The Wizard Of OZ to Follow the Yellow Brick Road To Greenbelt Arts Center

Dorothy and Toto travel to Oz and join a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in search of the Wonderful Wizard. The beloved musical movie version of The Wizard of Oz is brought to life on the GAC stage with Wicked Witches, Flying Monkeys, Ruby Slippers, Munchkins and more. Songs include "Over the Rainbow," "If I Only Had a Brain," "Yellow Brick Road" and "We're Off to See the Wizard." This high-energy show will delight your whole family.

Greenbelt was founded in 1937, and celebrates its 80th Anniversary this year. The Greenbelt Movie Theater began soon afterwards. One of the first films that the new residents of Greenbelt went to see was The Wizard of Oz. The movie was technically innovative and made 16-year- old Judy Garland a star. The themes resonated with the viewers. America in the 1930s needed brains, hearts and courage to overcome the Great Depression, and to escape the evil that was building in Europe. Symbolizing the strengths in a community of farmers (Scarecrow), industry (Tinman) and government (Lion), Dorothy's journey of discovery is still relevant today.

There are four musical stage versions of The Wizard of Oz, not counting The Wiz and Wicked. L. Frank Baum himself wrote the first Broadway musical version just after he finished the book, and it was a big hit in 1903. In 1942 there was a version based on the movie using some of the same songs, but theaters in 1942 were not able to replicate the special effects of the film. In 2011, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wrote some new music for a London production. We are presenting the 1987 Royal Shakespeare Company revival, the version that most closely follows the movie script and includes all of the original songs. We also include "The Jitterbug", a song which was written for the movie, but that scene was left on the cutting room floor.

With 23 people in the cast and even more off-stage, this production involves more than 50 people using their brains, their hearts, their courage and lots of hard work. We have formed our own community and by working together, we have discovered that our heart's desire is right here in our own backyard. We have had a tremendous amount of fun traveling along the yellow brick road to put this show together. We are delighted that you, the audience, are now joining us on our journey. We're off to see ...!

Cast of Characters:
Dorothy Gale - Loraine Hamlett
Toto - Jocelyn Gross
Scarecrow (Hunk) - Sarah Dallas DeFord
Tinman (Hickory) - Marie Nearing
Cowardly Lion (Zeke) - Stephen P. Yednock
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Aunt Em) - Courtney James
Emerald City Guard (Uncle Henry) - Dave Robinson
The Wicked Witch of the West (Miss Elmira Gulch) - Julia Frank
The Wizard of Oz (Professor Chester Marvel) - Ian Blackwell Rogers
Nikko, Commander of the Monkeys - Findley Holland
Ensemble, Crow, Winkie General - Melanie Arter
Ensemble, Tree, Lead Jitterbug - Sumayyah Bilal*
Ensemble, Munchkin Elder, Cyclone - Hannah Collins
Ensemble, Munchkin Mayor - Sophie Cooper
Ensemble, Tree, Lead Jitterbug - Elizabeth Gardner*
Ensemble, Munchkin - Shawford Jackson
Ensemble, Munchkin Coroner, Cyclone - Snowdenn Jackson
Ensemble, Munchkin Elder - Beatrice Marcavitch
Ensemble, Munchkin Barrister, Cyclone - Julia May
Ensemble, Munchkin Elder - Miracle Omar
Ensemble, Munchkin - Felix Retterer
Ensemble, Tree - Jen Retterer
Ensemble, Tree - Samantha Roberts
Ensemble, Crow - Melissa Sites
Members of the Ensemble will play Munchkins, Poppies, Snowmen,
Optimistic Voices, Ozians, Winkies, Jitterbugs and Flying Monkeys.

* Elizabeth Gardner will perform in the ensemble on Sunday, Dec 3.
Sumayyah Bilal will perform in the ensemble at all other performances.

For more information visit GREENBELTARTSCENTER.ORG.

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