Spend Your Holidays With THE WIZARD OF OZ At BPA

Dorothy thinks she is lost forever when a terrifying tornado crashes through Kansas and whisks her and her dog, Toto, far away to the magical land of Oz. To get home Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and find the wonderfully mysterious Wizard of Oz. Together with her companions - the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, whom she meets on the way - Dorothy embarks on a strange and enchanting adventure.

Director Buddy Todd and Choreographer Angela Snyder both make their BPA debut with this production. Together, they're joined by BPA veteran and beloved Theatre School instructor Reece Sauvé. Buddy has been directing/assistant directing/choreographing for the last 20 years, most recently Charlotte's Web with Second Story Theatre and Last Fall with Fantastic Z. Concurrent with this production, he is choreographing Little Shop of Horrors at the Black Box Theatre in Edmonds. Reece is off to new adventures following this production, and BPA is grateful for his irrepressible energy and effort to make sure that his students and cast members perform to their utmost potential when the curtain comes up. Thrilled to re-visit the "Merry Ole Land of Oz," Angela is a performing and teaching artist who has worked with numerous companies on many stages all over the Pacific Northwest.

Together, the artistic trio leads a cast of BPA newcomers and returning favorites, with Emily Fox as DOROTHY, Matty McCaslin as ZEKE / COWARDLY LION, Shane Patrick Hoffmann as HUNK / SCARECROW, Jon Payne as HICKORY / TINMAN, Grace Helmcke as AUTIE EM / GLINDA, Christine Salo as ALMIRA GULCH / WICKED WITCH, Peter Simpson as PROFESSOR MARVEL / WIZARD OF OZ, Sammy Orrey as UNCLE HENRY, Renee Messinger as TRIO / TREE / CROW / BEAUTICIAN / JITTERBUG 1, Corrie Yadon as TRIO / TREE / CROW / MANICURIST / WINKIE, Jordyn Carrillo as TRIO / TREE / CROW / POLISHER / FLYING MONKEY, Karen Bertram as WW TWIN / WINKIE GENERAL / TEACHER / 2ND WOMAN, Carter Wolff as EMERALD CITY GUARD / TOUGH GUY / FLYING MONKEY, Austin Smith as NIKKO / TOUGH GUY / OZ MAN, Brearley-Jayne Curfman as BRAGGART / JITTERBUG 4 / POPPY / WINKIE, Keira Bertram as CORONER / POPPY / JITTERBUG 2 / WINKIE, Gracie Payne as MAYOR / FLYING MONKEY, Rose Weaver as BARRISTER / GHOST / POPPY / WINKIE, Dolly Courtway as LULLABY TOT / GHOST / POPPY, Olivia Opalski as LULLABY TOT / GHOST / POPPY, Cate Shelton as BEAUTICIAN / OZ WOMAN / FLYING MONKEY, Kayla Cortes as POLISHER / JITTERBUG 3 / CITY FATHER / WINKIE, and Addie Beermann as MANICURIST / CITY FATHER / LULLABY TOT / POPPY.

Whether audiences are familiar with the classic MGM film or not, Buddy's fervent hope is that audience members will find "innocence, nostalgia, wisdom and a little mystery in our magical journey down the yellow brick road."

Make the land of Oz part of your holiday enchantment this season on December 7 - 22, with evening shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. The run includes a special weekday performance on Thursday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. and concludes with an early matinee on Saturday, December 22 at 2:00 p.m. A Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance will be held Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m., and the Opening Night Reception is Friday, December 7 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, $29 for adults, $24 for seniors, students, youth, military, and teachers, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206.842.8569, or in person at BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North, Bainbridge Island. BPA Box Office hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.

This stage version of THE WIZARD OF OZ was first presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Centre in London in 1987. Featuring book adaptations by John Kane, this RSC Version follows the famous motion picture even more closely than its predecessor.THE WIZARD OF OZ is produced by special arrangement with Tams-Witmark Music Library, Inc.

BPA extends special thanks to Media Sponsor, KCTS-9 Public Television and Community Sponsor The Maggi Rogers Fund. BPA is supported, in part, by Bainbridge Community Foundation, the City of Bainbridge Island, and One Call for All. Bainbridge Performing Arts is pleased to offer an "Open Doors" program. Free and reduced-cost tickets to most events are available to community members in need through our partner Helpline House thanks to a grant from the Mabee Family Foundation. Please contact the BPA Box Office at 206.842.8569 or Helpline House to reserve tickets today.

Find out more about BPA at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org