Journeying Into the Woods: October 24 and 25 - Pit Orchestra

Since the start of summer, the cast of this year’s fall musical,  Into the Woods, have been busy preparing for their Family Weekend debut. However, behind the chatty, bold Little Red Riding Hood and the ghostly, wicked Witch is a group of talented student musicians who spend hours weekly putting together the pivotal musical accompaniment. As they entered the second-to-last week of rehearsals, some of the student musicians reflected on their experience playing in the pit orchestra for the production. 

Arisa Okamura ’25, who plays violin in the pit orchestra, finds the experience brand new as she usually plays classical songs.  “It's very different because for [Into the Woods] music, the key, tempo, and time signature changes a lot more frequently than the classical music pieces I usually play.” She described these differences further, saying “The music accompanies the scene and plot instead of the music itself being the main character.” Okamura remarked, “We have to always watch the conductor and make sure we keep track of the beat that changes frequently.” Arya Vishwakarma ’25, who plays the viola, emphasized this sentiment, adding, “the ‘safety bars’, which repeat until the actors are done talking, makes it extremely important for the orchestra to fix their eyes on the conductor.” Okamura noted that this is especially hard when sight reading is required, and despite reading the score accurately, she has to constantly watch the conductor for tempo. “I need two pairs of eyes but sadly I only have one,” she joked. 

Jane Shindnes ’26, who plays the flute and piccolo, echoed that playing in the pit orchestra is a wholly new experience. “The score is significantly longer, so it's harder to focus on a section and refine it. Playing along with singers is different than just playing on our own since we have to rely heavily on visual and audio cues,” Shindnes stated. 

The fact that Into the Woods is written by musical theater maestro Stephen Sondheim hints at the difficulty level of its music. Sondheim “likes to play with a lot of changing time and key signatures,” Shindnes explained, “and the fast pace of the musical makes it even harder to follow.” Sarah Jang ’27, who plays the viola, agreed, “We have a thick book of songs, and it’s tough to keep up with that much music. The details such as turning pages and adjusting according to the singers make it even more challenging.”

Despite the challenges, Vishwakarma finds the music for Into the Woods easier compared with the school’s Collegium and Philharmonic orchestras. “The school hired some professional players to fill in some of the missing instruments and it’s been a lot of fun getting to know my stand partner who teaches at Rowan University. She is a really fun person who I would never get to know if I didn’t join the pit orchestra,” Vishwakarma said. 

Both the student musicians of the pit orchestra and the cast of Into the Woods have been eagerly bustling in and out of the Kirby Arts Center since the start of the school year, preparing for their upcoming premiere. Look forward to their splendid performance on the night of Thursday, October 24. To the cast members and musicians reading this article, break a leg!