"Into the Woods" Interview with Cast Member Kyra Vest

UB Theatre and Dance’s annual spring musical “Into the Woods” by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine opens for a single week run at UB from April 23 – 26, 2026. Tickets are only $10-$25: https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=into+the+woods+ub+center+for+the+arts

Freshman BFA Acting major Kyra Vest plays Cinderella, a thoughtful, self‑questioning young woman whose kindness and humility coexist with deep uncertainty about desire and choice. Though she longs for escape from her oppressive home life and dreams of a better future, she is never entirely convinced that happiness can—or should—come easily. Unlike the traditional fairytale, this Cinderella actively wrestles with responsibility, independence, and the consequences of wishing.

To someone unfamiliar with "Into the Woods," how would you briefly describe the show?

“Into the Woods” is a show about family. Found family or otherwise, it is a show about mothers, fathers, sons, daughters. It explores different kinds of family relationships and questions morality, showing that fairytale stereotypes may not always work out the way we would assume.

What first made you want to become a performer, and when did you first begin to appear on stage?

Since I was very little, I’ve been performing. I was raised in a family that exposed me to a lot of theatre and film, and I’ve always been drawn to acting. Fun fact: the first show I was in was “Into the Woods Jr.,” where I played the same role!

Tell us about your role as Cinderella. What are her motivations and journey?

Cinderella is a character who doesn’t know where to go after she gets what she wants. She struggles with feeling stuck-with her family, then with the Prince. Throughout the course of the show, she discovers what she truly needs: something in between.

Do you have a favorite song from the show? What's it like to sing with a live orchestra?

My favorite song in the show is “Stay with Me” (sung by Little Red Riding Hood). I think the instrumental is beautiful.

We haven’t actually done our sitzprobe with the orchestra yet, but I’ve always loved singing with live instruments. It creates such a real energy to perform with.

How difficult or easily do you find it to memorize dialogue, lyrics, melodies and then incorporate them with any choreography?

I think that memorization itself is not super hard as long as you’re in the right mindset for it! You have to accept that it’s going to be a bit of a process and that you’re going to make mistakes, but as long as you repeat things enough times, your brain will catch up! I think with blocking it’s actually easier for me to memorize since I have movement to put with it. In terms of music, this show is not too hard to memorize, but the timing is definitely difficult to get right.

Do you ever experience nerves before you perform? If so, what do you do to help control them? And / or what's your day-of-show routine like before the lights go up?

I always get nervous right before a performance, but usually, as soon as I get on stage and start, my nerves go away and I’m good for the rest of the show! To prepare the day of, I always make sure to get a good vocal warm-up in and I love listening to high energy music while I do my hair and makeup!