Chari Arespacochaga, Florida State University School of Theatre associate professor and director of the MFA Directing Program, will return to her hometown of Manila in the Philippines in August to direct a production of “Into the Woods” for Theatre Group Asia.
Theatre Group Asia is an international theater group under the artistic direction of Tony Award-winner Clint Ramos and focuses on producing works led by Filipino creatives and performed by artists of Filipino heritage. The group holds a commitment to engaging Filipino audiences and fostering connections within the international theatre community.
Arespacochaga is a world-renowned director known for her work in theater, film, multimedia, special events and concerts. Her directing credits include “Rent” (which won Musical of the Year in Columbus, Ohio in 2023), “Kinky Boots,” “Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” which was performed at FSU in 2024, among many others. Arespacochaga holds a BFA in film and audiovisual communication from the University of the Philippines and an MFA in theater directing from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She has been at FSU since 2018.
This will be Arespacochaga’s first time in the Philippines in 10 years.
“It’s really exciting to be going back,” she said. “Some of the cast members are very dear friends and colleagues whom I worked with before I left Manila. Some of them are former students of mine who are currently enjoying their own fields of success and are creating their own paths in this artistic world. I am in a great company and we all cannot wait to create this world for everyone.”
“Into the Woods” was created in 1986 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, an American composer and lyricist who’s also known for “West Side Story” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The production follows familiar plots taken from several Brothers Grimm fairy tales as the characters embark on their wishes and desires only to find themselves intertwined in unexpected ways. As they venture deeper into the mysterious woods, they encounter challenges that reveal their deepest fears, regrets, and the complexities of their yearnings for happiness, power, love and family.
The cast of “Into the Woods” features some of the Philippines’ biggest stars on stage and screen, including Tony award-winning and Laurence Olivier award-winning actress Lea Salonga, the first Asian actress to play Éponine in “Les Misérables” on Broadway; Arielle Jacobs, who debuted on Broadway as Nina Rosario in “In The Heights” of which the music and lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda; and Joaquin Pedro Valdes, who was recently casted as Luke Castellan and Ares in “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical”. The cast features a mix of theater veterans, concert artists from the Philippines, Filipinos and Filipino Americans who are in the diaspora.
The production is one of the most anticipated cultural events in Manila this summer. Additional performance dates for “Into the Woods” have already been announced after nearly 30,000 tickets for the original performance dates sold out within two hours of the sale going live.
Manila is the capital and second-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of almost 2 million as of 2020. It’s one of the most populous urban areas in the world and one of the wealthiest regions in Southeast Asia.
“Manila loves theater,” Arespacochaga said. “There has always been a rich and robust theater scene there and it’s such a wonderful, warm, generous place. The show is a great piece of musical theater, and our team is very excited about rooting this production of ‘Into the Woods’ in our history and culture.”
Arespacochaga credits Florida State for its support and inspiration for her projects.
“FSU has helped with grants that funded my international research and creative activity,” she said. “I’m very busy in Tallahassee with teaching and other work, but there is a stillness to this place that enables me to really think and create. The young artists here also really help keep up my motivation, excitement and involvement in the theater world. I want to keep that energy and excitement that they exude. My time here has sparked my creativity and gives me energy to invest in my upcoming projects, including ‘Into the Woods.’”
The FSU School of Theatre, housed within the College of Fine Arts, holds five productions produced and performed in-house each academic year. The school is one of the leading comprehensive theater training programs in the United States and has consistently been ranked in U.S. News and World Report’s top-tier rankings.
For more information about the FSU School of Theatre, visit theatre.fsu.edu. To learn more about the FSU College of Fine Arts, visit cfa.fsu.edu.