STUDENTS at Castle Rushen High School are preparing to stage a musical based on the Wizard of Oz.
This week more than 30 pupils and staff will take part in a production of The Wiz – a retelling of the original story but set in the context of African American culture.
The original 1975 Broadway production of The Wiz won seven Tony Awards and the film, which was released three years later, starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
English and drama teacher Emilie Kermode will direct the production alongside music teacher Gareth Deakin who is the musical director.
Emilie said: "Gareth and I were both part of productions of The Wiz during our PGCE placements in Manchester and so this musical seemed a natural choice to stage at Castle Rushen.
"We also relished the prospect of promoting our respective specialist subjects (drama and music) within an extra curricular capacity - especially as the arts are such a valuable area in which students should develop.
"We sought interest from students and staff, held auditions for lead roles and commenced rehearsals, which have been taking place during lunch times, after school and on the occasional Saturday since September.
"Since Christmas we have been working tirelessly on combining the drama, vocal and musical elements – no mean feat and a lot of hard work for all the cast and crew.
"We cannot believe the commitment displayed by our students and colleagues and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their energy and support. We hope it’s going to be a fabulous show."
The Wiz follows Dorothy (who will be played by 13 year old Adele Harris) while she is celebrating Thanksgiving with her family in Kansas.
She is caught up in a tornado while searching for her dog Toto and transported to the Land of Oz where she is informed that the only way back home is through the assistance of the powerful Wiz in the Emerald City.
As Dorothy searches for The Wiz she befriends others, who are also facing problems, and in their quest to find the Wiz they also face Evillene – the equally evil sister of Evermean who was the wicked witch Dorothy inadvertently killed when she arrived in Oz.
The music in the production will be provided by the Castle Rushen High School "Wiz Band" which comprises of nine students and five staff and will be conducted by senior education support officer Juan Wright.
The students will hold a special matinee performance of The Wiz today (Wednesday) for Castle Rushen’s "feeder" primary schools. Public performances of The Wiz will take place on Thursday and Friday (February 9 and 10) at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £3 for children and are available from the school's reception.
Photo caption: Back row L to R - Lile Sumner, Charlotte Darbyshire, Aisling Walsh, Emily Devereau, Adele Harris, Elise Norris, Amy Royle, Ellie Byrne. Front row L to R - Ben Holmes, Maddie Couch, Livvy Hewins, Melisa Walker, Summer Katz.
