Local Dance Students Perform as Munchkins in WIZARD OF OZ at the Fox Cities P.A.C

The national tour of The Wizard of Oz announced that local youth from the Neenah-Menasha YMCA will perform the roles of "munchkins" onstage in their hometowns when the national Broadway tour touches down at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center June 25-27, 2010.

The Wizard of Oz will provide 12 local dance and theater students from Neenah, Menasha and Appleton with real-life theater experience. They will discover what it is like to be part of a professional company, learn choreography by Leigh Constantine and be outfitted in the costume designs of Tim McQuillen-Wright.

For Jeanne Hoest, arts and humanities director at the Neenah-Menasha YMCA, a performance of this magnitude is a great opportunity to partner with another local non-profit organization. With the upcoming performances of The Wizard of Oz, "These girls have a great creative outlet that builds their self confidence. They are rehearsing at least four days a week, and all twelve girls are as excited as they were from the beginning. They know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center president Susan Stockton is thrilled to welcome local dance students to the Center's stage stating, "As a non-profit organization, the Center is committed to bringing the best of the performing arts to this community and that includes the best opportunities for local students to learn and perform on a professional stage." She believes local student involvement will inspire children in the audience to explore the arts. "What I hope is that children see kids their own age, from their own community, singing and dancing onstage in this production, and say ‘that looks like fun. Mom and Dad, I want to do that!'"

The lucky children that will perform in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center engagement are Maddie Alft, Jessica Anderson, Danyel Bernstein, Lita Elkendier, Madison Ferron, Mareena Franke, Marissa Franke, Erin Henze, Maddie Hickey, Danielle Krostue, Addie Jo Lambrecht and Emily Wall. These young performers are enrolled in theater, dance, voice and music classes at the Neenah-Menasha YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of the Fox Cities. The Neenah-Menasha YMCA is known for extensive program offerings in visual and performance arts.

Tickets for the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's engagement of The Wizard of Oz start at $41 and can be purchased now by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787 or the Center's ticket office at (920) 730-3760. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center's ticket office or online at foxcitiespac.com. Groups of 10 or more can save 10 percent by calling (920) 730-3786. Additional fees may apply.

Families can begin their trip "Over the Rainbow" with children's activities such as designing their own Scarecrow, Tin Man or Cowardly Lion in the Kimberly-Clark Theater on Sunday, June 27 before the matinee and evening performances. Doors open at noon before the matinee and at 5:30 p.m. before the evening performance. This event is free and available to ticket holders for the Sunday, June 27 performances of The Wizard of Oz with community support from Appleton Papers Inc.

The Wizard of Oz is locally supported by community partner CR Meyer.

The performance schedule for The Wizard of Oz at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center is: June 25, 7:30 p.m.; June 26, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and June 27, 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

For more information visit: wizardofozontour.com.

ABOUT NETworks Presentations, LLC (Producer)
Founded in 1995 by Kenneth Gentry, Seth Wenig and Scott Jackson, NETworks has produced and managed over 70 national and international touring productions. Previous productions include Oliver!, Little Women starring Maureen McGovern, Jekyll & Hyde, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt and Deborah Gibson, Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshaw, The Light in the Piazza, My Fair Lady co-produced with Cameron Mackintosh, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, among many others. Joining returning hits Annie, The Drowsy Chaperone, Hairspray and The Wizard of Oz this season are Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Young Frankenstein, and the Lincoln Center's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. Future titles include Joyful Noise's production of Handel's Messiah Rocks, Spring Awakening and Les Miserables.

ABOUT M&I BANK Broadway Across America - FOX CITIES
M&I Bank Broadway Across America - Fox Cities, exclusively at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is presented in partnership with Broadway Across America. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin, is a gathering place for the community and a state-of-the-art venue where the arts come alive. Additional information is available at foxcitiespac.com.

ABOUT Broadway Across America
Broadway Across America is owned and operated by British theater producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring Broadway musicals and plays, family productions and other live events throughout a network of 43 North American cities. Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse live theater for productions on Broadway, across America and throughout the world. Broadway Across America most recently produced the Broadway productions of Hair, West Side Story and Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Upcoming productions include Minsky's; Promises, Promises; Million Dollar Quartet; and the West End production of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Touring productions include Nickelodeon's Storytime Adventures featuring Dora the Explorer and Dreamgirls. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. The Center proudly serves as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of the live performing arts. For more information on upcoming events, education programs and community involvement go to foxcitiespac.com. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center - Where the Arts Come Alive!