Detour Company Theatre To Bring THE WIZARD OF OZ To Scottsdale

Detour Company Theatre is leading audiences down the Yellow Brick Road with their production of "The Wizard of Oz" from Jan. 6-8 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Based on the classic motion picture - which is an adaptation of the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum - "The Wizard of Oz" was originally adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company and uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film.

The timeless tale follows young Dorothy Gale who travels from Kansas over the rainbow to the magical Land of Oz. Dorothy teams up with a Scarecrow, a Tin Woodsman and a Cowardly Lion to find the mighty Wizard of Oz, who can send her home. Along the way, they must avoid the clutches of the Wicked Witch of the West, who is trying to steal the mysterious magic slippers that once belonged to her evil sister... but are now on Dorothy's feet.

"You may know the story of 'The Wizard of Oz,' but Detour shows are like no other! You can expect nothing but the best," said "The Wizard of Oz" actor Breanna Gollihur. "We have very talented actors and an amazing community. We'd love to see you there!"

Detour Company Theatre provides theater training and performance experiences for adults with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities, providing them authentic opportunities to develop artistry, demonstrate courage and collaboration, experience joy and participate in the sharing of musical theater with the entire community.

The company stages its productions in June and January of each year at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, where Detour is a resident company. The talented and dedicated community of artists with disabilities at Detour Company Theatre have been working tirelessly to bring this magical tale to life.

"Detour artists are thrilled to bring this classic back to the stage," said Detour's artistic director, LaRiche Lamar. "'The Wizard of Oz' was the first show the company performed when our founder established this amazing community. Now we're back, 22 years later, with a steampunk twist."

Detour will have three showings of "The Wizard of Oz" at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. There will be one showing on Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m.; one showing on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3 p.m; and one final showing will be on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m. Admission is free for all productions, but donations are accepted. RSVP at ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events.

For more information about Detour Company Theatre, visit DetourCompanyTheatre.org.

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