Dinner and a show coming to Edgar High

Edgar High School’s production of “Into The Woods,” which opens mid-November, comes with lights, costumes, acting, singing and a scrumptious feast. And like all aspects of the play itself, the feast is a student creation.

“It is fantastic,” said Kris Federwitz, the school’s family and consumer science teacher who plans the menu and organizes the dinner. “I always look at what the play is about and create a menu that’s going to complement the play.”

“Into the Woods,” a musical by Stephen Sondheim, has characters from classic fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White and a wicked witch. The dinner, like the play, is divided into “acts” with menu items that refer to the play.

Act One is appetizers and includes breads and butters from the picnic basket of Red Riding Hood. Act Two, the main course, is beef tips served over thin pasta, a reference to Rapunzel’s long hair. Act Three is dessert featuring Snow White’s apple, sliced and baked in a pastry crust, Cinderella’s slipper made of white chocolate with a pumpkin mousse filling and the “love cake” of Sleeping Beauty and her prince, a red velvet cupcake topped with a fondant heart.

Federwitz’s culinary students will be crafting the slippers and hearts and making the pumpkin mousse from scratch, starting with cleaning out and roasting the pumpkins. In addition to helping with the food preparation, students also serve the meal and help in the kitchen the day of the dinner.

Parents of current and former students are also involved in the process as are community members as Federwitz locally sources as many of her meal ingredients as possible. She believes the whole project is a wonderful educational opportunity and collaboration.

“There are so many lessons,” she said. “It’s in the classroom; it goes beyond the walls of the classroom.”

And the students also end up teaching each other, with those who are proficient in one culinary skill helping those who are less proficient.

The dinner was added to the high school theater productions a few years ago when plays were shorter as a way to bring in audience members, according to Emily Yeung, director of the productions who teaches social studies at the middle and high schools.

This production is one of the most ambitious to date. The music is challenging for adults let alone high school and middle school students. Last year’s production, “Annie,” was a much more traditional musical.

“The kids fully surprised me. They are rising to the challenge,” Yeung said.

There are 26 students on stage for “Into the Woods” and she said the juniors and seniors who have the lead roles are doing an exceptional job of developing their individual characters. Theater productions are very important teaching tools for the students involved, Yeung believes. They teach valuable public speaking skills as well as teamwork, responsibility and discipline.

“A lot of students aren’t really exposed to public speaking. Once they start in the theater, they have such a strong presence in classroom presentations,” Yeung said. “I just think it’s a really big confidence builder.”

Off stage, students are involved in the lighting and technical aspects of the play including set design and production. Amanda Albrecht, who teaches elementary and middle school art, has between six and 12 students working with her to design and build the sets. This year, they have to create Rapunzel’s tower and a forest of trees.

Albrecht said students learn valuable lessons that they can apply outside of the theater.

“Everything has to happen in steps, it’s a process,” she explains. “We have to problem solve because we have to build from the ground up.”

Yeung said that without the support of the community and the school district, these types of productions would not be possible.

“The theater program has really grown and I think that’s a testimony to the community and the school district for supporting the arts,” she said. “It’s great that our school can support the students who want to get involved.”

“Into The Woods” will be presented at 7 p.m. November 9, 10 and 11 and at 1 p.m. on November 12 in the high school auditorium. Dinner is available in the cafeteria at 6 p.m. before the November 10 and 11 shows and at noon before the November 12 show. Presale tickets are available on the Edgar School District’s website. Dinner tickets must be purchased by November 8.