Live Arts Theater twists up the holidays with the spectacular musical, THE WIZARD OF OZ, by L. Frank Baum, with music & lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, and background music by Herbert Stothart. Directed by John Gibson, with co-director Ray Nedzel, music direction by Lance Brenner, and choreography by Christine Wyatt, THE WIZARD OF OZ is sponsored by Woodard Properties and will have 16 performances in the Gibson Theater, November 22 through December 15, 2024, at Live Arts Theater, 123 E. Water Street, in Charlottesville. Tickets are $35 for adults and $29 for students and senior citizens and are available through the Box Office at boxoffice@livearts.org, by phone at 434-977-4177 x123, or online at livearts.org/tix.
Live Arts will host two special events for THE WIZARD OF OZ: Emerald City, an opening night special fundraiser on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, for Live Arts Theater in celebration of THE WIZARD OF OZ and honoring Director John Gibson, and post-show audience talk-back on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Audiences for THE WIZARD OF OZ are welcome to enjoy beverages and concessions one hour prior to the performance and at intermission.
“I take a lot of inspiration from those who’ve come before – especially from those making theater here in Charlottesville, the home of one of the best audience communities anywhere,” says Director John Gibson. “I’m also inspired by the countless creatives who’ve turned toward Oz across its 125 years. Why do we come back to it, so often, and with such fondness? Victor Fleming, who directed the 1939 film, may have said it best: ‘At its heart, the story is simple – a search for beauty and decency. The world always needs that story.’“
Live Arts invites audiences to follow the yellow brick road and pay attention to the wonderful man behind the curtain! Director John Gibson, former Live Arts Artistic Director, brings his uniquely personal vision to L. Frank Baum’s fantastic tale about young Dorothy Gale, her dear friends, Professor Marvel, and the yellow brick-laden road they travel together. Featuring the oh-so-catchy musical score from the classic film, this enchanting adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ sweeps us from the Kansas prairie way up high and over the rainbow.
“ … enough to make you click your glitter-dusted ruby slippers far more than three times. And to send you home with a whole lot more smarts, heart and courage.” – WTTW News, Chicago
Live Arts production of THE WIZARD OF OZ is directed by John Gibson, co-directed by Ray Nedzel, with music direction by Lance Brenner, and choreography by Christine Wyatt. The production features an OZian world of amazing local talent: Siân Richards as Dorothy Gale, Christiana Mitchell as Hunk/Scarecrow, Will Luckett as Hickory/Tinman, Zachary Zartler as Zeke/Cowardly Lion, Bill LeSueur as Professor Chester Marvel/The Wizard of Oz, Kara McLane Burke as Aunt Em/Glinda/Miss Almira Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West, Ronda Hewitt as Aunt Em/Glinda/Miss Almira Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West, Jeff Dreyfus as Uncle Henry/Emerald City Guard, Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell as Nikko/Ensemble, Kristin Baltes as Ensemble, Erin Burke as Ensemble, Chris Estey as Ensemble, Thad Lane as Ensemble, Adam “JR” Stoffel as Ensemble, and Misty Vredenburg as Ensemble.
The production’s spectacular creative team includes: Geoffrey Culbertson (Assistant to the Director); Breanna Swain (Production Stage Manager); Annaliese Tassano, (Assistant Stage Manager); Tom Bloom and Annie Temmink, (Scenic Designers); Joshua Reid (Lighting Designer); Will Conrad (Assistant Lighting Designer); Chase Carson (Sound Designer/Engineer); Tricia Emlet (Costume Designer); Mimi Halpern (Assistant to the Costume Designer); Kerry Moran and Daryl O’Connor (Properties Designers); Will Kerner and Jeff Dobrow (Projections Designers); Kristin Hauge (Rehearsal Pianist/Pit Musician); Kristin Baltes (Vocal Coach); Richelle Claiborne and Daphne Latham (Hair and Makeup Designers); and Sara Holdren (Dramaturg).
“ … this fanciful story, with its inspiring lesson about friendship, is one of the most beloved in children’s literature ….” — Chicago Theatre Review
Performance History
The MGM film The Wizard of Oz, based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 15, 1939. This stage adaptation, presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company, premiered at the Barbican Centre in London on December 17, 1987. The production starred Imelda Staunton as Dorothy.
About the Writers
Lyman Frank Baum (Author) was born in New York on May 15, 1836. A businessman and journalist, Baum experienced many financial highs and lows throughout his adult life, but was a consummate storyteller who loved to tell stories to his four sons. In 1897, at the age of 41, Baum published his first book entitled Mother Goose in Prose, followed by Father Goose, which became the top-selling children’s book in 1899. The Wizard of Oz was finally published on May 17, 1900. Baum wrote under more than nine different pen names; he wrote 14 novels in The Wizard of Oz franchise alone, and more than 41 additional novels, 83 short stories, 42 scripts, and over 200 poems. The Wizard of Oz was so popular that the first 10,000 print copies sold out in one month, and received a rave review in The New York Times. Baum then turned the book into a successful Broadway musical, primarily for adults. Twenty years after his death in 1919, The Wizard of Oz was made into one of the most famous and beloved movies of all time.
