Paris Bennett to Star in CTC & Penumbra's THE WIZ; Cast Announced!

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) in partnership with Penumbra Theatre will present The Wiz, adapted from L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The show will star Paris Bennett (American Idol top five finalist 2006) as Dorothy, Dennis Spears (Ivey Award for Excellence in Acting, Member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame) as Tinman, CTC's Performing Apprentice Dwight Leslie as Scarecrow, Aimee Bryant (CTC's Akeelah and the Bee) as Addaperle, T. Mychael Rambo (Guthrie Theatre, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Park Square Theatre, Mixed Blood) as The Wiz, Rudolph Searles III (Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Park Square Theatre) as Lion, Greta Oglesby (Guthrie Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, and more) as Aunt Em/Evillene, and Jamecia Bennett (Guthrie Theatre, Lab Theatre, Park Square Theatre, Capri Theatre) will take the stage as Glinda/Crow/Ensemble. You can also learn more about the cast and what it means to them to perform in The Wiz on CTC's online magazine Off Book here.

Directed by Lou Bellamy, Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Penumbra Theatre Company, assistant directed and choreographed by Patdro Harris (Broadway credits as Choreographer for A Raisin in the Sun), Music Direction by Sanford Moore (Musical Director at Penumbra Theatre), Scenic Design by Vicki Smith (Bay Area Critics Award, Drama-Logue Award, Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Award, Denver Critics Award), Costume Design by Mathew LeFebvre (Guthrie, Signature Theatre, Minnesota Opera and others), Lighting Design by Don Darnutzer (Broadway credits as Lighting Designer for It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues) and Sound Design by Sten Severson (CTC, Broadway, West End, Off-Broadway, Public Theatre (Audelco Award)).

Ease on down the road with Dorothy and her friends with a dazzling mixture of rock, gospel and soul music. Embark on this Oz-some adventure through a magic land where you will meet funky monkeys, winkies, Addaperle and Evillene. You don't need a wizard-just believe in yourself to find home and feel that brand-new day. This production is proudly sponsored by Deluxe and Thomson Reuters.

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IF YOU GO:

A Children's Theatre Company and Penumbra Theatre Production of

THE WIZ
Adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Book by William F. Brown
Additional material by Tina Tippit
Music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls

Director: Lou Bellamy
Assistant Director/Choreographer: Patdro Harris
Music Director: Sanford Moore
Set Designer: Vicki Smith
Costume Designer: Mathew LeFebvre
Lighting Designer: Don Darnutzer
Sound Designer: Sten Severson
Projections Designer: Craig Gottschalk

UnitedHealth Group Stage
January 23 - March 18, 2018
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours with a 15-minute intermission

ASL/AD Performance: February 23 at 7pm
ASL Only Performance: February 25 at 5pm
Sensory Friendly Performance: March 16 at 7pm

The Ticket Office is accessible by phone two hours prior to most performances. These posted hours are subject to change. Email: tickets@childrenstheatre.org (inquiries only, no ticket processing). Phone: 612.874.0400. Website: childrenstheatre.org. Note: Lap passes available for children newborn to three years for $5.

Full Cast: (Alphabetical Order)

Jamecia Bennett (Glinda/Crow/Ensemble)
Paris Bennett (Dorothy)
Aimee Bryant (Addaperle)
Dwight Leslie (Scarecrow)
Greta Oglesby (Aunt Em/Evillene)
T. Mychael Rambo (The Wiz)
Rudolph Searles III (Lion)
Dennis Spears (Tinman/Uncle Henry)

Ensemble: China Brickey, Eli Cambridge, Dionna Commodore, Raphael "Ray" Dow III, Liliana Felton, Marc Gill, John Jamison, Rajané Katurah, Evan Latta, Saniya Long, Aliya Mukamuri, Kyra Richardson

External Understudy: Gregory Parks

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Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation's largest and most acclaimed theatre for multigenerational audiences. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire nearly 275,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the coveted Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations (for its production of A Year with Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to producing world class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.

CTC's engagement and learning programs annually serve more than 85,000 students ages 2-18 through Theatre Arts Training, student matinees, Bridges, and early childhood arts education programs that bring students to the theatre and bring teaching artists into the classroom. The ACT One program is CTC's comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. Visit www.childrenstheatre.org for more information.

Penumbra Theatre was founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy to create a forum for African American voices in the Twin Cities theatre community. Penumbra has achieved national recognition for its quality productions and role in launching the career of many respected playwrights, including two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson. Today, Penumbra Theatre is Minnesota's only professional African American theatre, and is one of only three professional African American theatres in the nation that offer a full season of performances.