The Cass High School Theater has taken a walk down the Yellow Brick Road for their final show. On May 2nd, Cass High Theater’s first period class put on the production of The Wizard of Oz. The show was directed by seniors Evan Brophy and Makenna Wynn. The cast and directors worked hard to put up a great show for students and parents to enjoy.

The show had so many features to offer, and the cast put on strong performances while on stage. “I think the production as a whole was pretty enjoyable and my favorite part of the show was when Oz was talking with his hand, I think that was a very creative choice; it was also quite funny,” Anniston Shultz, a sophomore who attended the show, stated. On the tech side of things, there was music during transitions of the show, excellent spotlight control, amazing props,  and well-crafted set pieces. The overall production of the show was a well-thought-out and creative process that spurred a lot of laughs from audience members.

The Cass High Theater first period class jumped right into the play as soon as Booby Trap, a class show directed by Chloe McGhee, concluded. The directors chose cast members in a very specific way. “We played around with the characters and saw what people fitted certain characteristics for what we wanted for the character,” Brophy disclosed. After choosing characters, the cast and crew lists were released and then they started blocking and working on scenes for the show.
Wynn described the process: “I think we maybe did two to three scenes a day and then after we had all the blocking, we would just go over the scenes again and work on rough spots and then we would work on whatever costumes and props and everything until it was showtime.”

Additionally, what made this show super strong, was the bond between cast members and their marvelous acting skills on stage. “Being on stage is always an amazing experience for me. The adrenaline rush and feeling you get just cannot be found in any other way,” Chloe McGhee, who played the role of Dorothy, said. Each cast member had different ways to understand their character. For example, McGhee figured out their character by rewatching The Wizard of Oz.

They worked hard in their 1st-period class rehearsing the show. “I feel like the cast was very nice and friendly, they were willing to work,” Wynn remarked. They were good at receiving ideas for the show and their characters. The cast each put their best foot forward by following directions they were given and practicing their lines. Cast members had to master projecting their voices so the audience could hear them. A few had to have voices for their characters like Micah King, the actor for the Tin Man, who did an impression of a British accent.

Although the cast members put in a lot of effort, we can’t forget the directors who were managing this production. It was both Brophy and Wynn’s first time directing a performance, and they both tried their hardest to put on a good show. Brophy claimed, “I thought directing was going to be difficult, but directing with this cast was one of the easiest and most fun things I’ve ever done.” Both directors made significant efforts and worked together. Learning how to be in the role of director may not always be an easy thing to do but, these two had each other as support. This being the last project for these seniors with the Cass Theater, they wanted something that would make the audiences laugh and that would be a fun production. “We wanted a more happy, exciting show, and we needed something that was going to have a good main cast that’s going to really excite people in the audience and give a laugh and I felt like Wizard of Oz was definitely one of those plays that really just solidified that,” Evan explained.

Ultimately, this show was a spectacular end for the theater. Each student who worked on this play gave their all for the show. This play is definitely one to be remembered within the theater.  The directors, the cast, and Anastasia McGill, the theater teacher, put together a production of pure entertainment for students of Cass High and family members. It is a shame to see so many talented students’ jobs come to an end. Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, and goodbye, Cass Theater. May next year, and the years to come, be filled with shows full of laughter, excitement, tension, sadness, and drama.