Time is quickly winding down for the cast of The Wizard of Oz.  Less than two weeks remain until opening night, and the actors are getting prepared for the big week.  This week has been quite eventful, with plenty of exciting news:  Saturday, Nov. 12 is already sold out.  Three shows remain to get tickets, Tuesday, Nov. 8, Wednesday, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 10.  Ticket order forms and other information can be found on drama teacher Jon Copeland’s drama page.  Make sure to purchase your tickets as soon as possible.  Time is quickly running out.

Monday, Oct. 24 was the final polishing day for act two.  It also marked the first rehearsal of many which begin at night.  The cast will be staying at the school much later than normal to perfect their performances.  Snacks are being provided for those who stay late.  Some of us don’t get home until 9:30 p.m.  Monday, Oct. 24 was the first time I got to try on my costume, and run the “Jitterbug” dance number wearing it.  The costume is very hot and the headpiece is heavy, but I am going to have to endure the hardships if I want to put on a great performance.  The jitterbugs practiced their dance, and many other people got to try on outfits. 

Tuesday, Oct. 25 was the first tech night.  Lights and sounds were added to act one, and good progress was made. 

 Junior Jamie Laning has been involved in set crew for four shows now and is an expert when it comes to lighting. 

“You’ve got to be prepared,” Laning said.  “Copeland can ask you to do anything at any given time.  You got to be ready.” 

Some wacky sound effects were added, most notably involving the Tin Man.  When senior Brayton Young moves his arms and legs for the first time, clanking sound effects help bring his character to life.

Wednesday, Oct. 26 was the craziest night for us so far.  Everyone was dressed in costume for the photo shoot.  It took set designer Jerry Howard nearly twenty minutes to get my lion makeup on.  What we’re concerned about is how to get it off at the end of the show.  When the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man become human again, it is going to be tricky getting our costumes and makeup off.  We have about two minutes to get everything off and become normal humans again.  Things are still being worked out to get us to change in time.

Thursday, Oct. 27 is a run-through of act one again.  Leads will prepare for their segments on the news.  Tomorrow, as many know, is the KCTV5 “Cool School” event.  The opening cast will pre-record their segment and the closing cast will have a live segment at 7:50 a.m. tomorrow morning.  Tune in to KSMO TV tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. to see the segment.

Saturday, Oct. 29 will be the final set work day.  All of the numerous sets will be painted, placed, and finalized.  There’s not much left to do, other than work on scene changes.  Due to the large amount of set pieces that we have it might take a long time to do a scene change.  Limited set space will lengthen the time, which is, of course, bad.  We want scenes to change as quickly as possible to keep the audience interested.

Twelve days remain until opening night.  Have you got your tickets yet?  Visit Copeland’s webpage for a ticket order form and place your order.  Remember, seats are selling fast.  Saturday, Nov. 12 is already sold out.  Check back next Thursday, Nov. 3 for the second to last Oz blog.