The Wizard of Oz 2027
THE WIZARD OF OZ
by L. Frank Baum, with Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Background Music by Herbert Stothart, Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox, Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros.
- Audition dates: February 8 & 9, 2027, 6:30pm
- Performance dates: April 3, 4, 9, 10, 11
- Director - Stacey Greenawalt
- Music Director - Jess Morris
- Stage Manager - Codi Couch-Thompson
- Choreographer - Mikaela Sako
Follow the yellow brick road in this delightful stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale, featuring the iconic musical score from the MGM film. The timeless tale, in which young Dorothy Gale travels from Kansas over the rainbow to the magical Land of Oz, continues to thrill audiences worldwide.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE: This will not be your stereotypical production. I read the book, then fell in love with the movie when I was a little girl and have been a die-hard fan ever since. However, as I grew up and matured both as a person and as an actor, a few things about the film started to chafe. One of those things is that the film equates physical beauty to goodness (Glinda) and physical ugliness to evil (Miss Gultch/Wicked Witch).
Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the film, was an attractive 35-year-old during filming, and almost 20 years younger than Billie Burke, who played Glinda. Even though L. Frank Baum's physical description of the Wicked Witch of the West in his book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, only mentions that she has one eye, MGM instead aged Margaret to appear older than Billie and gave her green skin and facial prosthetics to make her 'ugly.'
Since I refuse to perpetuate the notion that physical appearance is indicative of character, in THIS production, I intend for the Wicked Witch of the West to be equally attractive and glamorous as Glinda. We have also obtained permission for our Wicked Witch to sing portions of 'Jitterbug.'
We will be including more elements from the book than similar productions usually do. It's free to read online— I encourage everyone to give it an eyeball.
-SG
ROLES
Principals
(3 women; 5 men. Roles intended to be doubled are indicated with a slash.)
DOROTHY GALE – (Range: G3-C5 (opt. E5))
AUNT EM – Emily Gale / GLINDA – The Good Witch of the North (Range: G3-C5)
UNCLE HENRY – Henry Gale / EMERALD CITY GUARD (Range: Bb2-Eb4)
ZEKE – Farmhand / COWARDLY LION (Range: Bb2-F4)
HICKORY – Farmhand / TINMAN (Range: Bb2-G4)
HUNK – Farmhand / SCARECROW (Range: Bb2-F#4 (opt. Ab4))
MISS ALMIRA GULCH / THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST - WILL BE SINGING!!
PROFESSOR MARVEL / THE WIZARD OF OZ – non-singing role
Ensemble/Chorus Roles
(Minimum of 14 ensemble performers required. Some of theses will be Dance Corp.)
CITIZENS OF MUNCHKINLAND
Mayor
Coroner
Barrister
Fiddler
Braggart
2-3 Lullaby League
2-3 Lollipop Guild
3 City Fathers
2 School Teachers
Three Crows – male trio
Three Trees – female trio
Poppies
Snowmen
OZIANS
Beauticians – female chorus
Polishers – male chorus
Manicurists – female chorus
2 Oz Men
2 Oz Women
MINIONS
Winkies – male chorus
Winkie General – Leader of the Winkies
Flying Monkeys – dancers
Nikko – Commander of the Monkeys
Jitterbug – Lead Dancer – good tap dancer
Jitterbugs & Ghosts – SATB chorus/dancers –tap dancers
IN-PERSON AUDITIONS
We will begin each evening of auditions with the vocal portion. All persons auditioning must be prepared to sing something that showcases your voice. We will have a bluetooth speaker available, so please have your backing track available on your phone. We would LOVE to hear you sing a song from the show but you can sing anything! You can find backing tracks (karaoke versions) for pretty much anything these days on YouTube! [WIZARD OF OZ BACKING TRACKS]
WE MAY STOP YOU MID-SONG. PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BE OFFENDED! We want to respect everyone's time and we have a LOT of things to accomplish, so we may stop you when we've heard what we need to hear! It DOES NOT mean you were bad. You may knock our socks off right off the bat!
When everyone has sung, we'll then move on to acting auditions, where all auditioners will use the provided sides to enact short scenes together in various roles.
Finally, all auditioners will be taught a short bit of choreography to dance in small groups. WEAR COMFY SHOES YOU CAN DANCE IN!