The Lodi High School is producing a new musical called The Wizard of Oz for the 2022-2023 school year. Most people have seen the movie version. It is a dramatic story of a girl named Dorothy who gets lost on an adventure. She meets many people and characters along the way. She ventures to find the Wizard of Oz and her way home. This is a very short description to avoid any spoilers.

For anyone who is interested in watching, the dates are Saturday, November 12th at 7:00 P.M, Sunday, November 13th at 2:00, Friday, November 18th at 7:00, and November 19th, again at 7:00. All of these shows are in the Lodi High School Auditorium. The production stars many high school students: Kaitlyn Meier as Dorothy Gale, John Schilling as the Cowardly Lion, Erik Dachel as the Tin Man, and Bentley Smith as the Scarecrow. There are a few more big roles being played by students Elaina Hatley, Rachel Winters, and Grant Beyer.

Some of these students were interviewed and here are a few of the responses. Grant Beyer, or the Wizard of Oz, was asked if deciding to be in the musical was a big step out of his comfort zone. He responded, “ A little bit, but I knew I could handle it with every choir thing I did last year, so I was mostly ready for it.” Many of the actors had either previous experiences or had decided to act for the experience. Another student actor that was interviewed was Bentley Smith. He was asked why he wanted to do the musical this year. The reply that was received was: “I was blessed to get the lead in the play and I found a love for acting. Also, a lot of people told me to.” The musical productions are great way of releasing and expressing yourself and these students are working really hard.

Some students are practicing more than three hours a day to get this show perfect for the viewers. So swing by and enjoy the show!