The South Burnett Musical Comedy Society’s exuberant production of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ will open to the public this Friday, and seems likely to set a new standard in local theatre productions

August 16, 2017

The South Burnett Musical Comedy Society’s exuberant and innovative production of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ will open at Kingaroy Town Hall this Friday night (August 18), and it promises to set a new standard for South Burnett live theatre productions.

The show boasts a record-breaking cast of 52 singers, dancers and actors along with more than 200 costumes and a wide range of sets that include static and animated projection screens never seen in a local stage production before.

Four directors have played a hand in the show’s overall structure, music, dancing and sound; and a bevy of sponsors have come aboard to help the SBMCS bring the production to the stage.

Performers have been drawn from not only the Musical Comedy Society, but from local primary and secondary schools and three local dance schools as well.

The result is a lively, colourful and at times whacky rendition of this much-loved classic that seems certain to keep audiences happily glued to their seats from the opening scenes to the final curtain.

On Sunday, the SBMCS gave a twenty minute preview of selected scenes from the Wizard Of Oz for an audience composed of friends, supporters and proud parents whose children are performing onstage.

The result was a spell-binding insight into the show, which will have seven outings before its short season wraps up on August 26.

Director Craig Reiger, who has been living and breathing the show since rehearsals began in May, said he hoped audiences would enjoy the end result.

The images and video broadcast on the projection screens were specially imported from the USA, he said.

They not only add a new dimension to the production, but have also saved the group countless hours painting static backdrops on canvas.

Smoke machines and crisp sound production by Andrew Beckett from Bullroarer Studios also add to the atmosphere.

So do cleverly constructed sets that have been designed for rapid assembly and disassembly in the Town Hall’s cramped quarters.

Cast members range in age from three to 88, Craig said.

They’ve been drawn from St Mary’s Catholic College, St John’s Lutheran School, Kingaroy State High School, and Taabinga, Kingaroy, Nanango, Crawford and Proston State Schools.

Students from the Kingaroy Dance Academy, La Creme Dance Academy and Ally Walker’s Dance Academy help round out the cast.

The Wizard Of Oz will before performed at Kingaroy Town Hall at 7:00pm on August 18, 19, 25 and 26. There’ll also be three additional matinee performances at 2:00pm on August 19, 20 and 26.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for concession card holders and $15 for young people aged 5-17 (under 5s are free).

They will be available at the door before each performance, but can also be booked online.

The Wizard Of Oz has been sponsored by Huston Motors, Kingaroy Freight Express, Bullroarer Pro Sound, Greenslades Earthmoving, T&T Septic Cleaning Service, Two Sisters Scrapbooking, Kingaroy Joinery, Red Ant Mowing Service, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, Kingaroy Plumbing Works, Ken Mills Toyota, the Empire Theatre, Coppards Menswear, Vicki Rossi and Lyn Sullivan.

Projection screen backdrops add a new depth to the show; the technique has never been used in a South Burnett live theatre production before
Dorothy cowers in terror as a Kansas twister rips across the plains, while
storm fairies gather and wait to transport her to the land of Oz
Dorothy realises with shock that she and her dog Toto aren’t in Kansas any more when she arrives
at a Munchkin village and meets the Good Witch Of The North
The Good Witch explains to Dorothy that the Wizard is probably the best person to help her get back home, and the best way to find him is to follow the Yellow Brick Road
Some of the costumes in the show come from a 2002 production of the Wizard Of Oz that starred
Nikki Webster as Dorothy and toured Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane
The Good Witch of the North seems nonplussed as the Wicked Witch Of The West discovers Dorothy’s house has come down and killed her sister, the Wicked Witch Of The East …
… and the Wicked Witch gets even angrier when she learns the Good Witch has gifted Dorothy with her sister’s magical Ruby Red Slippers
Later, in the Enchanted Forest, Dorothy and her friends the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow are attacked by a horde of Jitterbugs …
… who execute an apparently harmless collection of dance routines …
… that steadily build up to a frightening climax
The 52-strong cast includes understudies and alternate actors for some of the roles; one way or another, the SBMCS is determined the show will go on!

 

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