| the_wizard_of_oz_programme_notes.docx |
Wizard of Oz Programme Notes for audio description.
Welcome to the Grand Opera House, Belfast.Starring Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood as The Wicked Witch of The West, this spectacular production will be truly magical. The principal cast includes Aviva Tulley as Dorothy, Benjamin Yates as The Scarecrow, Nic Greenshields as The Cowardly Lion, Alex Bourne as The Wizard, Emily Bull as Glinda The Good Witch and Abigail Matthews as Toto.Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We’re Off To See The Wizard with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
The cast is completed by David Burrows, Adam Craig, Cole Dunn, Tyler Ephraim, Olivia Kate Holding, Thomas Kalek, Sadie Levett, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Martin McCarthy, Rose Ouellette, Fanja Parent, Alexandra Regan, Nathan Routledge and Sydney Spencer.
Join Dorothy, Toto, and friends on an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz.
Welcome to this sensational new production of one of the world’s most beloved musicals, the Wizard of Oz.
The set
The front of the stage is surrounded by a large fluorescent light that suggests the shape of an old style television set with rounded edges and sides. The shape of the surround is repeated through to the back of the stage with another three frames that get smaller, emphasising the idea that the audience are in front of a television set.
On the curtain directly behind the frame there is a video projection of the title, The Wizard of Oz which is written in yellow and the OZ is written in a rainbow of colours, there are clouds behind the title and when the production starts the title disappears and the curtain lifts. The moving images is now on the back wall of the stage. As the clouds begin to move, some lights flash around the stage and the video has become a birds eye view of the farmland where the show is set. The camera angle flies down from the sky as if we are in a plane. Next to us there is a red bi plane and then we begin to follow a black car running along a road next to some houses. The camera stops briefly at some directional arrows then some old newspaper clippings appear along with some old footage before the angle rises up again and we fly through the air briefly behind the plane, over the top of a cargo train and on and on over numerous farmsteads. Some newspapers, as if caught in a whirlwind fly into view and pausing on the screen they feature headlines regarding the great depression, the dust storms decimating crops and the stock market crash. Finally we come to rest on Dorothy's family homestead, the lighting gives the impression that we’re watching a hazy older film.
In the first scene the homestead is depicted as a video far behind the characters on the back wall of the stage. The clouds move across the sky on the video giving a real life feel to it and in the distance, there’s a building that has a shell of a roof, a grain silo, a wind turbine and house. As the scenes change, the background image changes to different angles from around the farm and surrounding desert plains. The Gale homestead has a dishevelled looking gate that has a mailbox and a red and white pinwheel that spins. This gate is slid on and off the stage at times.
The egg incubator is a wooden structure on four wheels, converted from a pram. The generator is also clearly made from bits and pieces.
Toto the dog is a puppet played by a performer dressed in farm hand clothes. Sometimes Dorothy is holding the dog and sometimes the dog is on the ground- the puppeteer is always moving the body and head, when anyone picks Toto up, the puppeteer stays behind them animating the dog.
When Dorothy runs from her house, she is on the outskirts of the town depicted by the Kansas State sign where she meets Prof Marvel. His bicycle is a cumbersome looking device that has large panniers on the back that look more like a side board with various wooden drawers that open up, there’s also a large white sheet that opens out into a projector screen on which he shows Dorothy his adventures round the world so far.
When Dorothy arrives in Munchkin Land there’s a large hanging sign with spotlights that says “Welcome to Munchkin Land”. The last five letters of the sign are hanging down damaged, to suggest that the house hit it when it landed. The house from Kansas is there, upside down and a smaller scale to the real thing, it’s sitting, at an angle on top of the black and white striped stockings of the other Wicked Witch.
When Dorothy goes to the yellow brick road, the road is depicted on the back screen with the yellow bricks winding their way into the distance and on the stage with four large platforms that are bight yellow brick on top and in the shape of arrows. They rise up at the back and down at the front and the chorus move them about the space to facilitate dancing. The corn in the cornfields is depicted with tins of corn instead of ears.
When Dorothy meets the Tin Man the background screen features tall petrol pumps standing in the forest and The Tin Man is standing next to one.
As they move through the forest on the yellow brick road, the video in the background depicts the twists and turns of the road through the forest and the influences of 1940s America, big arrows, road work signs, advert hoarding and neon lights.
