Into the Woods with Normajean Hultman

Alex Carrier gets more of the story from  the director of this William Monroe High School performance

The minute you meet Normajean Hultman the director you know this trip Into the Woods will be a more than pleasant journey.  She is excited, enthusiastic and energetic - all of which she passes on to the rest of the cast and crew.

In action, she offers encouragement and comments designed to better each person's performance.  In private, she praises equally all those who have put hard work into presenting the audience with an enjoyable experience. 

Normajean is a '03 graduate of William Monroe High School so this is a coming-home of sorts.  While getting her undergraduate degree in theater in Vermont, she worked in the library and decided she wanted to go on to get her graduate degree in library science. 

She currently works in the Health Sciences Library at the University of Virginia and signed up to direct the play to make sure she was making the correct choice in pursuing library science. 

Like the characters in the play who discover their true selves and goals during their journey, Normajean has determined her true love.

"I want to love my job and doing both work as a librarian and directing the play at the same time showed me what I wanted to do – and that is teach drama."

Unfortunately that won't be soon enough to fill the empty position at WMHS but who knows what the future may hold - for both. 

Some of the back-story of this production.

The set, sound and lighting was completely done by students as were most of the costumes and the props.

The bad-curly-hair-day Rapunzel locks are two Lady Godiva wigs found on eBay.

Neither of the exceptional musicians have read the musical score - the pianist does not even read music.

The actor playing the mysterious man was called in at the last minute to play the part and has had only 2 rehearsals.  Good job.

The actor playing Jack is scheduled to play the same role in the Orange version of the musical.  He and his parents created  the goose that lays the golden egg and the harp. 

The director wanted to underscore the stereotype characters of the play so she tried to use set design that was also stereotypical. 

The actor playing the cow only joined the production because his friends wanted him to.  He got so caught up in playing the part, he would moo at the director whenever he saw her in the halls. 

Very few of the performers are seniors with almost 80% being underclassman.  This means we will get to see more of them in the future.  Good for us. 

The bios in the program where written by the students themselves.

Superintendent of Greene County Schools Ray Dingledine has had a walk-on/cameo part in every performance at the school since he became superintendent.  This is his 18th and final.  He will be retiring at the end of this school yea.  He has so enjoyed his participation, he requested that the money being  gathered to buy him a retirement gift be donated to the performing arts center instead. 

Dingledine is a University of Virginia graduate and the drama teacher he first worked with- Joyce Sweet was a rival Virginia Tech graduate.  Sweet - with cohort Martha Taylor - designed all of Dingledine's costumes so that the Virginia Tech emblem or colors of maroon and orange were prominent. 

The costume tradition continued through all the cameos including this last when Dingledine appears in a white tunic with a turkey on the front (the VT mascot) and wearing a clock emblazoned with VT.

Normajean credits drama teacher Joyce Sweet with inspiring her to be a theater teacher. 

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