Take a visit to the land of Oz with Skyline High School Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Performances are Nov. 15-17 at Skyline High School, 2552 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The cast and crew is full of over 80 Skyline High School students in grades 9-12. It is directed by Skyline staff member Brodie Brockie and produced by Skyline drama teacher Anne Marie Roberts.
Brockie, has a special connection to “The Wizard of Oz.” When he was in sixth grade, it was the first show he ever auditioned for. He ended up winning the role of Mayor Munchkin.
“I’ve always loved it,” Brockie said in a press release. “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.”
This musical, based on on the classic movie, has the potential to teach students important lessons.
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“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,” Brockie said in a press release. “It’s an act of kindness that saves the day in the end.”
This performances will be based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1987 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, which is faithful to the film version. “The Wizard of Oz” has music by Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and a book by John Kane. Brockie said the Skyline cast and crew demonstrated creativity throughout this show.
“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 in a press release.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and $5 for kids 5 and under. They can be purchased in advance. For more information visit, skylinehstheatre.org.
