In the first two weekends of April, the Gainesville High School Theatre Department put on their performance of the classic, once-again popular musical, The Wizard of Oz.
This production was about four months in the making, with a large body of cast and crew members led by director Mrs. Rodriguez-Snellings, music director Mrs. Sheppard and head of costumes/backstage director Ms. Shade. The show involved countless rehearsals, running every weekday and on many weekends throughout late winter to early spring. There were also weekly technical meetings, in which crew members and stage managers completed tasks without interference with the actors’ rehearsing.
During the final week of rehearsals before opening night, there was an additional understudy performance in which the understudies of the main characters (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion) could perform for their family members and an unpaying audience. The understudy members were also tasked with learning ensemble roles for the main performances, contributing to a difficult journey of line memorization. However, their performance went well, drawing a supportive crowd of parents, family members, friends and individuals curious about the show.
During the first weekend in April, a successful opening night was held, followed by three additional shows that went quite well, despite the occasional mishap. There were several costume malfunctions, broken props and microphone problems that challenged the actors and backstage crew, who had to repeatedly problem solve in order to keep the show running smoothly. Despite this, the cast and crew chose to keep a positive attitude and show the audience nothing but bright smiles, which led to standing ovations and roaring applause after every performance.
The Wizard of Oz was an overall successful end to the 2024-2025 school year for the GHS Theatre Department, with many tears shed and laughs shared after the show closed.
