2025-2026 Student Matinees
Journey to Oz
January 15-16, 2026
About the Show
The works of L. Frank Baum are numerous and his tales of Dorothy and her adventures in Oz are his most beloved. In this fantastic new adaptation, we are invited to go to Oz with Dorothy as audience members become a part of an experiential production, singing and dancing, and acting alongside professional actors. When the cyclone comes, the entire theater enters the eye of the storm with whisking lights and exciting music created by Barrymore Award winning composer, Josh Totora.
L. Frank Baum and illustrator W. W. Denslow were influenced by the innovations of the late 19th century. Electricity, steam powered engines, and innovations like the moving pictures of film captured the imaginations of writers and dreamers. Oz is a magical place of inspiration borne out of events like the 1892 Chicago World’s Fair and the advent of traveling circuses. This play features images and theatricality of more than a century’s past using the sights and sounds from Baum’s books and the world he was living in.
Volunteer students play 16 individual roles during the play, in addition to a few who are picked to dance in the Emerald City. The entire audience will sing, create sound effects, participate in call and response, and play the parts of Munchkins, Winkies, Crows, and Flying Monkeys.
Resources
Study Guide
Professional Development
A one-hour, virtual professional development session will be announced soon.