Danielle Wade to Star in THE WIZARD OF OZ at Segerstrom Center, 2/11-23

Segerstrom Center for the Arts has announced casting for the Orange County engagement of the first North American tour of the new stage adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ. The show will play at Segerstrom Hall from February 11 - 23, 2014. The North American tour features many of the same talented Canadian cast as the original Toronto production including, as Dorothy, Danielle Wade, who was chosen for the show by the Canadian public through CBC TV's reality casting show, Over the Rainbow.

Click your heels together and join Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and her little dog Toto, as they journey through the magical Land of Oz to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts' desires. Watch out for the Wicked Witch of the West and her winged monkeys as you rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat for all the family.

Single tickets start at $29 and are now available online at SCFTA.org, the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. Kids' Night on Broadway will take place during the February 12 and 13 performances. For each full-priced adult ticket purchased, a child's admission will be free. This offer is valid for young people ages 5 - 18. The promo code is: KNOB. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, February 22 will include audio description, open captioning and sign-language interpretation.

Canadian actor and choreographer Mike Jackson (CHICAGO, Broadway/U.S. tour; Contact, U.S. tour) plays Tin Man. Star of MAMMA MIA! (Toronto/U.S. tour) and a Dora Award winner for his play High Life, Lee MacDougall plays the Lion. Jamie McKnight, known for his performance in The Producers (Toronto) and as one of The Canadian Tenors, plays the Scarecrow. Robin Evan Willis, star of many Canadian Shaw Festival productions, plays Glinda.

Joining the original cast members is veteran Canadian actor Jay Brazeau (Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, Stargate SG-1) as Professor Marvel/The Wizard, in addition to Broadway and U.S. national tour veteran Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Les Mise?rables, Miss Saigon, Closer Than Ever) as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Rounding out the ensemble are Larry Mannell, Chelsey Duplak, Jordan Bell, John Edwards, Kelly Grainger, Jason Huska, Julia Juhas, Zak Kearns, Anthony MacPherson, Stewart Adam McKensy, Julia McLellan, Briana Palmer, Kristen Pottle, Alana Randall, Adam Sergison, Amanda Struthmann, AnDrew Taylor, Devon Tullock, Jesse Weafer, Ryan Wilson and Alyson Workman.

Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this new production of THE WIZARD OF OZ contains the beloved Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg songs from the Oscar®-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The tour of THE WIZARD OF OZ features the same award-winning creative team from London and Toronto: Jeremy Sams (direction), Robert Jones (set and costume design), Arlene Phillips (choreography), Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), Mick Potter (sound design), Jon Driscoll (video/projection design), David Cullen (orchestrations) and Graham Hurman (musical supervision). Animals will be provided by William Berloni.

Danielle Wade (Dorothy). After capturing hearts on the CBC television show, Over the Rainbow, Wade went on to lead the Canadian company in OZ's North American premiere. She has completed two years in the fine arts program at the University of Windsor. Other theater credits include: Janet (The Drowsy Chaperone) Edinburgh Festival, Elle Woods (Legally Blonde) and Cinderella (Into the Woods) for Windsor Light Music Theatre.

Jay Brazeau (Professor Marvel/The Wizard). Brazeau's career highlights include Hairspray (Edna Turnbald, Mirvish Productions), The Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair) and Fiddler on the Roof (Tevye). Film and TV credits include Watchmen, Double Jeopardy, Jinxed, The West Wing and Supernatural. Jay has received seven Jessie Theatre Awards, a Pittsburgh Press Critic's Award for Best Actor of the Year (1987) and was nominated for a Gemini Award for Harlen in the series Stargate SG-1. He will be in the upcoming film Horns starring Daniel Radcliff.

Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Miss Gulch/ The Wicked Witch of the West). Broadway/Tours: Les Mise?rables (Cosette and Fantine; only actor in Broadway's original production to play both), Miss Saigon (Ellen), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Mama Who), Sunset Boulevard (Betty), Big (Susan), The Secret Garden (Lily), Sweet Adeline (Encores!). Off Broadway: I Remember Mama, Under the Bridge, The Ark, Have a Nice Life, Closer Than Ever. Favorites: The Witches of Eastwick, 110 in the Shade (Helen Hayes Award), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (CT. Critics Award), Grey Gardens (Edie).

Mike Jackson (Tin Man). Broadway: CHICAGO. U.S. tours: CHICAGO and Contact. Other theater: Kiss Me Kate, EVITA (Stratford Festival), How to Succeed, Man of La Mancha (Drayton), Seussical, Oklahoma, Joseph (Aquarius), Anne of Green Gables (Japan), Cats, Starlight Express (Germany). TV/Film: The Producers, Glitter, Once a Upon a Mattress, Missing, Queer as Folk. Choreography: Anne of Green Gables (Charlottetown Festival), The Full Monty (Aquarius), La Cage aux Folles (Neptune), All Shook Up, Joseph, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors (Stage West).

Lee MacDougall (Lion). For Mirvish Productions, MacDougall was Harry in the original cast of MAMMA MIA! (Toronto and U.S. tour) and Smokey in Damn Yankees. Selected credits include The Boyfriend (Stratford Festival), Urinetown (CanStage) and Guys and Dolls (Theatre Calgary, Citadel). Also a playwright, his plays include High Life, The Gingko Tree and an adaptation of W.O. Mitchell's Who Has Seen the Wind. As a director: Glory Days, Beauty and the Beast, The Producers, Joseph and All Shook Up.

Jamie McKnight (Scarecrow). Selected theatre credits: Toronto: The Producers, The Toxic Avenger, Hair, Annie Get Your Gun, Go-Go Beach. Stratford Festival: Oklahoma!, King Lear. Theatre New Brunswick: I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. The Grand Theatre, London, Ontario: A Funny Thing Happened, Joseph and Hair. In 2008, he toured as one of The Canadian Tenors.

Robin Evan Willis (Glinda). As a longstanding ensemble member of Canada's Shaw Festival, Willis has appeared in Heartbreak House (Ellie), One Touch of Venus (Venus), French Without Tears (Diana), The Cherry Orchard (Anya), A Little Night Music (Anne), The Millionairess (Polly) and Sunday in the Park with George (Celeste) among other productions. Credits elsewhere: Goblin Market, Othello, Amadeus, and Man of La Mancha. Robin is a graduate of Queen's University and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

NIGEL (Toto). Rescued from the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society by guardian and trainer, William Berloni, in 2008. He follows in a long line of Totos trained by Berloni. In 2009, he appeared as Toto in The Wiz opposite Ashanti in New York City. He has been on the Today Show and Dogs 101. He also appeared in the major motion picture Someday This Pain Will Be Useful with Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Regbo.

For more information, visit www.wizardofozthemusical.com.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi- disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family- friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. The Center's arts-in-education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony® Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

THE WIZARD OF OZ will play the Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Segerstrom Hall, February 11 - 23, 2014, running Tuesday - Friday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. The 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, February 22 will include audio description, open captioning and sign-language interpretation. Tickets start at $29. Contact the Box Office (600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626) open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. or daily online and over the phone at SCFTA.org and (714) 556-2787.

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