Yip Harburg (Lyrics) was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics to over 600 songs and was known for his social conscience. He wrote for Broadway revues in the 1930s, and his song “Brother Can You Spare a Dime,” became an anthem of the Depression. Recruited for Hollywood, he worked with Harold Arlen, Jule Styne, Burton Lane, Jerome Kern, and Vernon Duke. Blacklisted by the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee in 1950 for his social views, he was unable to work in movies or radio for 10 years. His Broadway shows included lyrics for Bloomer Girl (1944) about women’s rights and Finian’s Rainbow (1947), which featured the first racially integrated chorus on Broadway.
Harold Arlen (Music): After writing music for Tin Pan Alley, Harold Arlen moved on to Hollywood and Broadway. Arlen composed dozens of standards in the American songbook, including “Stormy Weather,” “Get Happy,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” and “Blues in the Night.” Arlen wrote the two songs that The Wizard of Oz star Judy Garland was associated with, “Over the Rainbow” and “The Man that Got Away.” In 1940, he and Yip Harburg shared the Oscar for Best Song for “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
About the Directors
John Gibson (Director) worked at Live Arts for eighteen years, from 1992 to 2010, most of that time as Executive and Artistic Director. Among his favorites of the several dozen shows he directed at Live Arts are VENUS, THE DAZZLE, SWEENEY TODD, and CABARET. Under his leadership, the theater introduced programs for young people and for new works, consistently showcased under-represented playwrights, began the still-thriving Fringe Team, and launched Pay-What-You-Can performances. He’s lived in Atlanta since 2011, with his husband John Bluhm, and where he works as an organizer and leader, sharing and shaping the tools that build resilient communities. He’s glad to be back, and grateful for the warm welcome.
Ray Nedzel (Co-Director) is a 21-year loyal volunteer with Live Arts. He has directed six main stage shows and starred in seven. He is the Artistic Director of Whole Theatre which has produced over 90 new theatrical works and the creator and co-producer of 24/7 – seven new plays in 24 hours. Ray is the Director of the Live Arts’ Fringe team which provides a crew of technicians and stage managers who travel and work each summer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in support of two Worldstrides programs. In 2023 Ray sailed across the southern Atlantic Ocean from Uruguay to South Africa. He lives in Charlottesville with several feral, neighborhood cats.
Lance Brenner (Music Director) is proud to be a friend of many friends of Dorothy and is especially honored to be working with John Gibson on the challenge of pulling apart and reassembling brick by yellow brick such a familiar classic with a talented cast and crew. Lance has previously performed in the Live Arts production of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH and his bands have been featured acts in Live Arts gala fundraisers. Additionally, he has served as musical director for UVA’s production of Hair at Heritage Theater. In his spare time, Lance is a songwriter and performer who has assembled his own band of misfits in his absurdist rock/ theatrical punk group “The Falsies”. Lance lives in Charlottesville with his wife, children, and two orange tabbies. He continues to produce records for local, regional, and international clients in his studio.
Christine C. Wyatt (Choreographer) is a choreographer, dancer/performer, and facilitator of movement experiences. Originally from Baltimore, MD, she began dance training at age nine. After 15 years of performance and training in music, theater, and dance, Christine earned her B.F.A. in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. For the past 10 years, she’s been teaching, choreographing, and performing in Richmond, VA, centering community, equity, and liberation in her work with multi-generational communities and youth. Collaborations with artists, directors, and students have shaped her approach to using art for storytelling and empowerment. Christine has choreographed for Richmond Ballet’s Minds and Motion, Virginia Repertory Children’s Theatre, and Firehouse Theatre. Her most recent credits include For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (2024, VCU), Disney’s The Descendants (2024, VCU), and A Midsummer Night’s SLAM (2024) at Dogwood Dell.
About Live Arts
Founded in 1990, Live Arts is celebrating more than 34 years of forging theater and community. Powered by more than 1,000 volunteers, Live Arts is a national model for engaged community theater, known for exceptionally high caliber productions, provocative programming and for supporting new works. Live Arts is guided by these organizational priorities: Artistic Integrity; Educational Excellence; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; and Volunteer & Community Engagement. As the anchor tenant in a four-story space, Live Arts proudly serves as a vital cultural resource in the heart of downtown Charlottesville with two state-of-the-art stages, rehearsal studio space, a library, and a rooftop event space.
The 2024/25 VOYAGES Season is made possible by:
The generous support of C-VILLE Weekly, WTJU 91.1FM, Ting, PJ Networks Computer Services, the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and by hundreds of theater lovers. Live Arts is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
