The Wizard of Oz Sells Out In 24 Hours
The highly anticipated winter mainstage “The Wizard of Oz” sold out during the first 24 hours that tickets were available for purchase. Presented in the new Goel Center for Theater and Dance and featuring the work of dedicated choreographers, writers and musicians, the play surpassed the audience’s expectations and became a highlight of the term for many.
The theater department chose to perform “The Wizard of Oz” for a number of reasons. According to Costume Designer and Director of Costumes Lauren Josef, who directed the play, an important factor in the decision was the significance the play had in her childhood. “It's always been a really special show to me,” she said. “I grew up watching the movie on the daily and I've just always loved the show.”
Josef also believed the play would be a good change for Exeter in comparison to prior politically-affiliated plays. “I wanted to do something that would reach the community and be something that people could sit back and enjoy in our new space,” she said. “It's nice to not have to think sometimes, and people can just enjoy something on stage that’s really colorful and family-friendly.”
A number of students and faculty members dedicated significant amounts of time to help create the play. Prep and stagehand Grace Letandre noted the diversity of roles people involved in the mainstage played in the production of the show. “There are three costumers, eight tech crew or stagehands and spotlight, projections, lightboard, soundboard,” she said. “There are also all the other crews too, and then there's all the actors and musicians and the director and the stage managers.”
While the roles required many hours of hard work over the course of the term, students who worked both behind the scenes and on stage enjoyed their experience in preparing for and subsequently performing in the production. “Even when we're not on stage and we're in the back scenes of the stage where nobody can see us, it's really fun to joke around,” prep Hannah Henris said. “Everyone is so nice and I learned so much from watching the leads.”
Another aspect of preparation that many participants enjoyed was the resources of the Goel Center for Theater and Dance, which allowed students like assistant stage manager and senior Nat Love to explore the limits of the new stage. “We were really able to utilize the features of the theater technically,” she said. “We would never have been able to use so many massive moving platforms in Fisher [Theater], nor would we have had such cool projections, lights, and effects such as the hot air balloon. We were even able to use the fly system, a rigging system used in professional theaters, for the haunted forest scene.”
Lower Katie Reid agreed with Josef, expressing that her portrayal of Dorothy was enhanced by the new Goel Center. “As the first real musical in the new theatre, we were given a chance to show of the lighting and features of Goel,” she said. “I think we took full advantage of the significant resources given us.”
The center is tangible proof of the support of the theater department, according to Lower and Tinman Understudy Stephen McNulty. “The facilities indicate that the Exeter community supports the theater program, which really helps us perform to the best of our abilities,” he said.
In addition to new equipment, many fresh faces joined the cast and crew of the Wizard of Oz. Love noted that this made the atmosphere significantly more exciting than other productions. “I got to work with so many people in the cast and crew who are new or newer to theater. It was also Mrs. Josef’s first time directing at Exeter, which was really fun and refreshing for me and the other more veteran students in theater,” she said.
The mainstage has also fostered friendships between students, according to prep and tech crew member Grace Valashinas. “I've met a lot of cool people through crew,” Valashinas said.
Henris felt similarly and attributed the close bonds between students to the positive dynamic of the crew, a dynamic that transcended grade levels. “My favorite part [of being in the production] is the fact that I've met so many people, upperclassmen and lowerclassmen,” she said.
McNulty specifically cited how the leads supported their peers at the understudy show as a unique aspect of Exeter theater. “The leads were genuinely enthusiastic about what we, the understudies, were doing on stage,” he said. “That's something you don't get everywhere–you don't always get that comradery.”
Just like the play itself, the theater community is designed to be an inclusive group within the Exeter bubble, as it served during Josef’s high school career. “I found my home in the theater when I was in high school,” she said. “[Theater] provides a home for anybody, no matter if they're on tech crew or if they're controlling lights or if they're the lead on stage, I want everybody to have a place that they can come to when they come to play rehearsal and understand we want them here.”