When they arrive on the outskirts of Oz they are greeted by many neon lights and there are rock stacks depicted in the distance. There’s a large neon light that hangs from the ceiling, reaching to the floor. It’s in the shape of a pair of legs with black and white tights and ruby slippers and it says Oz at the very top.
The poppy field is depicted as a spooky red lit corridor on the back screen and three lamps and a red vending machine in the foreground.
On the outskirts of Oz when it snows, the video in the background depicts snow in the wasteland around the characters.
In the Emerald City, the colour scheme is green, the set is lit green and there are green neon lights all around. Outside the Wizard’s chamber the door is depicted by a giant O that hangs from the ceiling and the doorman talks to the group through this. The front of the building is an image of an imposing looking building.
The main streets of Emerald City are depicted on the screen in back with a street eye view looking up at tall skyscrapers and neon signage. This video moves about as the characters dance through the streets, from shops to Emerald City Broadway, tall buildings and signs for bars and discos.
The Wizard’s Chamber is depicted with a background of circuitry moving on the screen and in front of this there’s an enormous pair of goggles that is nearly the width of the room. There are wires and cables poking out from the top and side of the goggles that extend right up to the ceiling. The lenses of the goggles glow and pulse as the Wizard speaks. The googles lift up to revel a mouth on the screen behind them when the Wizard is giving his instructions for Dorothy and friends.
In the witch’s castle, there’s a large boxy throne in the middle of the room and the background image on the screen shows a vast hall with tall pillars and a high ceiling. The throne is on a platform with two steps up to it and lights around the base. The witch’s goons use computers which are placed either side of the throne, they have two screens each and have wires and cables running from them.
Costumes
Dorothy
She wears her hair in little plaits either side of her head. She wears a white shirt with a grey pinafore over the top of it and a white petticoat showing underneath. She wear black plimsoles to complete the look. She wears a cream-coloured jacket on top when she leaves the farm initially.
When Dorothy travels to Munchkin Land, she is wearing a blue and white gingham tea dress that has short puffed sleeves and sparkling red ruby slippers.
Uncle Henry
Wears a Panama hat, a loose brown waistcoat over a white long-sleeved shirt with brown trousers and brown shoes.
Aunty Em
She wears a checked pale green head scarf tied in a little bow at the front of her head, her shirt is brown and she wears a blue pinafore and apron over the top of this. She wears heavy boots on her feet.
Miss Gulch
Wears a severe plaid skirt suit in brown tones with a pale brown wide brimmed hat to match and she carries a brown leather handbag. She has dark rimmed glasses, a high ruffled collar on her white shirt and wears black leather gloves.
The Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West most notably has bright green skin. She wears a rich purple wide brimmed hat and long black cloak over a purple suit dress that has buttons down the front of it. She wears thigh high sparkling boots and carries a large broom. Later on the Wicked Witch wears a large purple sparkling ballgown with wide open shoulders, a high collar at the back and a paler purple hat.
Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda, in contrast to the Wicked Witch wears bright colours, she has a glittery pink short leather biker jacket over a gold glittering poodle skirt and she wears sparkling heels to match. Glinda always has her blonde hair in a high pony tail, even when she has a motorbike helmet on, the pony tail comes through it!
Toto the dog
Is a small dog, no higher than about knee height or 15 inches. Toto is a puppet that is grey and hairy looking, his tail and head both move around very like a real dog. Toto’s puppeteer is dressed similarly to a farm hand with a baseball cap, shirt with braces and dark trousers.
Hunk, Zeke and Hickory who work on the farm, all wear traditional working clothes of the late 1930s. Jeans, boots, flat caps, plaid shirts.
Professor Marvel
He wears a long blue coat and wide brimmed hat. He wears a grey plaid suit and tie with matching waistcoat and white shirt underneath.
The Scarecrow
Scarecrow wears a denim shirt and jeans with brown leather boots. Poking out from around his collar, his waist band, his boot tops and the shoulders of his outfit are tufts of straw, his outfit also seems to bulge from the added straw.
The Tin Man
The tin man has a human looking head with a body made out of various different styles of robotic equipment. He is mainly shiny silver with little hints of red. On his head he has a metal plate and on the right of his chest he has a little plate that looks like a small door.
The Cowardly Lion
He’s covered in fur and has a tail of about 4 feet long. He is wearing trainers, high socks, a vest with an L on it and boxers britches held up by suspenders. He’s also wearing boxing gloves. He has a lion’s nose prosthetic and full flowing beard that matches his long hair.
