The Oak Ridge Playhouse will have auditions for the political drama “Farragut North” at 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
The auditions are open to everyone. No experience is required, although it is helpful, and requirements can differ from production to production, an announcement said.
There is much to do in Oak Ridge this weekend, ranging from arts, crafts, and theater to ballet, disc golf, and a half marathon.
We’ve already posted stories about some of the events, including today’s cash mob and “The Wiz” at Oak Ridge Playhouse. We’ve also written about the Secret City Half Marathon and free Turkey Bowl Disc Golf on Sunday.
But we’ve also added several new events to our new events calendar. They include an arts and crafts fair at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, Girls Inc. Parade of Trees at Pollard Auditorium, Folk Art Nativities at Oak Ridge Art Center, and “The Nutcracker” ballet at Oak Ridge High School. Those are all happening today, although there is another performance of “The Nutcracker” tomorrow (Sunday).
Please check out our events calendar for more details on these and other events.
‘The Wiz’ opens at the Oak Ridge Playhouse on Friday, Nov. 16, and runs through Dec. 2. (Submitted photo)
For more than a century, Frank L. Baum’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” has been a celebrated story that has inspired dozens of iterations, adaptations, and re-imaginings, from the beloved MGM film starring Judy Garland, to animated versions, to current Broadway hit “Wicked.”
But in the 1970s, “The Wiz” came seemingly out of nowhere to hit Broadway like a gale force wind and swept Broadway audiences off their feet with a hip, soulful mix of R&B, disco, and gospel-type music. With its central themes of home, self-reliance, and courage, “The Wiz” is fairly true to the original storyline, but with a style all its own.
The Oak Ridge Playhouse production is going a step further and embracing that 1970s style by conceiving Dorothy’s trip to Oz as a disco fantasy with a pulsing light show and groovy costumes and wigs by Virginia Baldwin and Sandra Herrera.
“If you love ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ you will love this show,” says Managing Artistic Director Reggie Law. “And if you would love a fresher take on ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ you will love this show.”
The production was a landmark in the 1970s for being the first big Broadway blockbuster featuring an entirely African-American cast and quickly was sent into production as a feature film starring major recording artists and actors like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, and Lena Horne.
Perhaps because of the show’s origins, there is a popular belief that “The Wiz” must be cast all with people of color. Law doesn’t think that holds as true these days.
“Over time the culture of music has really mixed. Plus, I believe in non-traditional casting except where race is a plot point,” he says. “In ‘The Wiz,’ it isn’t. So, we have a great mix of performers and artists in our show.”
Directed by Reggie Law, with musical direction by Sheryl Howard, and choreography by Tony Williams, the impressive and diverse cast is led by Playhouse newcomer Alexis Tidwell as Dorothy, whose powerhouse voice is packed into a petite body. Other principal roles include Tony Williams as the Scarecrow, Kirk Hoxie as the Tin Man, Cavanaugh Mims as the Lion, and Evelyn Jack, who knocked Playhouse audiences out of their seats as Motormouth Maybelle in last season’s “Hairspray” returns as Glinda, the Good Witch.
Presented by CapitalMark Bank & Trust, “The Wiz” opens Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m., followed by a performance on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m.
There will be a Thanksgiving night performance on Thursday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. as well as shows on Friday, Nov. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. Final performances are Friday, Nov, 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m., and a Sunday matinee on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.
For more information, log on to www.orplayhouse.com or call (865) 482-9999. Tickets range in price from $16 to $22 depending on performance date. This production is also made possible through support from WUOT 91.9 FM and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
As part of the Secret City Festival, Oak Ridge Revitalization Effort will present a free reading of Oak Ridge playwright Leslie Agron’s new play “Let Them Eat Cupcakes!”
The reading will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium.
Activities this weekend include a Friday morning visit to Clinton by Gov. Bill Haslam, music (some of it free), nonprofit fundraisers, and a regatta at Oak Ridge Marina.
It’s going to be a busy weekend in Oak Ridge.
There is an Earth Day festival and Battle of the Teen Bands at the Civic Center, a Community Share Day in Scarboro, and Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.
Chicago opens at the Oak Ridge Playhouse on Friday, the Oak Ridge Chorus performs Saturday, and the Dogwood Sprints regatta will be at the Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday and Sunday.
