“Into the Woods” is better the second time around for Aurora actress

July 2, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

When Kyla Whetham first stepped onto the stage to be a part of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical “Into the Woods”, she stepped into the shoes of one of the three little pigs – “the smart one,” she says, referring to the clever porker who built his house out of bricks.
However smart her porcine character was, this time around she’s ready to tread the boards even wiser.

The Aurora-based Wavestage Theatrical Company raises the curtain on their production of “Into The Woods” at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts next Thursday, July 9, running through July 12, with Ms. Whetham in the role of Florinda, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.
Into The Woods centres on a baker and his wife, who journey into the – you guessed it – woods to remove a curse, encountering such characters as Rapunzel, Jack (of Beanstalk fame) and Little Red Riding Hood along the way.

“Now that I am older I understand the story a lot more, more so the concepts and the themes behind the show and the moral behind each story, which is consequences, in my opinion,” explains the Aurora actress. “I definitely have a better grasp of the character development not only of the stepsister, but generally of every character. As you get older and experience more things in your life, you appreciate the story more and understand what Sondheim and Lapine were trying to convey to audiences writing this. I also have a better grasp of doing the show itself and just feeling comfortable with it.”

This outing will be Kyla’s twelfth season with Wavestage, which started life as the Aurora Opera Company. She joined the company when she was just four years old, taking just one season off to reflect and make sure acting was really what she wanted to do. Over the years, she says she has learned so much from company director Sarah Langford, lessons which will stand the test of the time.

“It sounds a bit cheesy because everyone says this, but I have always been doing things like singing around the house – which is why my mom signed me up – but I was never really confident with it,” says Kyla. “Through all my years with Wavestage, Sarah has really helped me grow into myself and helped me learn different techniques to be comfortable with what I do and what I have to offer not only musically, but through acting and dancing. I am not a dancer, but if you ask me to do musical theatre-style dancing, I am pretty confident now because she has taught me what I can do and has shown there is a lot more to me than what I originally knew.”

The Wavestage Company is currently in dress rehearsals in anticipation of next week’s opening, looking forward to when they will be able to take on their rolls in full hair and makeup. As they go, they are focusing on getting “every single possible meaning” out of the script and score, focusing on the characters themselves. As the musical itself unfolds, Ms. Whetham hopes these multiple meanings are picked up by audiences young and old.

“Kids will understand the fairy tale aspects and the stories it now incorporates of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Baker and his Wife, Rapunzel and her prince, but there is more comedically that older audiences will understand,” she says. “There are a lot of jokes in it that have underlying meanings that adults will understand versus kids. The message is kind of complex because consequences is such a general theme, but the moral of the story is everything you get there is a price for it and your wish may not turn out the way it seems. While kids might understand that, older teens and adults will really take that to heart because they have experienced those things in their own lives and can relate to it.”

For more on the show, visit www.wavestagetheate.com.