-
Into the Woods Performance, by West End Players
By Vicki Browne
Anyone who attended a presentation of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ at the Windsor Center May 30–June 2 saw the woods-themed scenery that graced the stage. The backdrop first appeared around 1933, on the Caspian auditorium stage, when Orville Beeler directed the Stambaugh Township School Band for its annual spring concert series.
The backdrop’s 91-year history was pieced together through a careful search of back issues of The Reporter, as well as phone interviews with Jason Mattson, co-director along with Jane Adams of the West End Players’ production of ‘Into the Woods’; Linda Hauser, member of the West End Players board, cast member and props manager; and Greg Scott, owner of Bump’s Burgers.
The woods scenery, hand-painted onto canvas and attached to bifold and trifold wooden frames, measures over 500 square feet and is approximately 20 feet tall. Members of the West End Players noticed signatures and dates on the backs of the frames. The earliest date was 1933 and the latest was 1937. A March 17, 1933 article in The Reporter listed the members of the 54-piece school band and both David Brew (alto sax) and Alphonse Butch (snare drums) who signed the frame are mentioned. Edward Sobotta (later changed to Sabotta) also signed, but was not listed as part of the 1933 band. The concert in 1933 was enjoyed by 2500 music fans over the course of three nights with performances in Gaastra, Caspian and Stambaugh, according to The Reporter.
Mattson hypothesized that after 1937 the backdrop was retired. It sat in a crumpled heap in storage at the Caspian City Hall — until about four years ago when Greg Scott’s neighbor purchased the building.
“My neighbor bought the building and I helped him clean it out,” Scott said. “We shared a dumpster because we were both doing construction projects.”
The guys found the canvas scrunched up and pushed into a corner. When they pulled it out they realized it should not be thrown away. It had a few tears, some water damage and needed repairs on some sections of the frame, but was still beautiful.
“We both thought, ‘Wow, this is cool!’” said Scott. “We didn’t want to fold it so we protected it with cloth and plastic and rolled it around a 20-foot metal pipe.”
It went back into storage for several years until Scott’s neighbor needed the space, and so the backdrop found its way into Scott’s trailer until he could find its next home.
While attending a Business After Hours event at the Iron County Historical Museum, Scott asked KL Long, the museum’s director, if the piece would be appropriate for display. She suggested that a better use might be with the West End Players, several of whom were also at the event.
Enter Hauser and Mattson.
In November 2023 the West End Players had decided to stage Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ and were making preparations in early 2024 when Scott offered the backdrop pieces to the company — there were actually two scenes: the woods and a cityscape.
“‘Into the Woods’ was written in 1987, over 50 years after these pieces were painted,” Mattson said. “As we were unloading them we were in awe at how beautiful they are and how perfectly they matched what we needed for the show. It was incredible.”
“The backdrop transformed our stage from plain into woods,” Hauser said. “It’s so cool looking and took care of a lot of the work I had to do.”
Hauser went on to explain that they kept the curtain in front of the woods closed until the end of the first act when the cast sings the song “Into the Woods.”
“The audience just gasped when the woods were revealed at the end of the first act,” she said.
After the final performance, the cast added their signatures to the backdrop’s wooden frames. The woods have been rolled back up and are again in cool, dry storage, but this time at the Windsor Center.
“We hope to see it in use again a lot sooner than 91 years,” Mattson said. “Our company doesn’t do repeat productions, but there may be another performance for which they are appropriate either for us or for another group.”
The only question that still remains is the one everyone interviewed could not answer: Who painted the canvases? No mention was made in any articles about the school band concert from 1933. The woods appear to be unsigned even though they are definitely the work of someone’s skillful hand.
The West End Players are always happy to receive donations of set pieces, costumes and props. They are very grateful to Cypress Greg (Scott) for rescuing the backdrops and donating them — almost like a fairy tale come true.