“The Wizard of Oz” will soon be coming to life on the Tecumseh High School Stage. Over 115 Tecumseh students from grades K-12 will present the beloved classic to audiences on March 16 & 17 at 7:00 p.m. and on March 18 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at showtix4u.com

“The Wizard of Oz” tells the story of how Dorothy Gale, a little girl from Depression-era Kansas, and her dog, Toto, run away from home and go on a fantastic adventure where she meets Munchkins, witches, and follows a very long yellow brick road to meet a surprising Wizard. Along the way she makes four very dear friends with a very unique needs. During it all, Dorothy learns a very important lesson about running away from your problems and the importance of home.

Julia Jones (Dorothy), Kevin Willardson (Scarecrow), Ben Slagell (Tin Man), Cole Angstadt (Cowardly Lion), Sydney Lamb (Wicked Witch of the West), and Travis Lawson (Wizard of Oz) say they are both nervous and excited to be bringing their own interpretation to characters cherished by generations of fans.

“Everybody has this ideal of what the characters should be like, so you try to accommodate that; but you also put your own spin on them to make them yours,” comments Jones. She explains how she is, “Trying to show Dorothy’s compassion, while also exploring and bringing out more of her confident side.”

The cast members say sometimes the most recognizable traits of their Oz character have been both the most interesting and difficult things for them to master.

“Getting the Lion’s voice right has been difficult, but he’s so loud that it’s also been fun figuring him out,” says Angstadt. Slagell muses, “Perfecting the stiffness of movement for the Tin Man, especially during dances, has been really hard.” Lamb explains that the Wicked Witch’s signature cackle has been both her favorite part of playing the character, but also the hardest, “It strains your voice a little bit if you’re not careful.”

Some of the underlying themes in Dorothy’s story have made deep impressions on the cast members.

“Dorothy thinks she is on her way to see the Wizard, but she is actually finding herself along the way. She is learning who she is and what is really important in her life,” says Jones.

Although he plays the Wizard, Lawson comments that he has most enjoyed seeing how Dorothy grows during her adventure, “She goes from running away because she feels like she has been betrayed by the people she loves, to understanding they were just trying to protect her, that they love her, and that home really is the best place to be.”

Director Melissa Willardson has been involved with Tecumseh’s theater department for well over 25 years. Under her direction, the 2017 spring musical, “Once Upon a Mattress,” brought home 14 DayTony awards. The awards are presented to Dayton-area productions for outstanding performance both onstage and behind the scenes. Willardson says she believes Tecumseh’s theater department is so successful, in part, because the students are invested in it and in each other.

“We try very hard to accommodate schedules as much as possible. Everyone is so busy, but they only get to be kids for a very short time and they should be able to experience as much as they can while they are young. We try to make this fun for them...and I think we have succeeded. We have kids come back year after year to audition, and they wouldn’t come back if they didn’t love it. We also try to use the younger students when we can. It helps get them interested in the program. These are great kids work really hard to create great shows, and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is going to awesome!”

During Tecumseh’s production, audiences will be treated to scenes and musical numbers like “The Jitterbug” that were written for MGM’s 1939 film, but were cut due to budget and/or time constraints.

Cast members in Tecumseh’s production say that, as an ensemble, they have something very important in common with their Oz counterparts that will make their production of “The Wizard of Oz” special.

“We have a really good chemistry together because we’ve been friends for a really long time,” says Angstadt, “That helps us trust each other, so we are able to really show the friendship and affection these characters have for each other. I think the audience will feel that connection too.”

In addition to the stage production, fans can attend a special “Breakfast with Dorothy” event on March 10 from 9-11 a.m. at Park Layne Elementary School. Participants will get a sneak peek at a scene from the musical and can have their picture taken with their favorite Oz characters. Tickets are $5.00 at the door.

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