OZ.ORG Will Premiere Online as Part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

OZ.ORG, created & directed by South-Jersey theatre artist Amber Kusching, will premiere online in September as a part of FringeArts' Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

Logins and cyphers and software, oh my! Kansas-raised Dorothee is unexplainably sent a package containing a laptop and a cryptic note signed "LFB". When she unlocks the computer, she is suddenly transported into Oz.org. Can you help Dorothee reach the Wizard, save Oz, and find her way home?

OZ.ORG is an interactive, virtual play based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as well as MGM's 1939 Technicolor Oscar-winning film "The Wizard of Oz". Kusching's play is a dystopian, futuristic, and technological spin on the beloved children's classic. OZ.ORG will be performed live and include the opportunity for audience engagement. Each show has a limited number of participants, and audience members will have the chance to actually partake in the adventure. The audience will interact with the cast through the live chat and can turn on their webcams to join the show. There will even be the chance for a solo-audience experience with the Wizard of Oz himself.

Kusching's take on Baum's story includes characters reminiscent of Dorothy Gale's friends. Meet: Mayor Crow, the brainless mayor of Munchkinland; 10-MAN, the robotic heartless killing machine; Lyman, a privileged wealthy Ozian who cannot stand up for the things he believes in; GLINDA, a helpful hologram and software system; and many more!

"Everyone knows 'The Wizard of Oz', but I can guarantee you've never seen Oz like this!" OZ.ORG creator and director Amber Kusching says. "I've had a long relationship with the story of Oz. It always seems to flit in and out of my life even from the time I was, well, a munchkin! In OZ.ORG the audience has the opportunity to be a part of the action. You have the power to make choices that actually affect the play. And I can guarantee if you see the show more than once you will have a different experience each time."

Amber Kusching is a New Jersey- based playwright, director and actor who's devoted to creating new, original works of theatre. Amber's original plays have been produced over twenty times in festivals throughout South Jersey, Philadelphia and NYC and she has been a featured artist twice at the Jersey Fringe Festival. Amber is dedicated to creating theatre that generates unique audience experiences and that pushes the boundaries of contemporary storytelling. She has written immersive and interactive plays, devised performances, short-form and long-form plays, and plays that make audiences question how we perceive theatre, each other, and society as a whole.

The Philadelphia Fringe Festival is a 4-week long, city-wide celebration of innovation and creativity in contemporary performance. Each September, the Festival explodes into every nook and cranny in neighborhoods across Philadelphia with more than 1,000 artistically daring performances, including national and international performances curated by FringeArts, and works that are produced by independent artists and promoted by FringeArts. This year, the Fringe Festival will look a bit different, taking safety precautions for artists and audiences in the wake of COVID-19.

OZ.ORG will be performed live on Zoom in September as a part of Fringe. Tickets are $10 and the show runs an hour and a half without an intermission. Show dates are: Friday the 11th at 7pm; Saturday the 12th at 1pm, 4pm, & 7pm; Sunday the 13th at 1 pm & 4 pm; Wednesday the 16th at 7pm; Thursday the 17th at 7pm; Friday the 18th at 7pm; Saturday the 19th at 4pm & 7pm.

The Philadelphia Fringe Festival runs Sept. 10th through Oct. 4th. For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets for OZ.ORG, visit https://fringearts.com/2020-fringe-festival/