The Wizard of Oz Comes to Zanesville

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — Dorothy wasn’t in Kansas today– she was in Zanesville, as “The Wizard of Oz” made it’s way to the Renner Theater this afternoon.

69 cast members, both children and adults, came together for a performance that was more than a year in the making. Cast members ranged in age from five to “the young at heart.”

“I’ve been in love with the Wizard of Oz since I was a little girl. I remember, like most kids, you watch it with your folks. And we’re talking about shows for the season and I said ‘I would love to do the Wizard of Oz,’ and I’m very lucky that the board of Renner was on board with it. And so I’ve been planning this for well over a year,” said Director Shelley Tolliver.

Tolliver stressed that while she has been working to make this come to life for over a year, the full production was put together and executed in less than 50 days. She started the process by making phone calls to 74 families looking for cast members and other assistance, explaining it took over 100 people in total to make the production come to life. From cast members, to stage managers, music, and even parents there for moral support– she couldn’t thank the community enough.

“We’re very lucky in this community, I have a lot of people. The parents, and friends, and neighbors, and theater lovers, and even people who might not be theater people, they were curious how to bring the Wizard of Oz to life on stage. I can’t say enough about the importance of the community, just in making it happen, and then to turn around and they all spend their afternoon with us supporting what everyone has worked so hard for,” Tolliver praised.

Local artist Linda Regula lent her support as well by providing some of her fantasy artwork to the production. Regula, who is also an author, is a big proponent of anti-bullying in the community said, Tolliver.

March 10th, 11th and 12th are the final three dates for the production and some tickets still remain at www.therenner.org.