F&M Stories
F&M Players Provides Creative Outlet for Students
For Lena Bell 鈥�25 and Leah Sirota 鈥�27, participating in the student-led production of 鈥淚nto the Woods鈥� allows them to explore their passion for theatre while completing majors in the sciences.
The show also offers a connection to a member of the F&M Class of 1971, three-time Tony Award winner James Lapine. Lapine won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for "Into the Woods," "Falsettos," and "Passion," as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Sunday in the park with George."
Bell and Sirota are members of F&M Players, a student-run musical theatre organization, and co-directors of the show, which runs Jan. 16-18 in the Roschel Performing Arts Center.
They spent the fall semester selecting a show, putting together a production team, holding auditions, and leading rehearsals five days a week.
Students who are participating in the production returned early from winter break for a week of all-day rehearsals before classes started so they are ready to perform during the first week of the spring semester.
Although neither are theatre majors, Sirota and Bell are both passionate about musical theatre and wanted it to be a part of their F&M experience.
Sirota is a cognitive science major but said musical theatre has always been an important creative outlet that brings her joy. 鈥淚鈥檝e been performing since I was six years old. I鈥檝e never in my life not been doing musical theatre.鈥�
During her first semester on campus, Sirota met the director of 鈥淗eathers,鈥� F&M Players鈥� 2024 production. Sirota mentioned that she鈥檇 been a stage manager for shows in high school and learned that F&M Players needed a stage manager for their upcoming show.
鈥淪o for my first show in college, I was the stage manager, and then later that semester, I was elected secretary of F&M Players,鈥� Sirota said. She鈥檚 now the incoming president of the club, as well as co-director for 鈥淚nto the Woods.鈥�
Bell, an environmental studies major, said she arrived on campus mainly focused on her participation in track & field and the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Like Sirota, she鈥檇 been a part of theatre productions in high school, and she wanted a chance to get involved with musical theatre at F&M before graduating.
鈥淚鈥檓 involved with a lot of different things on campus, but I knew that I wanted to somehow get involved with theatre in my four years,鈥� Bell said.
She鈥檇 been a student director for a show in high school, so when she learned that F&M Players was looking for another director for their upcoming show, she decided it was the perfect opportunity to get involved.
In addition to creative expression, Sirota and Bell said that involvement with F&M Players has helped them both find community on campus and gain new skills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole new community of people that I didn鈥檛 think I would ever be connecting with,鈥� Bell said.
鈥淭his has taught me a lot about how to be a leader that I didn鈥檛 necessarily have the opportunity to learn at any other point in my life,鈥� Sirota said.
Tickets to the F&M Players production of 鈥淚nto the Woods鈥� are available through the F&M Box Office.
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