by Bonnie Collings
Travel to the merry old land of Oz these school holidays when Warragul Youth Theatre perform "The Wizard of Oz" at the West Gippsland Arts Centre.

A tale beloved by many, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy Gale, a spirited teenager living on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and little dog Toto.
When a fierce tornado sweeps through Kansas, Dorothy is whisked away to the magical land of Oz where she encounters strange creatures and dazzling landscapes.
To return home, Dorothy must follow the yellow brick road to seek out the elusive Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City. Along the way she encounters new friends and some startling enemies, including the Wicked Witch of the West.
Director Brooke Crabtree said audiences could expect elements from all their favourite Oz adaptations in the WYT production.
"We are creating our own interpretation while also staying faithful to other adaptations, including the most well-known one with Judy Garland," she said.
"We do pay homage to the 1939 movie by having the sepia tones at the very start. Everything is in those creams, browns and black and white colours, and then when she lands in Munchkin Land, Dorothy awakens in a world of colour. There's a pretty cool costume change too!"
Without giving too much away, Brooke said audiences could expect "the magic of theatre" to help represent the iconic tornado scene and the yellow brick road.
Audiences can expect to see all their favourite characters come to life on stage.
"We are incredibly lucky to have such a talented cast of 30 to have brought this show to life," Brooke said.
"We have a cast that are so connected to their emotions, you can tell that they've done the work rehearsing and are so in tune with who they're portraying."
Stepping into the iconic ruby slippers and blue gingham dress is Georgia Stayner.
On stage for almost every scene in the show, Georgia said portraying Dorothy Gale has helped her step out of her comfort zone.
"I love everything (about playing Dorothy)," she said. "I've learnt a lot about acting and getting more comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone." Regi Brown will be turning green for the performance, portraying the Wicked Witch of the West.
"It's really fun to play such an iconic character," Regi said. "I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz and Maragret Hamilton really inspired me. It's been really great thinking about the things I liked from her performance, and how I can change that a little bit to suit the stage and this specific production."
Stepping into the role of the Cowardly Lion, Ethan Smith said he enjoys the freedom to be over the top.
"(The Lion) is really out there, I can be really silly with it," Ethan said. "The character is really over the top which is my style."
Inara Wilhelms as Dorothy's Aunt Em and Cohen Nicholls as Uncle Henry said they're looking forward to exploring their characters on stage.
"I get to exercise a sort of motherly role that I've really only done once before," Inara said.
"I'm looking forward to saying a few select lines that I know are going to make people laugh," Cohen added.
A production packed full of different locations and interesting characters, Brooke said The Wizard of Oz ensemble tie the show together.
"Our main cast are phenomenal, but you can't have a show without an ensemble, they truly bring the world of Oz to life," Brooke said.
"The ensemble go from character to character really quickly, they have to switch out and switch back in maybe a minute and some of them are signing off stage at the same time."
One of the ensemble cast members, Maya Clements has enjoyed learning all her blocking and choreography.
"I'm looking forward to everyone watching me and feeling proud once I've done the show," Maya said.
Making her directorial debut, Brooke commended the other members of the production team for their support throughout the rehearsal period.
"I have had an incredible amount of support, I couldn't do any of it without every single person that we have on our prod team," Brooke said.
"(They) offer such a unique perspective and it's unfair to say that this is my show, it's our show and the cast have had such a big input in the way the show has come about as well."
The show has enabled a group of young creatives to try their hands at working in a production team. Assistant director Caleb McKenna, assistant choreographer Shara Smith and assistant music director Ethan Richardson have all contributed their unique skill sets to the production.
Brooke encouraged people of all ages to see the show.
"The show is truly for everyone," Brooke said. "There are a lot of things that everyone from every different age group can take away. Whether that's just having fun watching the show and the pretty costumes, or whether it be delving into the actual text and the morals of the story."
Warragul Youth Theatre will perform The Wizard of Oz at the West Gippsland Arts Centre from Tuesday April 15 to Thursday April 17.
Tickets are available to purchase online at sales.wgac.com.au