Fredonia Players to present Wizard of Oz

The Fredonia Players of SFA’s School of Theatre will present “The Yellow Brick Road Show” at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, March 5 through 7, in the Downstage Theatre in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

Formerly the Original Cast, the Fredonia Players invites the audience to join them for a hilarious, behind-the-scenes glimpse as they attempt to put on an old-fashioned radio production of the “beloved classic film that features a green witch, ruby slippers and an inconvenient cyclone,” according to Jason Scott, the company’s director.

While the company performs ‘live’ in the manner of old-time radio,” Scott said, “the chaos away from the microphone threatens to turn this production into a yellow-bricked disaster.”

“The Yellow Brick Road Show” is the company’s “playful way” of performing a radio version of “The Wizard of Oz,” Scott said. The “Oz” story, adapted from the classic 1939 film, will be familiar to the audience with songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” featured.

“But we’ve added a twist, as the live performance of the show is unexpectedly beset by last-minute changes and hilarious complications,” Scott said. “We think audiences will love seeing the familiar old story recreated in the fashion of old-time radio while also becoming involved with the frantic attempt to make the production go off without a hitch.”

This semester’s cast list includes Graham freshman Carly Nunn, Fort Worth sophomore Molly Mitchell, Friendswood freshman Anna Elizabeth Drake, Amarillo sophomore Mary Collie, Marietta, Ga., junior Hannah Johnson, Arlington senior Corinne Shady, Houston senior Kurt Bilanoski, Blue Ridge senior Luke Norton, Galveston sophomore Joseph Aldape, Copperas Cove sophomore Molly Dyer and Sherman junior Noah Scheibmeir.

The Fredonia Players

This production will be the first for the new Fredonia Players, which is the “alternative” theatre company that will serve as “lab” space for new work - comedy, variety, music, drama, site-specific - that will be determined on an annual basis by the members of the group and the faculty advisor.

“’The Original Cast’ was created over 20 years ago by Dr. Alan Nielsen (professor emeritus in SFA’s School of Theatre), and for the past several years, it has functioned essentially as a cabaret/variety troupe,” Scott said. “Dr. Nielsen is a very talented musician and vocal arranger, and the work he did for several generations of Lumberjack students and Nacogdoches audiences is stunning.