FPAC's WIZARD OF OZ Cast and Creative Team Announced

The Family Performing Arts Center in residence at Bridgewater State University has announced the cast and creative team for their upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz. The cast is helmed by FPAC crowd favorites, Jim Quinn (FPAC's The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Seussical) as the Cowardly Lion and Katia Greene (FPAC's Once Upon a Mattress, Beauty & the Beast, Seussical) as The Wicked Witch of the West. Many of the newcomers making their FPAC debuts in Oz include Christopher Starr as the Scarecrow, Steven Sawan (Wilbury Theatre Group's Coming Attraction) as the Tinman, Haley McKenney (Company Theatre's Sister Act) as Glinda the Good Witch, Jeremiah O'Sullivan (Priscilla Beach Theatre's The Producers) as Uncle Henry, and Nehha Groves, who will defy gender norms in a modern twist on the titular role of Oz himself. Zoe Stewart** (North Shore Music Theatre's Billy Elliott, Wheelock Family Theatre's Akeelah & the Bee) will take on the iconic role of Dorothy Gale. Rounding out the ensemble are eight versatile and skilled performers, including FPAC veterans Hannah Lizotte (FPAC's The Little Mermaid, Shrek) and Becca Collins (FPAC's The Little Mermaid, Shrek), alongside Jacob Comeau (Company Theatre's Les Miserables), Caitlin Crane-Moscowitz** (Barrington Stage Company's Ragtime), Stephen Donnelly, Alexander Holden* (Lyric Stage Company's Pacific Overtures), Lily Jeswald, and Maya Simone.

The creative team includes director/ choreographer, Andrew Child (asst. director: ART's James & the Giant Peach, Actors' Shakespeare Project's Exit the King); music director, Eli Bigelow (FPAC's The Little Mermaid, Once Upon a Mattress, Shrek, Mary Poppins); scenic designer, Michael Duarte (FPAC's Seussical); lighting designer, Christopher Scully (FPAC's Once Upon a Mattress, Mary Poppins); and stage manager, Angela Harrington (FPAC's Shrek, Beauty & the Beast). Designers making their FPAC debuts include costume designer, Mary Hurd (Gloucester Stage's The Agitators, asst. designer Broadway's The Glass Menagerie); and props designer, Sara Kenney (Brandeis University's The Bacchae). Producing artistic director, Lisa Troy, will oversee the production of the seventh musical since FPAC's founding in 2015, and their largest feat to date. The Wizard of Oz is set to employ the largest live pit of any FPAC show along with flying effects, fog, bubbles, indoor snow, and an onstage twister.

The run of The Wizard of Oz will also include FPAC's first ever sensory friendly show on Thursday, July 25th. This performance, tailored for audience members who fall on the autism spectrum or who live with sensory sensitivities, will be presented with the houselights dimmed and with special accommodations to alert of potential upcoming triggers. Tickets to this performance will be sold at a reduced rate.

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Friday, July 19, 2019 at 7:00
Saturday, July 20, 2019 at 2:00 & 7:00
Sunday, July 21, 2019 at 2:00

Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 7:00 (Sensory Friendly Show)

Friday, July 26, 2019 at 7:00
Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 2:00 & 7:00
Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 2:00

Tickets available at www.BSUTix.com

*-Appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association
**- Equity Membership Candidate

THE WIZARD OF OZ
By L. Frank Baum
With Music and Lyrics
by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Background Music by Herbert Stothart
Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by
Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by
Warner Bros.