More than 80 students in grades 9-12 are involved in Skyline’s production as performers, musicians, and technicians.
There’s no place like Skyline Theatre for The Wizard of Oz.
The musical will be performed Nov. 15-17 at Skyline High School, 2552 N. Maple Rd. Shows are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $5 for kids 10 and under. They are available in advance at https://www.skylinehstheatre.org.
More than 80 students in grades 9-12 are involved in Skyline’s production as performers, musicians, and technicians. The Wizard of Oz is directed by Skyline staff member Brodie Brockie and produced by Skyline drama teacher Anne Marie Roberts.
The show has a personal connection for Brockie. It was the first play he ever auditioned for, as a sixth grader, and he won the part of Mayor Munchkin.
“I’ve always loved it,” Brockie said. “The songs are wonderful, the characters are rich and I enjoyed the challenge of taking a show that has a version SO embedded in the public consciousness and seeing how we could reinvent it.”
The musical is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum that was adapted for the stage as early as 1902. The beloved 1939 MGM film version of The Wizard of Oz has become one of the most-watched movies of all time.
Brockie said students can still learn a lot from this classic.
“So often we see our heroes portrayed in pop culture as who is physically the strongest or best at fighting. Dorothy, in contrast, always meets opposition with kindness and empathy first, though she’s certainly not going to allow anyone to push her around either,” he said. “It’s an act of kindness that saves the day in the end.”
Skyline will perform the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1987 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, which is faithful to the film version. It has music by Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and a book by John Kane.
Brockie said Skyline’s biggest asset is the creativity of the cast and crew. He doesn’t want to reveal any spoilers but hints that there might be some puppets.
“I challenged our performers to reinterpret these characters as if they had never seen the movie version before. Just based on reading the text, how might they sound? How else could they behave? While some of these approaches are my ideas, many of them were exciting ideas our actors brought to auditions,” he said.
“My hope is by doing this, it will recapture some of that feeling we all had of watching The Wizard of Oz for the first time – when every new encounter was a surprise when you never knew what to expect next.”
More information is available at https://www.skylinehstheatre.org.
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