While many people will see Tahoma Drama’s production of The Wiz as just a show, the actors in the cast see it as several months of hard work, tears, laughter, and plenty of fun!
Some people ask how and why we do it. Well, the answer is because we love it. We have a lot of fun in Mrs. D’s shows. We meet new friends, learn new things about music, and get to see how 65 kids can come together to make something amazing.
This particular show has been very different from all the rest. The music requires a lot of hard work and skill. It is also very fun to listen to and leaves you hanging on every last note! It’s a mixture of gospel, soul, and rock. This music was written in the 1970s for Broadway and we are using the very same script, score and chorus book licensed. This is not a student edition so the bar has definitely risen. We usually do student editions which have simplified music, but in this case we are singing the same music and rehearsing the same script written for the Broadway cast. In fact, Mrs. D had to run black marker through all our scripts to block out some words we cannot say on stage!
Although the rehearsal and performance space is limited on our stage at the Tahoma Middle School Theater, we end up somehow pushing a show out on stage every year! For example, we roll a keyboard into the costume closet for one-on-one work with Mrs. Bowers, the music director. Or we will go out in the hallway to work with Mrs. DeLeon, our director, on character development.
The other challenge that we have met is that all the supporting leads and solos have been double casted so that more students have the opportunity to take on the opportunity to sing with a live band. Although this is a special thing, it also adds to the complexity of scheduling rehearsals. Even cast members who do not solo are in multiple ensemble parts and singing many songs with many intricate dance steps to remember and harmonies.
We have worked so hard on this show and would love it if you would come see it so we can keep doing shows every year. The leads are all double cast. The White Cast, in which I will be performing as ‘The Wiz’ performs at 2 p.m. March 9 and at 7 p.m. March 15-16. Red Cast performances are at 7 p.m. March 8-9 and at 2 p.m. March 16. Both casts are amazing and have completely different takes on the characters. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students.
Not many people understand how much work and effort goes into preparing a show as big as this unless they experience it firsthand. Mrs. Earlene DeLeon, Mrs. Sheilla Hagedorn, Mr. Anthony DeLeon, Mrs. Carrie Sleeper-Bowers, and all of the parents helping out with the show genuinely care about the kids and do this every year because we have so much fun.
Yes, our space is small, but our spirits our high and we are prepared to put on the best show we possibly can. Please come see The Wiz!
The Wiz! is a full length musical comedy with a cast comprised of Tahoma Jr. high, Tahoma Middle School and Cedar River Middle School students. The musical is an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Dorothy’s adventures in the Land of Oz are reimagined with music composed of a lively mixture of rock, gospel and soul influences.
Morgan Roberts is an eighth grader from Maple Valley who wrote a series of articles for The Reporter last year about performing in Seattle Opera’s Carmen and Turandot.
Roberts is a familiar face within Tahoma School District’s musical theater after-school program, previously performing the roles of Pinocchio, Violet Beauregard and Mary Poppins. She also appeared with the Hi-Liners in Burien as Young Cosette in Les Miserables.
