Last week at Albuquerque High School, the Performing Arts Center (PAC) was full of an audience, a live orchestra, and a forest come to life on stage. On Saturday, April 25, students closed a two week run of Into the Woods. Tall trees, live music, and talented students exceeded expectations for this high school production, and best of all, it was student directed.
Albuquerque High School is known to have one of the most active drama programs in New Mexico. Their 2025-2026 season included nine official productions, including two musicals and not including a talent show and a faculty fundraiser show. Into the Woods, the beloved Sondheim musical, closed out the season.
The full theatre season and other hosted events in the PAC is made possible by the fact that the drama director, Ralph Adkins, allows students to run the show (and direct them!)
Aspen Desilet, the senior who directed Into the Woods, spoke with me about the experience.
“We had auditions, I believe, the second week of January. We’ve been rehearsing since pretty much right after that.”
Aspen explained that it was a community collaboration that allowed their vision to be executed so well in the end. “I pulled some people from weird places, like my catechism teacher is playing trumpet. And then I asked our orchestra teacher, Sam Brown, if he would be willing to direct the orchestra, and he was.”
Aspen’s personal vocal teacher helped actors with singing, and costumes and props were borrowed from Musical Theatre Southwest, a local production company in town. “I had been doing community theater last semester and over the summer… and when I was doing Frozen there, I saw their cow, and I was like, ‘man, That’s a nice cow.’”
Aspen and other students put together the musical from start to end, and the final product was phenomenal, even with some challenges along the way. “For the first dress rehearsal, [the trees] weren’t held down. And they almost, somebody knocked into one of them and they almost fell over.”
Near the end of the interview, I asked if there was anyone who really helped the show along. “Shout out Adkins,” Aspen said. “He’s built up a very cool theater program. We have a lot of opportunity here. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to put my creative vision into the world. Big thank you to MTS and my voice teacher for helping me out. And also, like, my cast. They’re just so amazing.”
A Stephen Sondheim musical at high school level is no small feat. Albuquerque High students executed it with precision and passion, and were given a well-deserved standing ovation by the audience on Friday night.