Members of Odyssey for the Young at Art are inviting everyone to visit somewhere over the rainbow Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25. Shows are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at the Mount Vernon Middle School District Auditorium, with tickets available an hour before each show time via cash, check or Venmo.
Director Karla Steffens said she has directed this show for Odyssey every six years, with it being one of the first shows that Odyssey performed, and the last roughly six years ago.
“Plus, this year would mark Judy Garland’s 100th birthday,” Steffens said. “After a three-year hiatus, this is the perfect show to return to the theatre with.”
Steffens noted the roughly three year hiatus of live shows for Odyssey has had an impact on the actors on stage.
“We have a lot of youth who have never been part of acting on stage thus far,” Steffens said. “That can sometimes be a lot, but I’m excited to be working with students and reminding them of the collaborative nature of theatre. That’s the most important thing for me is that kids can safely learn about theater.”
There are things like the level of volume of some of the actors that she and the interns and music director are always working to correct.
“They have beautiful voices when they’re talking with their friends, but the second they get on stage, that same voice is soft and we have to remind them to project, that what they do matters,” Steffens said.
Steffens said she knows the show will be the best these students can make it by the time the curtains rise, but roughly a week before curtain, she and interns had a long list of things to complete.
Steffens said she doesn’t baby or patronize anyone in her programs, and she is excited to see how many of the young actors want to learn something at every practice.
Emery Willems and Marlena Rodenberg play Dorothy in the production, on alternating nights.
“I love getting to work alongside my fellow Dorothy and our respective lions, scarecrows and tin men,” Willems said.
“Getting to work with our amazing cast,” Rodenberg said.
Both actors note the biggest struggle for them is learning the many lines Dorothy has in these productions, as she’s in almost every scene of the musical. That, and learning the music are their biggest challenges.
Behind the scenes are a number of interns of the Odyssey program, helping with lights, scenery and other technical details.
Emmett Jordan said he signed up to be an intern to learn more about theater craft.
“I’ve always enjoyed Odyssey, and this gives me an opportunity to help out a show in a different way,” Jordan said. “I love just being able to help out.”
Stage manager Meg Dye was loving the learning opportunity as well and has been a member of Odyssey since age 8.
“I wanted to help give back to the program that made me love theatre, and this role lets me work alongside these young actors to make their show terrific,” Dye said.
Cornell College music education major Emily Martyka is the music director.
Martyka said she has worked as musical director for some of her high school productions prior to working as musical director here.
“It’s what I anticipate doing as a career in the future, so this is a lot of fun and experience,” Martyka said.
Her biggest challenge is that many students in Odyssey are new to sheet music.
“Where at the middle school and high school level, some of my students are familiar with reading music, we’ve had to do a lot more work on repeating the sections or teaching parts in other ways by more repetition,” Martyka said.
“It’s time to gather now that we have a chance to do so,” Steffens said. “The students here need support of the community. It’s important to remind students about why collaboration and working together to put on a show is something this community supports, and it’s ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It’s a fantastic show.”
“It’s going to be great to see the passion and hard work so many of these students have put into this production,” Martyka said.
Members of the cast of The Wizard of Oz work on the music for one of the opening numbers to the musical at a practice.