The Wizard of Oz
25th-26th February, 2023, The Wilde Theatre, Bracknell
Welcome - from the Artemis CEO
Thank you for coming to see our spring production of The Wizard of Oz at the Wilde Theatre.
The show is the result of 18 weeks of hard work from our younger company members (plus three full days in February half term), those from Little Actors (aged only 4-6) and Junior Theatre Company. They make a total cast of almost 100 between them - and they are split into two cast teams. Cast 1 rehearses on Saturday mornings, joined half way through their day by the Little Actors, and Cast 2 rehearse on Saturday afternoons.
For this production, the Little Actors will appear in the first and last performances only (to avoid overwhleming them). JTC (Junior Theatre Company) will enjoy 3 shows per cast team.
The young actors are supported by members of Medusa Theatre Company (aged 14-18) in who are there to mentor the little cast and make sure they are safe and happy on stage as they learn to be real actors! The older mentors were almost all members of Junior Theatre Company themselves, and enjoy volunteering on weekends to act as class room assistants and in shows.
The tutors and whole team are so impressed with the young cast and their amazing enthusiasm.
We really hope you enjoy the show - and come and see the cast again on 15th July for their showcase of musical theatre and other work!
Warm wishes,
Niki Robinson
CEO & C0-founder Artemis Studios and College.
Our Fantastic Cast!
Cast List
THE WIZARD OF OZ: YOUTH EDITION
By L. Frank Baum
With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Adaptation and support materials for the Youth Edition developed by iTheatrics under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald
Background Music by Herbert Stothart
Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard / Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros.
The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition is a one-hour adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company version, especially tailored for young actors.
L. Frank Baum’s beloved story of a young girl’s adventure in a magical land has been entertaining audiences for over a century. MGM’s blockbuster 1939 film adaptation, featuring the timeless songs of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, along with the brilliant instrumental music of Herbert Stothart, elevated the popular novel to even greater heights. This stage adaptation, featuring the characters and celebrated songs from the film, brings the wondrous Land of Oz to life in a jubilant theatrical experience.
Join Dorothy and her loyal companion Toto as they “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” through the Land of Oz, determined to reach the Emerald City, where the great and powerful Wizard of Oz will help them get home. Of course, along the way, Dorothy encounters witches (both good and bad), Munchkins, talking trees and winged monkeys. But most importantly, she befriends three unique characters: a Scarecrow with no brain, a Tin Man with no heart, and a Lion with no “nerve.” Their journey to happiness – and self-awareness – is a glowing testament to friendship, understanding and hope in a world filled with both beauty and ugliness.
Our Crew and Creative Team
Our directing trio;
Joe Hannay - Acting
Grace O’Sullivan - Choreography
Keir Buist - Musical Direction
Producers:
Niki Robinson
Rosie Hill
Charlotte Steele
Technical & Production Management:
Stephen Harrison for SPH Services
Lighting Design and operation:
Sound Design and operation:
Stage Manager
Duncan Bruce
Costumes:
Chantal Addley, with Lisa Poggi
Artemis College Production Student Team;
Make up & Scenic:
Aneeka Rai
Costumes:
Abi Undrell and Izzy Jackson
Sound:
Aron Zabala
Charlotte Reay
Lighting:
Lucy Annalls
Deputy Stage Manager:
Gemma Alstrom
Assistant Stage Manager & Props:
Alexander Stephanou
Student Stage Manager:
Katie Poole
Scenic & tech crew:
Azariah Thomas
Assistant Production Manager:
Izzy Jackson
Company Stage Manager
Tom Collett
Our staff are just big kids at heart and never miss a change to play dress up! Here are your show directors, Keir, Grace and Joe!
With very special thanks to the following people…
Lisa Poggi & Chantal Addley
A huge thank you to Lisa and Chantal - who wrangled more than 300 costumes between them! Lisa is also our volunteer administrator and kept the office ticking all while juggling costume.
Izzy & Abi
Student superstars Izzy Jackson and Abi Undrell went far above and beyond expectation! All through their holiday they have spent so many extra hours making sure the costumes were made in time and picked up and fitted when our costumier became ill. Throughout production week, they have undertaken all their planned duties and so much more!
Our amazing chaperones
These wonderful people all go above and beyond making it possible to have big shows in real venues. Jan Allen is our Head Matron, a pro of more than 20 years in theatre and film (if you need anyone to run your chaperone team - let us know).
She has assembled the Artemis Avengers to make sure all the children are safe and happy backstage;
Vicky, Lisa, Hardeep, Grace, Elizabeth, Sam, Ali, Suzi, Annabelle, Jamie, Annie, Cass, Laura, Juliet, Izzy, Enza, Felicity, Michelle, Keir & Joe, Niki, Rosie, Charlotte.
SPH Services
Thank you to goods-in-kind sponsorship from SPH Services for once again supplying founder Stephen Harrison at 'mates rates' to run the production side of the show for us. Months of meetings and planning all come together in one exciting week. SPH usually work on number one shows - including tours with Kylie and the BBC.
Keir Buist
We nurture emerging talent at Artemis, and this insanely talented practitioner is an Artemis Alumni (although technically he has returned this year to complete a degree level course with us - keeping busy!) who grew up and now has a blossoming professional careers as performer, teacher, director and writer. Keir has been working 12 hour days as a volunteer during the build of the set going above and beyond to make the details great!
Check out Three Dot Theatre for his upcoming shows!
Norman the Dog
A big thank you to Norman for giving up his weekend to star in our show! And a huge hug of thanks to his family Vicky and Megan for bringing him.
Our crew
Our crew and tutors are amazing. A fantastic, unflappable group of theatre professionals. This show has been special - as the crew has included 11 Production students from Artemis College. Every person will work at least double hours this week (with tutors and students still doing a full 'normal' day) to get everything ready, and their hard work is cherished!
Rehearsals in the Wilde!
Purchasing official photos of the production
You can help us raise vital funds for Artemis buy making a donation of £5 or more to the fundraising we are doing in the lobby.
Over the course of the weekend we need to raise as much as possible to help us offset some of the costs of the show (we invest more than £20,000 in each production week) as well as for the work we do on a weekly basis. During the current economic crisis, our general running costs have risen by £18,000 - but we are trying our best not to pass this in to our parents and students.
There wont be a full show video for this production - there is no licence available for that. However - there will as always be 100’s of photos taken by our professional guest photographer during two live performances, and more including headshots from Saturday class, and rehearsals in the Wilde.
If you can give as much as you can comfortably afford - we can keep supplying parents with photos packages without having to charge everyone a set fee.