The Wizard
The Wizard is wearing a bright green sequined suit jacket and trousers. He also has his facial hair painted green and purple.
The Ensemble Cast
The residents of Munchkin Land all wear lots of contrasting colours. The theme of their clothing is 1940s and 50s, the ladies with pinafore dresses with puffy sleeves, they also wear pointed hats with little bobbles on them. The men wear jackets, trousers, some with waistcoats or suspenders and all wear some form of hat.
The chorus on the yellow brick road wear bright yellow suits with bright yellow bowler hats, when the crows join them, three of the chorus have crows on their heads which they flap the wings of using sticks in their hands.
The citizens of Emerald City are all, again with a 1940s style to it dressed in various shades of green with accents of pink and purple. They are all dressed uniquely and extravagantly. There is no set outfit for men or women. Some wear dresses with ruffles and bows on their heads. Some are wearing dress jackets and ties with short trousers, trainers and socks pulled up while others are wearing plaid trousers with sparkling sequin jackets.
The Wizard’s door man and army wear all green. The door man wears a green suit featuring the Wizard’s logo in purple stamped upon it and he wears a long cloak in the same colour. The army wear green suits with large shoulder pads and knee high socks with their trousers tucked into them. On their heads they wear green helmets and dark glasses on their faces. They all carry staffs with the Wizard’s logo on the tops of them.
The Wicked Witch’s goons are wearing long purple coats with flashes of red at the bottom and they have helmets with dark glasses on their heads. The queen has a vast army depicted on the back screen with rows of hundreds of goons dressed the same as those in front of her. The Wicked Witch also has winged monkey goons who wear denim jackets, leather trousers and red helmets, they also have tall wings that come out of their backs and are about 4 feet tall.
Creative
DIRECTOR: NIKOLAI FOSTER
CHOREOGRAPHER: SHAY BARCLAY
SET DESIGNER: COLIN RICHMOND
PROJECTION DESIGNER: DOUGLAS O’CONNELL
COSTUME AND PUPPET DESIGNER: RACHAEL CANNING
LIGHTING DESIGNER: BEN CRACKNELL
SOUND DESIGNER: ADAM FISHER
Welcome to the Grand Opera House, Belfast.Starring Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood as The Wicked Witch of The West, this spectacular production will be truly magical. The principal cast includes Aviva Tulley as Dorothy, Benjamin Yates as The Scarecrow, Nic Greenshields as The Cowardly Lion, Alex Bourne as The Wizard, Emily Bull as Glinda The Good Witch and Abigail Matthews as Toto.Featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We’re Off To See The Wizard with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.
The cast is completed by David Burrows, Adam Craig, Cole Dunn, Tyler Ephraim, Olivia Kate Holding, Thomas Kalek, Sadie Levett, Kelsie-Rae Marshall, Martin McCarthy, Rose Ouellette, Fanja Parent, Alexandra Regan, Nathan Routledge and Sydney Spencer.
Join Dorothy, Toto, and friends on an unforgettable adventure down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz.
Welcome to this sensational new production of one of the world’s most beloved musicals, the Wizard of Oz.
The set
The front of the stage is surrounded by a large fluorescent light that suggests the shape of an old style television set with rounded edges and sides. The shape of the surround is repeated through to the back of the stage with another three frames that get smaller, emphasising the idea that the audience are in front of a television set.
On the curtain directly behind the frame there is a video projection of the title, The Wizard of Oz which is written in yellow and the OZ is written in a rainbow of colours, there are clouds behind the title and when the production starts the title disappears and the curtain lifts. The moving images is now on the back wall of the stage. As the clouds begin to move, some lights flash around the stage and the video has become a birds eye view of the farmland where the show is set. The camera angle flies down from the sky as if we are in a plane. Next to us there is a red bi plane and then we begin to follow a black car running along a road next to some houses. The camera stops briefly at some directional arrows then some old newspaper clippings appear along with some old footage before the angle rises up again and we fly through the air briefly behind the plane, over the top of a cargo train and on and on over numerous farmsteads. Some newspapers, as if caught in a whirlwind fly into view and pausing on the screen they feature headlines regarding the great depression, the dust storms decimating crops and the stock market crash. Finally we come to rest on Dorothy's family homestead, the lighting gives the impression that we’re watching a hazy older film.
