{"id":37382,"date":"2013-04-17T05:55:01","date_gmt":"2013-04-17T10:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/?p=37382"},"modified":"2013-04-17T05:55:20","modified_gmt":"2013-04-17T10:55:20","slug":"wizard-of-oz-ready-for-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2013\/04\/17\/wizard-of-oz-ready-for-performances\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Wizard of Oz’ cast ready for weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

VWHS Drama Club news<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether playing a Munchkin, Wicked Witch, Dorothy, or a Winkie, the cast of the Van Wert High School Drama Club\u2019s 2013 production of The Wizard of Oz<\/em> is excited to bring all its hard work to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) stage for three performances April 18-20, starting at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided to do this show because it has such a magical appeal to many people,\u201d said Chad Kraner, director and producer of the VWHS production.\u00a0\u201cThe movie is so well-known and loved by many people of all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pictured left to right: Harley Danylchuk as Dorothy, Jesse Daniels as Tinman, Drew Hoffman as Scarecrow, and Hunter Munroe as Lion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis will be the second time (music director) Matt Alessandrini and I have directed this show, which also contributed to doing it at the NPAC,\u201d Kraner added. \u201cWe wanted to do a show we knew we were familiar with, as we knew we would have our hands full with learning all the ropes with the NPAC stage.\u00a0It requires backdrops, bigger set pieces, microphones and a vast array of lighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s cast includes 20 students from Van Wert Elementary School playing the parts of Munchkins, Flying Monkeys and Chicks.\u00a0Third grader Mia Kelly said she and her sister, Harley Danylchuck, sang together to get ready for tryouts.\u00a0Both sisters were cast in the play: Kelly as a chick and Danylchuck in the role of Dorothy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part about being in The Wizard of Oz<\/em> is being in it with my sister, Harley,\u201d Kelly said with a big smile.\u00a0\u201cThe hardest part is staying on my knees for the entire time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morella Mills, a senior at VWHS, said she loves being Glinda in the play.\u00a0Mills is no stranger to the stage: this will be her 10th production at either Van Wert Civic Theatre or VWHS.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wizard of Oz<\/em> is special because I\u2019ve watched it (the movie) so many times, and I get to wear a big poofy dress,\u201d said Mills, who surprised cast members (especially the Munchkins) by going blond for the production. \u201cI will never wear a wig again,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n

Mills added that she has a special relationship with the production\u2019s youngest cast members she affectionately calls \u201cmy Munchkins.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really fun; I love their enthusiasm,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool when they see me in the hallway and they\u2019re like \u2018Hi, Glinda.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Cast members aren\u2019t the only ones excited about the upcoming performances.\u00a0Fourth grader Xander Scarpelli said his mom is probably more excited than him about his role as the Mayor of Munchkin City.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom is the most excited because this is my first play,\u201d Scarpelli said.\u00a0 \u201cShe talks about it a lot.\u00a0She tells everyone. I\u2019m not saying I don\u2019t like it, but sometimes it\u2019s like okay<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of the excitement about The Wizard of Oz<\/em> has led to what could be called \u201crecord\u201d early ticket sales, Kraner told the cast at a recent rehearsal.\u00a0Although, as of Friday, April 12, tickets are still available for each performance at the NPAC, which seats about 1,200.<\/p>\n

For those lucky enough to see a performance, Kraner promises there will be some surprises, particularly with the Wicked Witch played by Ashlee Dowdy, a senior at VWHS.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will also be some really neat special effects, which will really add to the show,\u201d Kraner said.\u00a0 \u201cMy favorite part of the show is the Wicked Witch and her Winkies.\u00a0It is a very funny part of the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really amazed at the talent of the students,\u201d he added. \u201cThey have been working hard to give a great show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased at the NPAC ticket office or by calling 419.238.NPAC (6722).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VWHS Drama Club news Whether playing a Munchkin, Wicked Witch, Dorothy, or a Winkie, the cast of the Van Wert High School Drama Club\u2019s 2013 production of The Wizard of Oz is excited to bring all its hard work to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) stage for three performances April 18-20, starting at 7 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-01 21:03:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37382\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}