[NEohioPAL] “The Wizard of Oz” at Weathervane in AKRON

[Weathervane Playhouse via NEohioPAL]

*NEWS RELEASE*

*Media Contact:*



*Melanie YC Pepe*

*Director of Education, Young Actor Series Producer*

*Weathervane Playhouse*

*330.836.2626 <330.836.2626> x 17*

*PRESS PHOTOS: *flickr.com/photos/weathervaneplayhouse
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/weathervaneplayhouse>




July 22, 2014



*Weathervane Playhouse features “The Wizard of Oz”*

*Young actors celebrate real-life passion of fellow performer with cancer*





*AKRON, OH* – More than 30 talented children and young adults take to the
stage in Weathervane Playhouse’s presentation of “This Wizard of Oz”
beginning Friday July 25 as part of the theater’s young actors series.



Performers ranging in age from 6 to 20 bring to life this adaptation that
includes songs from the 1939 movie classic, including “Over the Rainbow”,
“We’re Off To See The Wizard”, and “If I Only Had A Brain (Heart) (Nerve)”.



Sarah Elaine Bailey directs the production, which features fireballs,
special lighting effects, a tornado, and a live “Toto” as fans celebrate
the 75th anniversary of the film.



“The audience will embrace this live stage version because it includes the
music they know by heart performed by some of the area’s most talented
young actors,” Bailey said.  “It’s also an opportunity for a new generation
of performers to enjoy a show that their parents, grandparents and beyond
hold so dear.”



Kate Klika, a freshman at Akron’s Firestone High School, performs in the
leading role of “Dorothy” and faces off with the “Wicked Witch of the
West”, played by Cait McNeal, a freshman at the University of Akron. Other
principle characters include Ali Caldwell (Auntie Em), Marco Colant (Uncle
Henry), J.R. Heckman (Scarecrow), Al Oliver (Tin Woodsman), Michael D.
Swain (Lion), and Codey Montecalvo (The Wizard).



This production is especially magical for Montecalvo as the 13-year-old who
attends Akron’s Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts
recently completed his final chemotherapy treatment for Ewing Sarcoma.



“The cast has been so close in their support of Codey that just having him
take the stage will bring this show some amazing energy,” said Melanie
Pepe, Director of Youth Education. “This cast includes munchkins as young
as age 6 all the way up through young adults attending our area colleges,
so this group of performers really brings a wide variety of passion and
love to such a well-known production.”



Children attending the productions can also take part in “Journey to Oz”, a
special pre-show program that provides photo opportunities with the cast, a
peek backstage at how the show is brought to life, and snacks and games
with some of their favorite characters.  Call the Weathervane Box Officer
at 330-836-2626 or visitweathervaneplayhouse.com
<http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com/> for more information on “Journey to
Oz”, which costs an additional $5 and will be held 90 minutes *prior* to
the productions on July 27, Aug 2, 3 and 9.



“The Wizard of Oz” runs from July 25 to August 10.  Tickets are $16 for
adults and $12 for those 17 and under and are available at
weathervaneplayhouse.com <http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com/> or by
calling the box office at 330-836-2626.



For interviews or more information about “The Wizard Of Oz”, media should
contact Melanie Pepe at 330-836-2626 or mycp at weathervaneplayhouse.com.


Cast photos available at flickr.com/photos/weathervaneplayhouse
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/weathervaneplayhouse> or upon request.



Weathervane’s Young Actors Series provides opportunities for children and
young adults to take to the main stage three times per season in addition
to performance, music, and acting classes offered year-round from
Weathervane’s education department.  Later this year, young actors will
perform Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
followed by Shakespeare’s *Hamlet* in spring 2015.



Weathervane Playhouse provides high-quality live theater with volunteer
artists, designers, and technicians under professional direction, delivers
education and training in theater arts and appreciation, and engages and
entertains its audience to enrich the quality of life in Northeast Ohio.





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