MILTON — Along with memorizing lines and rehearsing blocks and gestures, students find their school musical is just plain fun.
Meadowbrook Christian School presents “The Wizard of Oz” on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the school auditorium at 363 Stamm Road in Milton.
Bryn Rhoades, musical director, has appreciated seeing older students helping the younger ones.
“Having middle and high schoolers involved in our productions can be a little crazy at times, but seeing the older students mentor and encourage the younger students makes it so worth it,” she said.
Ninth grader Lauren Dugan plays the role of Dorothy Gale, “a girl from a small town in Kansas who is adventurous, strong-willed and caring,” Lauren Dugan said, adding that she can relate to some of Dorothy’s attributes.
“I’ve grown up watching ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ so playing Dorothy has been a fun experience,” she said.
Senior Josh Dugan, Lauren’s brother, plays the Scarecrow.
“My character is a lively, somewhat ditzy guy who wants to do nothing but help others,” Josh Dugan said. “What I like about playing the Scarecrow is having the freedom to be silly on stage. It’s one of my favorite types of roles to play. I love humor and making people laugh and smile.”
The Lion is played by Joah Robel, a senior.
“My character is supposed to be super scared and afraid all the time because he has no courage,” Robel said. “I really like playing this character because I can make him funny and weird, which is pretty fun.”
Rounding out the friends walking the Yellow Brick Road is the Tin Man, played by senior Levi Erb.
“He is a loving character who is kind but a bit bashful because he doesn’t have the heart to put himself out there. He is very honest and will stand up for his friends if he needs to,” Erb said. “What I like about playing this role is that it appeals to a side of myself that I have never actually used on stage before. In previous years my characters have been louder and more upfront with how they perform. This character is more of a quiet one but is still a very strong character which makes it very fun to play.”
Praise for fellow students
Rhoades said they are having a blast with the show, with seven seniors in the cast and eight in the crew. Some are experiencing their first theater experience while others are rejoining after a break from theater.
“One student returning to the stage is senior Josh Dugan who is playing the Scarecrow. He took a break from acting last year and was a part of our stage crew,” Rhoades said. “He is returning to the stage for one final show where he will share the stage with both of his sisters, Lauren, playing Dorothy, and Mara (a seventh-grader).
“One new actor, Joah Robel, a senior who is playing the Lion, is a riot at rehearsals. When he auditioned we had no idea that he would come to be one of our favorite parts of the show,” Rhoades said.
Lauren Dugan laughed to recall the rehearsals before students had fully memorized their lines. Their mixed-up words made everyone laugh hard.
Josh Dugan loved seeing Robel come out of his shell in the theater.
“The whole experience has been a surprise because none of us knew he sang before doing this show,” Josh Dugan said. “It’s been awesome to be a part of his first theater experience, as someone who’s been in tons of shows, being able to kind of show him what it’s like to be in a show here at MCS and just have a great time!”
The Scarecrow made Robel laugh when a “stunt double” was trying to teach Josh Dugan how to fall correctly.
“Josh fell off his ‘pole’ and it looked like it hurt really badly, which made a few of us giggle a little bit because he really made the fall look real,” Robel said. “Deep down it was really funny but none of us wanted to laugh too hard because it probably isn’t right to laugh at someone in pain.”
Erb said he enjoys being on stage with Josiah Baker (Uncle Henry).
“His character is different in pretty much every scene,” Erb said. “He has the ability to make all of us laugh every time he is on stage, and it is always something different that he is doing to make us laugh. I will miss putting on these productions with him.”
Rhoades looked at the musical’s underlying message as a takeaway for audience members, saying, “No matter how far you go or what you do, there really is no place like home.”
Tickets are available online at https://meadowbrook.booktix.com/ or at the door.
Cindy O. Herman lives in Snyder County. Email comments to her at CindyOHerman@gmail.com.