A classic story is being brought to life on stage with a youthful twist.
The Eleanor Drury Children’s Theatre of Thunder Bay is set to unveil their production of The Wizard of Oz, which will see its debut matinee run on Monday morning before playing at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on Tuesday night.
The cast of the youth group has been working together on the project since September, and with show time just around the corner producer Catherine Forbes Dyck said it has been inspiring to watch them bond together as a unit.
“When you look at a bunch of kids that have all come together with different areas of expertise and number of years of experience for us all to move in one direction is fantastic,” Forbes Dyck said at the rehearsal on Sunday.
The theatre group is composed of members in ages ranging from seven to 17-years-old, each with different skill sets and perspectives.
Tia Lunn will be portraying the role of the Tin Man, and she is really looking forward to hitting the stage in front of a live audience.
She also realizes her character has special nuances.
“I think we have a great show that is going to excite a lot of people, especially families,” she said.
“It’s a very different character because he’s looking for his heart, and he’s one of those characters with a really interesting back story.”
Forbes Dyck, who is a high school teacher, takes pride in watching the development of the performers during the process.
She said one of the best parts of theatre is seeing the confidence and excitement each member of the group draws from their respective roles.
“Watching the kids who have never done a show before is very exciting to me,” Forbes Dyck commented. “This is all about watching kids grow up, both as an educator and parent as well.”
The wicked witch of the west, Alexandria Krawczuk, is one of those performers making her Auditorium stage debut.
One of her challenges has been shifting from her regular personality to the evil antagonist, but she has found ways to get into character.
“I’ve been expressing myself in an evil accent, so I can play my role as somebody evil instead of being a sweet little girl.”
Forbes Dyck advises parents to consider enrolling children in groups and exposing them to theatre.
She said working together on a production creates a level of engagement that is hard to replicate with other tasks.
“The intensive nature it takes to get to this point and produce a show, none of these kids are on their cellphones. They’re with us in an authentic way,” she explained.
Tickets are still available at the Auditorium box office for the show, which will run on Tuesday evening at 8 pm.
