Young performers needed to appear in The Wizard of Oz at Wolverhampton Grand

Who can forget Judy Garland’s expressive, emotional performance as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 American musical fantasy movie?

When a tornado rips across the state of Kansas, Dorothy is transported to the land of Oz where she meets a whole host of unusual characters including of course The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion.

Surrounded by Munchkins and everything green, Dorothy sets off to find her way home, but the Wicked Witch of the West is in hot pursuit!

The stage adaptation of this incredible tale will be brought to life, courtesy of local am dram performers West Bromwich Operatic Society from October 1 to 5 at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

The score of the show includes all the favourite tunes. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, If I Only Had a Brain, Follow the Yellow Brick Road and of course the wonderfully haunting ballad which Dorothy sings right at the very start of the show. Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

The movie is iconic and boasts a few unusual and somewhat surprising facts. For instance, did you know that the ruby slippers were originally going to be silver, but MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer wanted to show off the Technicolor effects which the film is so famous for and so he made them red?

And, that the role of Dorothy’s beloved dog, Toto was actually called Terry and what the little female Cairn terrier? She was paid $125 a week, which was more than the actors playing the Munchkins.

And finally, it took 22 men one week to make the 40,000 fake flowers that made up the film’s poppy field! Imagine that!

The casting of this show really is key to its success, because the characters are quirky, make-believe and part of Dorothy’s dreams, or are they? I hope the group are extremely careful and selective in the casting of The Wizard of Oz so that their version is as enchanting and captivating as possible.

Of course, no cast of this show would be complete without children and so WBOS is holding an open audition evening at 7pm on May 22 at All Saints Primary School in West Bromwich, for boys and girls aged between aged between 7 to 16 years old, who are confident and able to sing and dance or at least move a little. Fair consideration will be given to everyone who comes along of course.

Do you have children who would love to visit Oz? If so, contact hilary@wbos to register interest.

For more information on the show and West Bromwich Operatic Society visit www.wbos.co.uk or to book tickets to see the show, visit www.grandtheatre.co.uk or call on 01902 429212.