night for CHS’s performance of Into the Woods is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29. Additional performances are set for 7 p.m. on Friday, April 30; 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 1; and 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 1. The show will be at the Cullman High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available at GoFan.com and BookTix.com.