In the first scene the homestead is depicted as a video far behind the characters on the back wall of the stage. The clouds move across the sky on the video giving a real life feel to it and in the distance, there’s a building that has a shell of a roof, a grain silo, a wind turbine and house. As the scenes change, the background image changes to different angles from around the farm and surrounding desert plains. The Gale homestead has a dishevelled looking gate that has a mailbox and a red and white pinwheel that spins. This gate is slid on and off the stage at times.
The egg incubator is a wooden structure on four wheels, converted from a pram. The generator is also clearly made from bits and pieces.
Toto the dog is a puppet played by a performer dressed in farm hand clothes. Sometimes Dorothy is holding the dog and sometimes the dog is on the ground- the puppeteer is always moving the body and head, when anyone picks Toto up, the puppeteer stays behind them animating the dog.
When Dorothy runs from her house, she is on the outskirts of the town depicted by the Kansas State sign where she meets Prof Marvel. His bicycle is a cumbersome looking device that has large panniers on the back that look more like a side board with various wooden drawers that open up, there’s also a large white sheet that opens out into a projector screen on which he shows Dorothy his adventures round the world so far.
When Dorothy arrives in Munchkin Land there’s a large hanging sign with spotlights that says “Welcome to Munchkin Land”. The last five letters of the sign are hanging down damaged, to suggest that the house hit it when it landed. The house from Kansas is there, upside down and a smaller scale to the real thing, it’s sitting, at an angle on top of the black and white striped stockings of the other Wicked Witch.
When Dorothy goes to the yellow brick road, the road is depicted on the back screen with the yellow bricks winding their way into the distance and on the stage with four large platforms that are bight yellow brick on top and in the shape of arrows. They rise up at the back and down at the front and the chorus move them about the space to facilitate dancing. The corn in the cornfields is depicted with tins of corn instead of ears.
When Dorothy meets the Tin Man the background screen features tall petrol pumps standing in the forest and The Tin Man is standing next to one.
As they move through the forest on the yellow brick road, the video in the background depicts the twists and turns of the road through the forest and the influences of 1940s America, big arrows, road work signs, advert hoarding and neon lights.
When they arrive on the outskirts of Oz they are greeted by many neon lights and there are rock stacks depicted in the distance. There’s a large neon light that hangs from the ceiling, reaching to the floor. It’s in the shape of a pair of legs with black and white tights and ruby slippers and it says Oz at the very top.
The poppy field is depicted as a spooky red lit corridor on the back screen and three lamps and a red vending machine in the foreground.
On the outskirts of Oz when it snows, the video in the background depicts snow in the wasteland around the characters.
In the Emerald City, the colour scheme is green, the set is lit green and there are green neon lights all around. Outside the Wizard’s chamber the door is depicted by a giant O that hangs from the ceiling and the doorman talks to the group through this. The front of the building is an image of an imposing looking building.
The main streets of Emerald City are depicted on the screen in back with a street eye view looking up at tall skyscrapers and neon signage. This video moves about as the characters dance through the streets, from shops to Emerald City Broadway, tall buildings and signs for bars and discos.
The Wizard’s Chamber is depicted with a background of circuitry moving on the screen and in front of this there’s an enormous pair of goggles that is nearly the width of the room. There are wires and cables poking out from the top and side of the goggles that extend right up to the ceiling. The lenses of the goggles glow and pulse as the Wizard speaks. The googles lift up to revel a mouth on the screen behind them when the Wizard is giving his instructions for Dorothy and friends.
In the witch’s castle, there’s a large boxy throne in the middle of the room and the background image on the screen shows a vast hall with tall pillars and a high ceiling. The throne is on a platform with two steps up to it and lights around the base. The witch’s goons use computers which are placed either side of the throne, they have two screens each and have wires and cables running from them.
Costumes
Dorothy
She wears her hair in little plaits either side of her head. She wears a white shirt with a grey pinafore over the top of it and a white petticoat showing underneath. She wear black plimsoles to complete the look. She wears a cream-coloured jacket on top when she leaves the farm initially.
When Dorothy travels to Munchkin Land, she is wearing a blue and white gingham tea dress that has short puffed sleeves and sparkling red ruby slippers.
Uncle Henry
Wears a Panama hat, a loose brown waistcoat over a white long-sleeved shirt with brown trousers and brown shoes.
