2023 has been a year of change for the Off-Beat Players. As the new Artistic Director, I have experienced first-hand many of these changes. With a new production team, multiple first year performers, and Oz as our second live show since 2019, there has been no shortage of learning moments for cast and crew alike.
In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy travels through the world of Oz in an attempt to return home to Kansas. By the end of the show, she realizes that she had the ability to go home the entire time, with the click of her heels and the belief that she could. With the changes that OBP has endured this past year, it has, at times, become hard to believe in our own abilities to continue forward. However, similarly to how Dorothy has the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, the members of OBP have always had committed and supportive castmates to encourage each other along the way.
The Wizard of Oz is admittedly a dated show, and it often seems that the characters don’t show any sort of growth by the end, specifically Dorothy. As I have gotten to know this show however, I believe that Dorothy shows the most growth of all. When Dorothy is still in Kansas, she is left hopeless when Miss Gulch takes Toto. She falls back on Aunt Em and Uncle Henry to defend her, and allows Hickory, Hunk, and Zeke to restrain her when she tries to run away. By the end of the show however, Dorothy is melting witches and confronting the Wizard of Oz himself. Dorothy is intelligent, empathetic, and courageous, but throughout the show she learns to be more confident in herself, which is what allows her to conquer any obstacles that come her way.
Confidence is something that OBP works hard to instill in its cast. This summer I have had the pleasure of watching how as someone’s confidence improves, so too does their performance. Similarly to Dorothy, the cast of OBP needed the rehearsal process and trial and error that occurred this summer in order to see for themselves what they are capable of on stage. With this in mind, it is my pleasure to present the intelligent, empathetic, courageous, and confident cast of The Off-Beat Players in The Wizard of Oz.
Jane Freyer
Creative Director, Off-Beat Players
