THE WIZARD OF OZ to be Presented at Beck Center for the Arts in May

Beck Center for the Arts will present its sixth production of The Wizard of Oz, this time during the exciting 75th Youth Theater Season.
 
The Wizard of Oz, By L. Frank Baum, Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg is adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Direction by Carolyn Demanelis, and Music Direction by Heidi Herczeg round out this impressive creative team. The 75th Diamond Youth Theater Season will conclude as we follow Dorothy down the Yellow Brick Road. This charming musical features students ages 6-19, with Little Dorothy Gale of Kansas who dreams of what lies beyond the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over that rainbow to the land of Oz where she and her pup Toto meet the Scarecrow, the Tinman, the Cowardly Lion. Together they learn about friendship, bravery, and ultimately, that There’s No Place Like Home 
 
Carolyn Demanelis, director of this production of The Wizard of Oz states, "It is a joy to work with a cast of this size, filled with young artists, exploring a story that feels part of American mythology. It is one of our most famous ‘hero’s journeys’ that centers the action around a young girl, Dorothy, and reminds each of us of the desire to return to our home. I think each of the characters in this story has had a disruption or loss to how they see themselves, and are trying to reclaim their identity and part of themself that feels missing. It is when the characters lean on one another and journey together into the unknown, that they are able to awaken the part of themselves that felt lost.”
 
 Previous youth theater productions of The Wizard of Oz took place in the seasons of 1977-1978, 1985-1986, 1997-1998, 2007-2008, and 2013-2014, making this the perfect production to wrap up the historic 75th anniversary of Beck Center’s Youth Theater.
  
Beck Center for the Arts’ Youth Theater alumni include Michael Chernus (Orange Is the New Black; Manhattan; Severance); Dee Hoty (three-time Tony Nominee); Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold; Transformers: The Last Night); Rory O’Malley (Hamilton; Tony Nominee, Book of Mormon); and Daniel Reichard (Drama Desk Nominee, Jersey Boys).
 
Ticket prices are $15 Adult/Senior, and $13 Children/Student (ages 18 & under). Please reserve tickets at beckcenter.org, call 216.521.2540 or simply stop by Beck Center Customer Service in person.
 
This youth theater production runs May 10-19, 2024 in the Senney Theater with a Student Matinee on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. and Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m., and 
Sunday performances at 3:00 p.m., and an added Thursday, May 16, 2024 performance at 7:30 p.m. in lieu of a Saturday evening performance on May 18, 2024.
 
 

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