Students present ‘Wizard of Oz’
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
RONAN — They’ve been sewing, painting, designing and rehearsing for months, and now Ronan Middle School students are finally ready to present their first musical to the community. “The Wizard of Oz” plays Dec. 10 and 11 at the Ronan Performing Arts Center, and director Rita Tingey couldn’t be prouder of her hardworking cast and crew. Even the orchestra is made up of the seventh- and eighth-grade band.
“There are over 80 students involved in some way,” Tingey said. “It’s all student-done.”
Students in Tingey’s drama and theater arts classes began working on the play when school started in August, with full rehearsals starting in October. With two full casts set to perform on different nights, there was plenty of studying and practicing to be done. And students say all the hard work has been well worth it.
“(Working on the play) has been a wonderful experience,” said Brittany Deneault, who plays Dorothy.
Audiences can expect to see a variety of colorful characters, including flying monkeys, dancing trees, munchkins, Quadlings (servants of the witch), and of course the beloved scarecrow, tin man and lion, as well as Dorothy, Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Tingey said.
A few enhancements to the traditional story add humor to the script, like one munchkin that’s twice the size of all the others, Tingey explained.
“She’s the adopted munchkin … so the script’s a little different,” she said.
Ronan Middle School’s “The Wizard of Oz” plays at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Ronan Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family, and all proceeds go to the school.
