By CHS Students Nevaeh Myers, Astro Johnson, and Trevor Young.
There's no place like home, other than Camden High School's Auditorium! Take a stroll to Camden High School to watch The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on Friday, November 3rd at 7:00 pm and Saturday, November 4th at 2pm & 7:30pm. The playwright, V. Glasgow Koste was a natural-born dramatist. Koste was famous for adapting classic stories such as Cinderella and The Wizard Of Oz and taking them to the stage. Faithful to the original book, Virginia Koste's version creates a fresh framework for Oz. This dramatic adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, will take mainstage at Camden High School this November.
In this retelling of the original book, author Frank Baum (Owen Carr) acts as narrator and storyteller. Dorothy (Hailey Hicks) and her loving dog, Toto (Chad Tefft), are faced with a dilemma. A terrible twister is bestowed upon her Auntie Em (Evelyn Hotaling) and Uncle Henry’s (Tyler McLeod) house. Dorothy and Toto are then transported to the land of Oz with the assistance of Stage Hand (Natalie Hotaling) and the Stage Manager (Sydney Matthews). Dorothy is then set to experience a perilous journey to find her way back home to Kansas. In this whimsical land of oddities, the Good Witch Of The North (Hannah Smith) meets Dorothy, as the munchkins (Ryan Brown, Mikinze Collins, Emma Kratz, Tessa Fall, Brooklyn Waterman, Kyra Cooper, Heaven Merithew, Ellie Kratz, Reagan Arnold) follow close behind! Along her journey, Dorothy encounters a brainless Scarecrow (Izzy Wing), a heartless Tinman (Gage Grinnell), and a Cowardly Lion (Trevor Young). Together on their way to meet the Wizard of Oz (Dylan Keyes), they encounter the Guard (Jacob LeBreux), the Beast (Sydney Matthews), and the Green Lady (Ryan Brown). Oz sends them on a journey to destroy The Wicked Witch of the West (Annaka Stauring) who rules the west terrain with a watchful eye over her prisoners; otherwise known as Winkies (Ryan Brown, Astro Johnson, Jacob LeBreux, Tyler McLeod, Willow Kratz, Cal Seckner, Angelina Kersey, and Elijah Trautner). After destroying the Wicked Witch, Glinda (EleanorAnn Kratz) helps Dorothy to realize that the only one who can truly save her, is herself. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz celebrates the importance of mind and heart; courage in facing what is feared; the need to dream, to dare, to ride out storms; the joys of loving, laughing, crying, being lost, and found.
Thank you to our directors Stephanie Heath and Amanda Hughes who, unlike the wicked witch, were not so wicked! We owe our gratitude to Gianni Liberatore for taking on such a big tech role in this year's fall production. A special thank you to Jennifer Carr, Amy Andrews, and Natalie Archibee for turning our stage into a colorful world. Behind the artists, comes the set design. Thank you to Joe Carr and Nathan Heath for dedicating their time to building our sets. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will land in Camden High’s auditorium on Friday, November 3rd at 7:00 pm and Saturday, November 4th at 2 & 7:30. FREE ADMISSION! Don't forget to grab concessions during intermission! We hope to see you there, clicking your heels and all!