The Wizard of Oz
Set Design: Evan Adamson
Costume Design: John White and Terri Schaffer
Lighting Design: Chris McCleary
Off to See The Wizard of Oz
But under McCleary’s enlightened direction, The Wizard of Oz is so much more than song, spectacle and pageantry.
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“One of the most beautiful things that, I think, Amy has helped me discover is that this story is far deeper than just a girl who gets lost and goes to a magical land and then tries to go back home,” said Cammarata.
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“It really is a coming-of-age story and it really is about a young girl who’s kind of entering that rebellious stage of womanhood and she really finds her inner strength and she accesses things she didn’t know she had within her to sort of become the fearless leader of the group and find her way back home.”
“The Wicked Witch isn’t just an outside obstacle, you know," said Whitworth. "The Wicked Witch is that voice in your head saying mean things to you and trying to hold you down and keep you back from believing in yourself and being true to your heart and using your brain and having courage.”
One big difference between McCleary’s vision and the movie version of Dorothy’s encounter with the Witch is Dorothy’s pluck.
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“In the movie, Dorothy is sitting," said McCleary. "She’s crying. She’s not really fighting for herself. She’s just reacting, but she is kind of a victim,” observes Whitworth. “In our version, Dorothy is right up in the wicked witch’s face, fighting back and standing up for herself. I think that’s just a really exciting version of a way to produce this show.
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In her dealings with the Witch and even the Wizard, Dorothy has another powerful ally, Toto, who symbolizes her intuition. That’s really what Miss Gulch and the Wicked Watch want to destroy. But that’s the one thing Dorothy won’t let them or anyone else do.
