EPIC Players To Bring All-Inclusive Production Of INTO THE WOODS To The Stage

Since its founding days six years ago, the non-profit theatre company EPIC Players has been opening doors for performers with developmental disabilities.

With productions like Tartuffe, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Almost, Maine and Little Shop of Horrors, EPIC is empowering neuro-divergent artists through professional opportunities and through a supportive social community. And this season is no exception, when the Brooklyn-based theatre company presents one of the most-inclusive productions ever of Into the Woods to the stage for a limited run this June.

EPIC Players' mainstage production of Into the Woods, is a show filled with fairy tales, enchantments, imagination, fanciful beings and valuable moral lessons. It's also EPIC's most inclusive production to date, featuring artists from the Neurodiverse, Deaf, Disabled, Blind and Trans/LGBTQ+ community on- and off-stage. The show is led by Music Director Shane Dittmar, who is a Blind artist and composer.

"We believe that everyone has a talent and that our differences are our strength," says Founding Executive and Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien. "EPIC-which stands for Empower, Perform, Include, Create-provides opportunities for performers with developmental and other disabilities and since our founding, we've been watching our actors rise to new heights, appearing on the Broadway stage and on primetime television."

The show will have a limited run from June 8th to 18th at A.R.T./New York Theatre in Midtown, Manhattan. Proceeds from ticket sales will support EPIC Players' ability to present inclusive mainstage productions, musical cabarets, and original showcases, and provide free skills-based classes and career resources.

Tickets are available at https://epicplayers.ticketspice.com/epic-players-presents-into-the-woods and range from $35-$65. The set $65 ticket price on Opening Night June 8 includes an open bar with a Brothers Grimm-styled cocktail hour (beer and wine). Doors open at 6 p.m. Performances on Wednesdays to Saturdays are at 6:45 p.m. and performances on Sundays are at 2 p.m.

"At EPIC, we break down social stigmas surrounding neuro-diverse communities, increasing employment opportunities and pioneering inclusion in the arts," Therrien says.

Since its founding, EPIC has grown exponentially, offering free classes and other services, and ever-increasing paid employment to its neuro-diverse community of artists with and without disabilities. EPIC is proud to have performed at several venues throughout the city, including HBO Headquarters, Joe's Pub, 54 Below, and Lincoln Center. EPIC's artists also have gone onto great heights in their careers, some landing opportunities on TV shows such as Blue Bloods, and roles in Broadway musicals.

The nonprofit recently expanded its reach into public schools in New York City through a new endeavor called EPIC Junior. The free program has been created for students ages 12-17 with developmental disabilities. During the program, students are now learning the ins and outs of being a performer and how to access mentorships in the arts.

The middle and high school students, in fact, are also building a performance called "Lost in the Woods" to be staged Off-Broadway this June to complement the older thespians' production.

Based on the Tony Award-winning book by James Lapine and score by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods intertwines various Brothers Grimm fairy tales. It follows five main characters and their deepest wishes: a Baker (Max Tunney) and the Baker's Wife, (Carly Hayes) who wish to have a child; Cinderella, (Jordan Boyatt) who wishes to attend the King's Festival; Jack (Gianluca Cirafici) who wishes his cow would give milk; and Little Red (Emy Ramos) who wishes for bread to bring to her Granny's house.

In addition to Max Tunney, Carly Hayes, Jordan Boyatt, Emy Ramos and Gianluca Cirafici, the 28-member EPIC cast for Into the Woods includes: Sarah "Sair" Kaufman (Witch), Samantha Elisofon (Rapunzel), Ben Rosloff (Narrator), Sandy Gladstone-Karpe (Jack's Mom), Sean Mcgowan (Milky White), Miles Butler (Milky White), Henry Hougton (Rapunzel's Prince), Sam Langsheteyn (Cinderella's Prince), Nick Moscato (Wolf), Will Ketter (Steward One), Ethan Homan (Steward Two), Meggan Dodd (Granny), Fern Schlesinger (Giant), Travis Burbee (Mysterious Man), Mina Cuesta (Cinderella's Mom), Zach Lichterman (Cinderella's Father), Chloe Solomon (Step Mom), Laisha Gonzalez (Florinda), Christine Newberry (Lucinda), Natalie Kaiser (Snow White), Rachel Bracellona (Sleeping Beauty), Eric Fegan (Wolf Two), Alexander Reeves (Rumplestiltskin/Ensemble) and Nick Amodio (Hansel/ Ensemble).

The diverse creative team for Into the Woods includes: Aubrie Therrien (Director), Max Baudisch (Assistant Director), Shane Dittmar (Musical Director), Sydnee Davis (Production Manager), Dakota Silvey (Stage Manager), Carol Hoverman (Assistant Stage Manager), Bre Baron (Assistant Stage Manager), Wells Thorne (Props Designer), Matt Imhoff (Set Designer), Nicole Zausmer (Costume Designer), Sean Ramos (Sound Designer), Cameron Filepas (Lighting Designer), Travis Burbee (Choreographer), and Talia Eapen (Front of House Manager).

"It's my favorite place that I've worked with. It's not like any other place in the world. EPIC treats people with respect," says Sarah "Sair" Kaufman, who plays the Witch in Into the Woods. "It's the gold standard of how people should be treated in the industry, and I think that in a few years, the theater industry is going to be doing things that EPIC has been doing for quite a few years."

Added Carly Hayes, "EPIC has been my home away from home. I have found such a community here. It's so fulfilling to play this role, especially with a community I love so much and care so deeply about. It's a dream come true. You think you've seen Into the Woods, but you've not seen THIS version of Into the Woods."

EPIC also ensures that all audience members can enjoy the performances; the organization provides accessible seating, assisted listening devices, scheduled captioned performances, sensory guides, noise canceling headphones, audio descriptions, quiet zones and touch tours for audience members who need them.

"We are immensely grateful and proud to be able to finally share this performance with our audiences," Therrien says. "Into the Woods shows us that the world - even a fairytale one - is not always black and white, and that most things live somewhere in the complexity of the gray. This show is hilarious, soul-stirring and oftentimes heartbreaking, and I think also coupled through the lens of neurodiversity, we can see the nuisances of the human condition in the text and lyrics even more clearly. Audience members can expect a very special retelling of this magical show."

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