Aunty Em
She wears a checked pale green head scarf tied in a little bow at the front of her head, her shirt is brown and she wears a blue pinafore and apron over the top of this. She wears heavy boots on her feet.
Miss Gulch
Wears a severe plaid skirt suit in brown tones with a pale brown wide brimmed hat to match and she carries a brown leather handbag. She has dark rimmed glasses, a high ruffled collar on her white shirt and wears black leather gloves.
The Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West most notably has bright green skin. She wears a rich purple wide brimmed hat and long black cloak over a purple suit dress that has buttons down the front of it. She wears thigh high sparkling boots and carries a large broom. Later on the Wicked Witch wears a large purple sparkling ballgown with wide open shoulders, a high collar at the back and a paler purple hat.
Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda, in contrast to the Wicked Witch wears bright colours, she has a glittery pink short leather biker jacket over a gold glittering poodle skirt and she wears sparkling heels to match. Glinda always has her blonde hair in a high pony tail, even when she has a motorbike helmet on, the pony tail comes through it!
Toto the dog
Is a small dog, no higher than about knee height or 15 inches. Toto is a puppet that is grey and hairy looking, his tail and head both move around very like a real dog. Toto’s puppeteer is dressed similarly to a farm hand with a baseball cap, shirt with braces and dark trousers.
Hunk, Zeke and Hickory who work on the farm, all wear traditional working clothes of the late 1930s. Jeans, boots, flat caps, plaid shirts.
Professor Marvel
He wears a long blue coat and wide brimmed hat. He wears a grey plaid suit and tie with matching waistcoat and white shirt underneath.
The Scarecrow
Scarecrow wears a denim shirt and jeans with brown leather boots. Poking out from around his collar, his waist band, his boot tops and the shoulders of his outfit are tufts of straw, his outfit also seems to bulge from the added straw.
The Tin Man
The tin man has a human looking head with a body made out of various different styles of robotic equipment. He is mainly shiny silver with little hints of red. On his head he has a metal plate and on the right of his chest he has a little plate that looks like a small door.
The Cowardly Lion
He’s covered in fur and has a tail of about 4 feet long. He is wearing trainers, high socks, a vest with an L on it and boxers britches held up by suspenders. He’s also wearing boxing gloves. He has a lion’s nose prosthetic and full flowing beard that matches his long hair.
The Wizard
The Wizard is wearing a bright green sequined suit jacket and trousers. He also has his facial hair painted green and purple.
The Ensemble Cast
The residents of Munchkin Land all wear lots of contrasting colours. The theme of their clothing is 1940s and 50s, the ladies with pinafore dresses with puffy sleeves, they also wear pointed hats with little bobbles on them. The men wear jackets, trousers, some with waistcoats or suspenders and all wear some form of hat.
The chorus on the yellow brick road wear bright yellow suits with bright yellow bowler hats, when the crows join them, three of the chorus have crows on their heads which they flap the wings of using sticks in their hands.
The citizens of Emerald City are all, again with a 1940s style to it dressed in various shades of green with accents of pink and purple. They are all dressed uniquely and extravagantly. There is no set outfit for men or women. Some wear dresses with ruffles and bows on their heads. Some are wearing dress jackets and ties with short trousers, trainers and socks pulled up while others are wearing plaid trousers with sparkling sequin jackets.
The Wizard’s door man and army wear all green. The door man wears a green suit featuring the Wizard’s logo in purple stamped upon it and he wears a long cloak in the same colour. The army wear green suits with large shoulder pads and knee high socks with their trousers tucked into them. On their heads they wear green helmets and dark glasses on their faces. They all carry staffs with the Wizard’s logo on the tops of them.
The Wicked Witch’s goons are wearing long purple coats with flashes of red at the bottom and they have helmets with dark glasses on their heads. The queen has a vast army depicted on the back screen with rows of hundreds of goons dressed the same as those in front of her. The Wicked Witch also has winged monkey goons who wear denim jackets, leather trousers and red helmets, they also have tall wings that come out of their backs and are about 4 feet tall.
Creative
DIRECTOR: NIKOLAI FOSTER
CHOREOGRAPHER: SHAY BARCLAY
SET DESIGNER: COLIN RICHMOND
PROJECTION DESIGNER: DOUGLAS O’CONNELL
COSTUME AND PUPPET DESIGNER: RACHAEL CANNING
LIGHTING DESIGNER: BEN CRACKNELL
SOUND DESIGNER: ADAM FISHER
