SCRT’s Wizard of Oz Actors Tell All!

 This summer, the SCV Regional Theatre Company will present one of the greatest musicals ever written, The Wizard of Oz. The longevity of this timeless story about a girl from Kansas, a Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, a cyclone and an utterly hateful Wicked Witch is as evergreen as the Emerald City itself. The story seeped into the public consciousness almost 100 years ago with the 1939 MGM film and we still watch it six decades later.  Why?
We spoke to the talented and diverse principal actors and their understudies from the cast of this production and got some wonderful insight.  The actors come from many backgrounds and hold varied ‘day jobs’. They are full-time actors, teachers, stunt artists, voice-over artists, students, retail sales.  They all agreed that The Wizard of Oz is timeless and iconic, a story for everyone.  Steve Rizzo, the Scarecrow said that, “We love it because we all carry a little bit of each character inside us.” Adrianna Eldridge, who plays Dorothy, feels that it’s “a story in each of our hearts, one that creates a place for a cast to come together and bond tightly.” Craig Sherman, our Tinman loves “the Oz message that we are more than we think we are.”
Most of them agreed that they had wanted to do the role they were awarded, or felt a special affinity to that particular character since they were kids, after watching the movie year after year with family. Other cast members, like Sarah Ryan Holzer, Glinda, has always “loved the way her parents loved watching her love the show as a child.”  Other cast members like George Chavez, the Lion, believes that we all need to have courage and teach courage.  This is Gin Treadwell Eng, the Wicked Witch of the West, she loves the fact that her premier villain role is that of such an iconic, wicked character.”
The understudies must be mentioned here.  Understudies are the remarkable performers who learn the role of one of the lead characters in order to serve as a replacement if necessary because – just imagine the Wizard of Oz without a Dorothy or a wicked witch! The Santa Clarita Regional incentivizes these frequently unsung professionals by giving them the role in one performance on July 30 and work closely with their counterpart. They serve as ensemble for the rest of the run and thus do two times the work of the leads, but are happy to do it! They are Savannah Haerle Crow, Blake Yanez, Michael Smith, John Kl, Rosemary Moffat and Amy Se. The WW of the W US said she’s been playing villians for years and especially loves the ww because, “the char is the opposite of who I feel I am — and its so much fun being wicked!”  Michael Smith, the TM US says, “like most of us, the Tinman wants to be able to love and be loved in return.”
It is clear to this writer that the exemplary cast and crew of this show have had a great time creating this world of Oz. So, bring your family to the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center this summer and wander away into the Land of Oz.  Join Dorothy, Toto and the others as they journey through this enchanted land to meet the Wizard and obtain their hearts desires. You’re sure to rediscover that there really is no place like home. This production of The Wizard of Oz is a family-friendly hit — and here for a limited engagement, so get your tickets while they last! Performances are Saturdays at 8 p.m., July 30, August 6, 13 and Sundays, 2 p.m., July 31, August 7 and 14, 2016 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center, located at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Valencia.
Call the Canyon Theatre Guild Box Office for reservations at 661-799-2702.