This past year, Table Rock Middle School (TRMS) in Morganton, North Carolina, staged a performance of the James Lapine classic, “Into the Woods.” The production became a community-wide effort, as the school received assistance from a number of local businesses. Packaging Corporation of America provided corrugated board that was used to construct the sets for the play. The school also received contributions of paint from Sherwin-Williams, wood from WNC Dry Kiln and a gift card from Ace Hardware to purchase supplies. Old Colony Players, an area community theater company, loaned costumes to the school.
According to Benjamin Cook, TRMS art teacher and set designer for the production: “Creating Table Rock’s ‘Into the Woods’ props and set is the most extensive and exciting project I have worked on to date. I am pleased to have been a part of this collaborative effort which included student and community involvement.”
Cook also noted the creative vision and determination brought to the project by Brittany Howe, Table Rock’s choral teacher.
According to the General Manager at PCA Morganton: “As members of a city of 17,000 people and a county of about 90,000, our employees are very community minded. We never hesitate to do what we can, and we participate in everything from the local Rotary to sponsoring the annual Historic Morganton Festival. Being involved is what we do as a recognized leader in our small southern town.”