Students ready to reveal ‘Wizard’ musical

Bailey Brewer, theater teacher at AHS and “Oz” director, selected “Oz” because of the talent returning this year at the school as well as the students coming from the middle schools. 

“And I wanted to do something bigger, so I picked ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” she said.

Around 65 students — cast and crew — are involved in the show, but that does not include Munchkins.

She said the high school musical is identical to the movie, but the film cut “The Jitterbug” and the AHS production will include that number.

Rehearsals began Nov. 1 and everything is going “wonderful” so far, Brewer said in December.

“I think they’re doing amazing,” she said. “We seem even a lot better than last year, just more prepared. I feel more prepared because this is my fifth time doing the show, so I’m a lot familiar than the last time.”

She has been involved in the show in different places, playing Dorothy twice and Glinda once and was a dresser back stage before now becoming a director.

The high school production will have 43 musical numbers, with a lot of them being incidentals.

“They do a very good job,” Brewer said, describing the students’ preparation for the musical part of production. “They’ve seen the movie, so they’re definitely familiar.”

“The Wizard of Oz” was released in 1939 and has entertained multiple generations. Why does “Oz” continue to resonate with audiences?

“The story is timeless, and it’s such a beautiful story about finding your family and realizing it doesn’t matter where you are as long as you have your people around you, you’re safe and you’re taken care of and you’re loved,” Brewer said. “That’s kind of something that especially as we keep going (through) things around the world, like with the pandemic and all this kind of stuff, we all need to hear that.”

She loves how much fun the show is, and she likes the beautiful set, costumes and props.

“Everything about (it) is so bright and colorful and you get to escape a little bit, you get to escape into Oz, and then you come back to real life,” she said. “But it’s fun for all ages, and it’s just a beautiful story.”

AHS’s band and choir programs and a student choreographer, Diana Garcia, are involved in the production.

Abby Garner, who plays Dorothy, said it’s been a few years since she had a lead role.

“And I kinda just felt like if I kept trying in going for it, I would like eventually get there,” she said. “I didn’t (have) high ambitions, because it’s been a while since I’ve been (in) a big role.”

She enjoys being with her friends in the production, as they “are awesome to work with; they’re super fun.” She said during times when rehearsal gets tiring and boring, they know each other well enough that they can get through it.

Braden Crews plays the Cowardly Lion, and one cast member teasingly said Crews got typecast in the role, drawing a sarcastic “thank you” from Crews.

“It’s a role I never thought I would play,” Crews said. “Going into it, especially in the summer, everyone was like, ‘Oh, we already pretty much know who the Lion’s going to be, we know who the Lion’s going to be.’ And they were saying, ‘It’s probably going to be you, it’s probably going to be you.’”

He said he and Barak Geary, a senior and the show’s assistant director, would make mock cast lists, and no matter how may times they made the list, Crews always played the Lion.

Kameron Weger enjoys playing the Scarecrow, explaining he had to figure out how to move without joints, bones or muscles.

“It’s very, very fun getting used to the movement of how I would be as a strawman, but I also really enjoy everybody else, because I couldn’t do this show without everybody else,” he said. “I love these people and it’s so fun to work with everybody and I heart (love) Azle theater. It makes me so happy to work with all these people.”

Paul Leonard plays the Tin Man, and this is his first major role in a musical.

“I’ve been trying to work for it, like, for a long time,” he said. “It’s really fun, and all of my co-actors are great. Even though the dances are difficult, and I suck at dancing, it’s still great. I’m learning.”

Students said it is hard learning the choreography, but Crews said that when students learn individual dances, Garcia makes sure actors take everything slow and dial it back. Last year, by comparison, actors learned routines from a YouTube video, and now they have someone helping them in person.

Jett Lee plays the Wizard and said he learned a lot from the movie “Oz the Great and Powerful,” and said it’s cool to see that and the musical “Wicked” play an influential role in this show.

“And also, I wanted to bring this charismatic guy who can’t really do anything, but the things he can do he tries to do well,” Lee said. “And so I want to bring that appeal to the character, but also a bit of the failure of the American dream to it, which is another interesting aspect, I think, because he doesn’t really solve their problems, he just puts up a paper and says good job.”

Other students discussed their roles, with Makayla Dorris saying it’s fun to play a vengeful character, one who gets to set stuff on fire. Ben Derting, who plays Uncle Henry, said he has minimal experience with musicals, even though he has been involved with music his whole life. This production is pushing his comfort zone, and he said he is happy to do it. Zoey Thompson said she is not like Glinda in many different ways, explaining she is excited to step out of her comfort zone to be a “graceful, elegant princess.”

“Singing and musicals have been my whole life, so I’m very, very excited to be out here working with all these amazing people, putting this together,” Thompson said.

Cast and Crew:

Dorothy Gale: Abby Garner

Aunt Em/ Glinda: Zoey Thompson

Uncle Henry/Emerald City Guard: Ben Derting

Zeke/ Cowardly Lion: Braden Crews

Hickory/ Tin Man: Paul Leonard

Hunk/ Scarecrow: Kameron Weger

Miss. Gulch/ Wicked Witch: Makayla Dorris

Professor Marvel/ The Wizard of Oz: Jett Lee

Crows: Trey Thornton, Katie Trammell and Morgan Hawkins

Trees: Elexia Warren, Avery Thompson, Emery Ford and Evan Huddleston

Poppies and Snowmen: Skye Dickens, Avery Thompson, Emery Ford, Katie Trammell, Hannah Goodrich, Morgan Hawkis, Evan Huddleston, Layla Sorrells

Ozians: Javier Avila, Kaylee Willey, Hannah Goodrich, Eva Zhone, Layla Sorrells, Nathan Carlson

Beauticians: Asiya Biggs, Emery Ford, Avery Thompson and Skye Dickens

Polishers: Katie Trammell, TJ Bradford and Morgan Hawkins

Manicurists: Elexia Warren, Trey Thornton and Ariana Pardue

Winkies: Zoey Thompson, Javier Avila, Will Stroud, Asiya Biggs, Kaylee Willey, Evan Huddleston, Eva Zhone and Nathan Carlson

Winkie General: TJ Bradford

Nikko: Laith Stowers

Jitterbugs and Ghosts: Piper Bulat, Katie Trammell, Skye Dickens, Hannah Goodrich, Morgans Hawkins and Layla Sorrells

Flying Monkeys: Nathan Carlson, Will Stroud, Trey Thornton, Ariana Pardue and Skye Dickens

Assistant Director: Barak Geary

Stage Manager: Ali O’Neil

Assistant Stage Manager: Katie Hinjosa

Set Designers: Amethyst Thompson and Sabine Wicker

Set Head: Ezra Steward

Costume Designer: Piper Bulat and Alexis Scoggins

Costume Head: Alexis Scoggins

House and Pub Designer: Jett Lee

House and Pub Head: Mason O’Daniel

Props Master: Eva Zhone

Props Head: Evan Huddleston

Lighting Designers and Head: Mason O’Daniel and Pella LeFever

Sound Designer: Pella LeFever

Sound Head: Shaleigh Pritchard

Hair and Makeup Designer: Kelsey Bell

Hair and Makeup Head: Ana Trammell

Choral Captain: Zoey Thompson