Tuesday's Internet Edition, September 07, 2010.
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| Local children will portray the Munchkins in 'The Wizard of Oz.' |
Show dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 1 through 3 and 8 through 10. The curtain goes up at 8 p.m. each night.
Admission is free, and the public is invited. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and/or lawn chairs and arrive early.
This will be the WSCT’s second and final production of the season. In June, they staged “Beauty and the Beast.” With 80 cast members and an expansive set, it was their most ambitious production ever.
Until now.
“Wizard” boasts a cast of 118 members, the biggest in WSCT history. The set will surpass that of “Beauty,” and the show will feature new special effects.
“We’ve filmed some of the scenes, such as those with the wizard’s floating head, and those scenes will be projected on the big screen,” explained Melissa Peller, assistant to WSCT director John Rushton. “We’re working on a lot of special effects that we haven’t done before, including having a couple of the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys actually fly off the set. We’re still working out the logistics for that.”
The entire cast and crew for “Wizard” is comprised entirely of local volunteers.
Samantha Driver, 22, will play the role of Dorothy. Driver made her WSCT debut as Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.” She recently received her bachelor of arts degree in vocal performance and opera from the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Other lead roles are as follows:
Carol McConnell as Aunt Em, Mark Brown as Uncle Henry, Andrew Young as Zeke/Cowardly Lion, David Moore as Hickory/Tin Man, Kenny Matthews as Hunk/Scarecrow, Loretta Sebastian as Mrs. Gultch/Wicked Witch, Mark Walek as Professor/Wizard, and Lori Cobb as Glinda.
In a bit of inspired casting, Lewisville Mayor Tom Lawson will portray the Mayor of Munchkin City. His “citizens” will be portrayed by 56 children ranging in age from four to 12.
“We have had separate Munchkin rehearsals for the kids, and they have done really well,” said Peller. “With the help of their parents, they put together their own bright and colorful costumes, and they just look adorable.”
A volunteer orchestra led by musical director Joy Rushton, wife of John Rushton, will bring familiar songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “If I Only Had a Brain” to life.
“The orchestra is just amazing,” said Peller. “They get better with each performance and have added a lot to our shows.”
As with “Beauty and the Beast,” the WSCT is striving to be faithful to the well-known film adaptation of Dorothy’s adventures in Oz.
“It’s an impressive venture,” said Peller. “People really know the story, so we can’t fudge it too much.”
The West Side Civic Theatre’s productions are sponsored by Lewisville’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Development Board.