Dobama Theatre Presents World Premiere Musical THE LAND OF OZ

The holiday production for Dobama Theatre's 2022/23 mainstage season is the World Premiere musical THE LAND OF OZ. This funny and heartfelt production will run from December 2- 31, 2022 at Dobama, Cleveland's Off-Broadway Theatre.

With book and lyrics by George Brant ("Grounded") and music by Nathan Motta, this new piece of music theatre adapts celebrated American author L. Frank Baum's second book in the "Oz" series, "The Marvelous Land of Oz". Its themes are both timeless and extraordinarily relevant to the modern world. The development and premiere of this full-scale musical is a significant moment in the history of Dobama. The score by Artistic Director Nathan Motta features songs in various musical genres that correlate to different eras of musical theatre, a variety of American popular music styles, and the music of some beloved existing Oz adaptations. This project serves Dobama's mission, vision, and values and continues the theatre's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Some themes in The Land of Oz explore ideas related to social justice and marginalized communities, and the production features a wonderfully diverse cast.

The story centers around a young orphan boy named Tip who is the ward of an evil witch. When he escapes with a magical new friend, Tip sets out on an amazing adventure to the Emerald City. Along the way he encounters the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and a rebel army on their way to take over Oz! During his journey, Tip discovers more about himself than he ever thought possible.

The company features Jordyn Freetage (TIP), Lana Sugarman (GLINDA/ JELLIA/ LIEUTENANT), Trinidad Snider (MOMBI), Eric Fancher (JACK), Fabio Polanco* (SCARECROW), Jason Eno* (TIN MAN), Neely Gevaart (JINJUR), Dar'Jon Bentley (LION/ GUARDIAN), Trey Gilpin (WOGGLE BUG), Tim Keo (WINKIE/ DOOR/ THRONE), Mia Renard (TIP u/s), Sarah Blubaugh (Swing), Owen Connor Stout (Swing).

The creative team for the production includes Music Direction by Matthew Dolan, Choreography by Gregory Daniels, Scenic and Projection Design by T. Paul Lowry, Lighting Design by David Stoughton, Sound Design by Richard Ingraham, Costume Design by Tesia Benson, Props Design by Vanessa Cook, Puppet Design by Mike Horner, and Technical Direction by Marcus Dana. The band will consist of Rachel Woods (Keyboard), Justin Hart (Drums), Jesse Fishman (Guitar), Tim Keo (Bass), R.J. Rovito (Reed). The show is stage managed by Tom Humes and assistant stage managed by Barbara Kozlov. The show has a run time of two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.

This project received an Arts Projects award from the National Endowment of the Arts. The grant allowed for this new musical to continue its development with professional Cleveland theatre artists and musicians over an eighteen-month period before its premiere at Dobama in December 2022. Dobama Theatre's project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding. For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. THE LAND OF OZ is also made possible by the support of Show Sponsor Char and Chuck Fowler. Following the Dobama production, next steps will be explored to license the script and score to other theatres around the country.

Performances are on select dates from December 2-31, 2022. For a complete performance schedule, ticket prices, and reservations, call the Dobama Theatre box office at 216-932-3396 or visit dobama.org. Ask about the "pay-what-you-can" performances and opportunities.