Opening this is the Timpview theatre production of The Woodsman, a unique story of the Tin Man’s origin from The Wizard of Oz. The show features a total of six shows during this week from Monday 14th – Saturday 19th. The cast has been working diligently since mid february to bring this show to life, and are all excited to be a part of this production. Tickets can be purchased here, so make sure to go and support our theatre department at their amazing show this week!
Directing the show is Timpview’s drama teacher, Kennedy Shanklin Napierski, who describes the show as “an immersive experience with live music, ensemble storytelling, and technical elements that bring you into the world of Munchkinland.” Napierski first interacted with this production during her time as a student at BYU, and fell in love with the storytelling. “I was astounded at how captivating a performance could be without dialogue” she stated. “I knew that in my time as a drama teacher I wanted to direct this piece, but I would have never anticipated it being my first year.” Napierski’s hope for audience members is to realize that actions can speak louder than words, and knows they will be touched by the message of showing empathy towards others.
The Woodsman, who goes by the name of Nick Chopper, will be portrayed by senior Cannon Hadfield. The story of The Woodsman follows Nick Chopper and his transformative journey from being an ordinary woodman in the forests of Oz, to falling in love, and eventually becoming the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Hadfield is excited for the chance to fill the role of the Woodsman, and sees this production as an incredible opportunity to show Timpview and the community something that’s “unlike anything [they’ve] done before.” He is thankful for “the student environment here as well as Mrs. Napierski, who made [him] so excited to audition.” Hadfield is excited to share this beautiful story, and is incredibly grateful for the chance to call The Woodsman his final show at Timpview.
Nimmee, the munchkin love interest of the Woodsman, will be played by senior Abbie Drake. During her freshman year, Drake was introduced to The Woodsman, and in her words, she was hooked! “I have always wanted to be Nimmee,” she stated, “Her stage presence and movement quality is so wonderful.” Drake began acting at age 10, and has been working at the art ever since, including performing in a number of Timpview productions. She is ecstatic for the opportunity to play this character and make it her own, as well as introducing Timpview to a unique kind of storytelling.
Senior Gracie Griffin will portray the role of Nick Chopper’s mother. Griffin was introduced to this show as a freshman and automatically fell in love, and thought “the ability to convey such beauty through just movement and breath was breathtaking.” She hoped for a day when she would have the opportunity to be a part of this production, and when the show was announced, “little freshman Gracie screamed at [her] to audition as a full circle moment.” Now, through her opportunity to play the mother, she hopes to ”bring the heart and soul of how beautiful love can be.” Griffin looks forward to conveying the beautiful message of The Woodsman through her love of dance and movement.
Junior Sam Wilson will be playing Nick Chopper’s father. Wilson is “so honored” to be a part of this cast, and is thrilled to be working with the director, Kennedy Shanklin Napierski. “Napierski is such a good director that I solely wanted to be in it because I wanted to be part of the magic she’s able to create.” Wilson states that his love for the art began in 2nd grade at Provost elementary, and has continued to grow ever since. Wilson is “most excited to be able to work outside of [his] comfort zone and really push [himself] as an actor.” He looks forward to being able to share the message of The Woodsman with the community and school.
The Wicked Witch of the East will be performed using puppetry, and will be operated by both Senior Brooklyn Chennault and Freshman Lucy Kocherhans. Chennault is very excited to be a part of this production as “this has been one of her favorite shows since freshman year and [she has] been dreaming of doing it since.” She is so proud of the effort that herself and her classmates have put into this incredible show. Chennault is so excited to participate in this show as one last hurrah, and to “be able to create such a beautiful show that people will look back on and remember that theater doesn’t need to have words to make someone feel something.” Lucy Kocherhans is so honored for the opportunity to do this show as a freshman. This show intrigued Kocherhans “because of how usual it is. The silence, puppets, and dancing sounded super awesome to [her] so [she] knew [she] had to try out.” She is very excited to really bond with the cast and become a family together, and to perform the character of the witch with Brooklyn. Both Chennault and Kocherhans are thrilled to be putting on this amazing show.
Zach Karpowitz will be playing the violin for the duration of the show. Karpowitz is a member of both Timpview’s top orchestra and drama classes, and is thrilled to combine both of those elements of his high school experience. Being the first high school to do this production, Karpowitz feels that “it’s a little scary [for him] to be the third violinist to play this music, but [he hopes he] can live up to the expectations set by the composer.” He’s excited for the audience to be drawn into this story that they’ve never heard before. “It’s a different perspective on the Wizard of Oz, and its format as a play brings the audience into its enchanting world, in a way that’s just not possible with movies.”
This show is so unique to anything else that the theatre department has done at Timpview, and is a beautiful telling of the classic story from The Wizard of Oz. Be sure to come and support the cast members and everyone else who worked on the production. It’s going to be an amazing show!
Photos by Micah Young @micah_shot_that
