EPIC Players Will Present Neuro-inclusive INTO THE WOODS at A.R.T./New York Theatre

This June, EPIC Players will dazzle audiences with theatrical magic and more with its mainstage production of Into the Woods, 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.

The show will have a limited run from June 8-18 in the Mezzanine at A.R.T./New York Theatre in Midtown, Manhattan. EPIC Players is a leading neuro-diverse theater company in New York City that believes everyone has a talent and our differences are our strength. EPIC provides opportunities for performers with developmental and other disabilities to appear on stage and screen. (EPIC stands for Empower, Perform, Include, Create.)

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.

The performance will be inclusive for both actors and audiences – powered by its diverse cast and creative team, and offering a relaxed atmosphere for patrons with developmental disabilities to talk and vocalize as they wish. Accessible seating, assisted listening devices, two scheduled captioned performances, sensory guides, noise canceling headphones, quiet zones and touch tours also will be available for audience members who need them.

“We are immensely grateful and proud to be able to finally share this performance with our audiences,” said EPIC's Executive and Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien. “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 are able to see the nuisances of the human condition in the texts and lyrics even more clearly. Audience members can expect a very special retelling of this magical show.”

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 Wednesday to Saturdays are at 6:45 p.m. and performances on Sundays are at 2 p.m.

Proceeds from ticket sales will support EPIC Players, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit, founded in 2016 to create professional performing arts opportunities and supportive social communities in the arts for individuals with developmental disabilities. Through inclusive mainstage productions, musical cabarets, original showcases, skills-based classes and career resources, EPIC aims to foster greater inclusion in the arts.

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 Dad), Chloe Solomon (Step Mom), Laisha Gonzalez (Florinda), Christine Newberry (Lucinda), Natalie Kaiser (Snow White), Eric Fegan (Wolf Two), Alexander Reeves (Rumplestiltskin/Ensemble) and Nick Amodio (Hansel/ Ensemble).

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