The Wizard of Oz, best known as the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland, will be presented at Duchess Park Secondary School from April 8 to 12.
It’s the iconic tale of Dorothy and her little dog Toto who get swept up in a tornado and find themselves in the Land of Oz. When Dorothy realizes what’s happened she’s told the only chance she has to find her way back home is to speak with the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City. As she makes her way she comes upon several characters, each seeking a little magic for themselves.
The Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow join the adventure down the yellow brick road while being challenged along the way by the Wicked Witch of the West, who is seeking vengeance because her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, was squished when Dorothy’s house landed on her.
“We knew it would be a struggle with its many sets and many costumes, but for us it was important to give kids a chance to shine,” said Jackie Friesen, Duchess Park Theatre Company drama teacher. She takes on the play with Shelby Meaney, artistic director for the show.
This Duchess Park Theatre Company production, while a musical, also offers comedic roles to students to explore their talents, like the roles of the farm hands, Uncle Henry and Auntie Em and the Wizard of Oz.
“Those are great roles for those who may not be super musically inclined so we wanted to give those opportunities to more kids,” Friesen said.
“So you look at some of our funniest roles and they are the ones that don’t sing. We wanted to give all these different roles to other students so they could shine. One of my favourite roles is the jitterbug, which is in a scene that was cut from the original 1939 film. The jitterbug is the creepy creature that the Wicked Witch sends to go after the four leads and we’ve got this amazing dancer, Ava Haight, Grade 10, who is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this particular show as she’s my lead snowflake, one of our crows and she’s going to be en pointe on stage and so that scene will give her a wonderful moment to shine.”
The Wizard of Oz is a classic for a reason, Friesen added.
"Even in 2025 don’t we all wish that we could go somewhere over the rainbow where all our troubles melt like lemon drops and haven’t we all had that moment where, like the scarecrow, we didn’t think we were smart enough, like the lion, we didn’t think we were brave enough, like the tin man, we didn’t think we had the heart to do something. Or have that realization that ‘there’s no place like home’? There are so many different ideas that are still relevant in 2025. So we wanted to bring something that was iconic and fun and kid-friendly and the senior community will enjoy, too, because it will bring back the memories of Judy Garland starring in the show. We just thought it would be a really great show for so many different reasons."
In the Duchess Park Theatre Company production two people share each lead role.
Kaylee Doyle, Grade 12, and Daysha Turner, Grade 9, are sharing the role of Dorothy.
Daysha was in last year’s production of The Addams Family and Kaylee is new to the theatre scene.
“It’s kind of interesting because the two Dorothys are working together and it’s the younger that’s guiding the older,” Friesen said.
“But they are working together so well, especially with the stress of nailing the iconic song Over the Rainbow and Kaylee’s never sung before so she’s taking lessons while Daysha’s got more of a musical background.”
“I’ve played sports in the past so I’ve done all that so I thought I could try theatre and Miss Friesen was hyping it up a lot and my friend Sophia was talking about it too — she’s Glinda — and I thought maybe I could try it out,” Kaylee explained.
“At first Kaylee thought she wanted to be crew and then changed her mind and auditioned for cast and I thought where the heck has that talent been all these years — she's coming into it in Grade 12,” Friesen laughed.
Kaylee said she really likes being busy so taking on a role like this suits her.
“I like being social and I like singing — I sing a lot in the shower, like a lot,” Kaylee smiled.
But she was surprised how much work goes into the play and there's been a few hiccups.
“There are some lines that no matter how many times I go over them I just can’t get them right,” Kaylee said.
Luckily there's still time to iron out the glitches.
“The best part is the social aspect of it, I feel, because I get to spend time with my brother (who takes on the role of The Scarecrow) and at the same time I get to spend time with my friends and Miss Friesen is like a mom to me and Miss Meaney is like a fun Auntie. It’s just like a big family and it’s so nice and I love it.”
Daysha, the other Dorothy, came into the show bringing last year’s production experience with her.
“Ever since I was young I always wanted to perform in some sort of aspect,” Daysha said.
“I did a lot of dancing when I was younger and my Dad sang a lot so I grew up singing. In elementary school I did my first play and I was like ‘whoa, this is really fun.’ Then when I came here I saw they had a theatre program and it sounded like fun, too.”
Daysha knew coming into this year’s production how much time had to go into it.
“And it’s kind of nice having something to do,” Daysha said.
Some of the lines came easy and others not so much, she added.
“There are some scenes that we’ve been working on forever and I’m still like ‘what do I say?’” Daysha laughed. “There's a lot of 'oh Toto', 'oh my,' or 'that's terrible' and we’re almost never off stage.”
Cast and crew agree there's one major reason they join a production like this.
“The best part is connecting with so many people,” Daysha said.
“And getting the opportunities that Theatre Company can provide that I don’t think I can get anywhere else and getting to be around my best friends all the time. Getting to dance and sing and having something I can put my energy towards.”
The Wizard of Oz goes Tuesday, April 8 to Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 and there’s a half-price matinee on Saturday at 1 p.m., doors open at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students available at the office every day. During Spring Break the school is closed and will reopen April 1.
