Over 40 Students Bring "The Wizard of Oz" To Life Onstage at Gananda

Gananda’s High School Drama Club will present THE WIZARD OF OZ, a stage musical adaptation of the classic 1939 film at Ruben A. Cirillo High School on March 23-25.

 
Scheduled Show Times:

Thursday, March 23 at 7 PM

Friday, March 24 at 7 PM

Saturday, March 25 at 12:30 PM

Saturday, March 25 at 6 PM

 

Ticket Information:

Tickets are available online (scan the QR code on the poster with your phone’s camera OR visit the link) and at the door. Ticket prices are: $9 adults, $8 senior citizens, $7 students. Doors open a half hour before showtime for seating; tickets are general admission. All ticket sales help fund future drama club productions.


Ticket Specials (only available at the door):


  • Emerald City Special: Gananda staff and students are invited to attend Thursday evening’s performance at 7 PM for only $5. 

  • Munchkin Special: Elementary students, Pre-K to Grade 5, are invited to attend Saturday afternoon’s performance at 12:30 PM, accompanied by an adult, for only $1.
 
Show Summary:

When teenaged Dorothy from Kansas (Gabrielle Brice) is dropped by a cyclone in the mysterious Land of Oz, she begins a quest set by Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, (Molly Tichacek) to reach the dazzling Emerald City where the great Wizard of Oz (Seth Campbell) can send her home. There’s only one catch: Dorothy must first defeat the Wicked Witch of the West (Cadence Strausser), with the help of a brainless Scarecrow (Lyndsey Burns), a heartless Tin Man (Maria D’Agostino), and a cowardly Lion (Reese Davis), to restore peace in Oz, once and for all. 


The ensemble, playing multiple characters throughout Kansas and Oz, includes Josephine LaDuke (Miss Gulch), Leah Mandarano (Aunt Em), and Logan Potter (Uncle Henry) with Kat Bettinger, Brianna Holmes, Alyssa Malinak, Manny Manchester, Angie Marra, Liam Sennett, Kali Stackler, Layla Thomas, and Tyler Thomas.


A student crew manages all technical aspects of the production, including microphones, sound effects, lights, and scene changes: Mia Aucone, Nathan Benedict, Emily Hathaway, Chloe Hetherley, JJ LaDuke, L McGregor, Heavana Mount, Kaylee Norman, Andrew Pitolaj, Meah Prutzman, Ari Rodriguez, Eisele Schachtner, Shelby Suwyn, Elisabeth Talavera, Alex VanAntwerp, Noah Van Scoy, and Addie York. A live pit band includes freshman Jay Giles.


The following students made considerable contributions to the design, construction, and/or painting of sets: Caroline Donegan, Seth Gage, Helena Hamilton, Oliver LaBarge, Anna O’Neil, Amber Thorne, and Penny Walter. 


The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, has music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, background music by Herbert Stothart, dance and vocal arrangements by Peter Howard, and orchestrations by Larry Wilcox. It is 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. The Wizard of Oz is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.com