The Wizard of Oz 1903

Ryan Bunch's new book Oz and the Musical: Performing the American Fairy Tale, is now available from Oxford University Press.

Theatre would not be theatre without the efforts of Black artists, and it’s important to learn about their impact on the industry. In honor of Black History Month, here is a timeline of theatre milestones achieved by Black professionals. 

In this week's Theater Stories, we are learning about the Al Hirschfeld theater! From theater ghosts to short-lived musical sequels, this theater is home to endless amounts of history, interesting facts and more.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Theatre in the Park as it celebrates the final production of its 50th OUTDOOR season with the classic musical THE WIZARD OF OZ!

The Muny announced today its full cast, design and production teams for the theatre's centennial season closing production of Meet Me In St. Louis, August 4 - 12. 

It was confirmed this week that Stephen Schwartz, composer/lyricist of WICKED, has added music to his personal appearance at the annual OZ-Stravaganza! WIZARD OF OZ Festival in Chittenango, NY, on Saturday, June 2nd. His on-stage, free-to-the-public interview was announced earlier this month, but Mr. Schwartz has now offered to perform songs from the score of WICKED during that presentation. Schwartz, a three-time 'Oscar' and four-time 'Grammy' Award winner, will appear as the headliner of the 6:30 p.m. event at Chittenango High School, 150 Genesee Street. (Doors open at 6:15.)

The Muny announced today that single tickets for The Muny's 2018 centennial summer season are now available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.muny.org, by phone (314) 534-1111, or in person at The Muny Box Office, open 9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday. The Muny proudly celebrates its 100th season in Forest Park this summer.

The Muny announced today that season tickets for The Muny's 2018 centennial summer season are now available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.muny.org, by phone (314) 361-1900, or in person at The Muny Box Office, open 9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday. The Muny proudly celebrates its 100th season in Forest Park this summer.

Dorothy and Toto travel to Oz and join a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in search of the Wonderful Wizard.

Moorestown Theater Company's production of ROALD DAHL'S WILLY WONKA JR. brims with charm and imagination and is fun for children of all ages.

Second Thought Theatre closes its 2017 season of change with the world premiere of The Necessities by Dallas-based playwright and artist Blake Hackler. Joel Ferrell, Associate Artistic Director for the Dallas Theater Center, returns to direct after previously directing Othello and Gruesome Playground Injuries for the company.

Berkshire Theatre Group announces the final production of its upcoming 2017 Summer Season will be Mark Medoff's Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning play, Children of a Lesser God, which began performances on Thursday, June 22 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening night is set for tonight, June 24 at 8pm.

Second Thought Theatre closes its 2017 season of change with the world premiere of The Necessities by Dallas-based playwright and artist Blake Hackler. Joel Ferrell, Associate Artistic Director for the Dallas Theater Center, returns to direct after previously directing Othello and Gruesome Playground Injuries for the company.

After producer Fred Hamlin christened Columbus Circle's Majestic Theatre with a spectacular musical extravaganza based on L. Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' (The show had nothing to do with the classic MGM film.), he sought to follow up with another memorable production with a family-friendly setting.

As our remarkable '16-'17 season draws to an end, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is elated to announce its upcoming 2017-2018 Broadway, Dance and Classical series!

The Fabulous Fox Theatre announces an incredible season of St. Louis premiers and classic musicals in the 2017-2018 U.S. Bank Broadway Series. The season will include the previously announced HAMILTON making its Fox Theatre debut April 3-22, 2018 for a limited three-week engagement.

Berkshire Theatre Group announces the final production of its upcoming 2017 Summer Season will be Mark Medoff's Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning play, Children of a Lesser God, which will begin performances on Thursday, June 22 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening night is set for Saturday, June 24 at 8pm.

If Dorothy in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ had run away from home and found this traveling circus instead of Professor Marvel and his crystal ball, she might never have gotten swept up in a twister and landed in Munchkinland. Instead, she might have become part of a new family, the kind that traveled the dust bowl in the early part of the twentieth century and instilled a sense of wonder in every child who was lucky enough to hear that the circus was coming to town.

Michael Crawford returns to the London Stage in a new musical, based on the famed novel The Go-Between.

Blumenthal brings the largest Broadway season yet, with more than 20 shows on tap in the 2016-2017 PNC Broadway Lights and Broadway Extras lineup.  A season filled with award-winning titles, show fans can be sure Broadway's latest and greatest are headed to Charlotte.

Today in 1903, The Wizard of Oz opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 293 performances. Based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900, much of the original music was by Paul Tietjens and has been mostly forgotten, although it was still well-remembered and in discussion at MGM in the late 1930s, when the classic film version of the story was made. The main plot of the show, as recounted in newspapers of the time, is Pastoria's attempts to regain the throne from the Wizard of Oz. The original protagonists' search for the Wizard puts them on the wrong side of the law. Since then, many new incarnations have been created, including the 1939 film, and the 2011 West End musical.

BroadwayWorld.com continues our exclusive content series, in collaboration with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which delves into the library's unparalleled archives, and resources. Below, check out a piece by Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Ph. D., Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg Curator of Exhibitions for the Shelby Cullom Davis Museum, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on: Finding The Wiz at The Library for the Performing Arts.

So many great performers have journeyed to Oz in WICKED. Who Have Been Your Favorites?

'There's a thin line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.'

Al Hirschfeld immortalized celebrities, politicians, Broadway productions, films, television shows and beyond with his iconic linear drawings for nine decades, establishing himself as one of the most important contemporary portrait artists. Over a decade since the legendary artist drew his final line drawing, he continues to inspire. This spring and summer, Hirschfeld is being celebrated with the publication of a new book and a major exhibition at the New-York Historical Society.