WICKED Releases Education Kit in Australia

The Broadway Blockbuster WICKED flies into Australia's Emerald City at the Sydney Lyric from 25 August this year. Students across Australia will "rejoycify" as the WICKED Education Kit has been released to enable teachers for students from Years 7 - 12 to start planning their pre and post show activities in addition to seeing the show.

Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) was based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, and explored the untold story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical WICKED, with its book by Winnie Holzman and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, is based on this revised telling of the classic tale of Oz. The novel has sold 5.5 million copies, with 5 million of those sold since 2003 when the musical opened. Buoyed by the musical's success, the novel has appeared on bestseller lists for close to two decades since its initial publication.

The musical provides students with a unique opportunity to explore the wonderful world of Oz and its characters from different perspectives. This production is not only entertaining, but also serves as a powerful tool for education.

The Education Kit will serve as a guide to allow teachers and students to engage with the marvellous story of WICKED. For full WICKED materials and individual activity pages visit wickedthemusical.com.au/education

The resource has been prepared to help teachers explore the musical with their students, tying in with the Australian Curriculum, including the subject areas of English, Humanities & Social Sciences, and the Arts, as well as the General Capabilities of Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability and Ethical Understanding.

The guide contains activities and points of discussion that will assist students in exploring the themes of 'good vs wicked', 'appearances and differences', 'friendship', 'popularity' and 'propaganda and critical thinking'.

Almost 20 years since its premiere on Broadway, WICKED remains one of the most successful and popular musicals in the world. Winner of over 100 major awards including the Grammy Award, the Olivier Award, six Helpmann Awards, three Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards, WICKED is "A Complete Triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry and think" (USA Today).

The musical has played in 16 countries around the world including Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, The Philippines, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, and has been translated into six languages. By the time of its first performance in Sydney, WICKED will have become the 4th longest running show in Broadway history (surpassing CATS).

Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other young women meet in the land of Oz. One born with emerald-green skin is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. The other is bubbly, blonde, ambitious and exceptionally popular. They become rivals, then friends...until the world decides to call one "good" and the other one "wicked."

To post a comment, you must register and login.