by Claire Pritchard, News Editor
This week, Fountain Valley High School’s Theatre Department will be putting on “The Wizard of Oz,” a musical about a young Kansas girl who is transported to the magical land of Oz and must find her way home.
For the first time, the production will be performed in the bowl, giving the students more space to work with, but providing challenges for the crew.
“Working in the bowl is difficult because I need to make sure wind won’t be a problem with anything and building lots of set prices to fill the big space,” said set construction manager, Micah Nehrbass (‘18).
The bowl is also a very public part of school where many students spend time, so the crew had to take that into consideration. Last Friday, Baron Games were held in the Bowl, so the sets for had to be stored before being put back up the next day.
“The biggest challenge for the show is not able to put the stage together as we go because it is the bowl and needs to be taken down for other people to use,” said Nehrbass.
Normally, shows take place inside where lighting can be controlled, but on an outdoor stage, the environment is also a factor in designing and rehearsing.
“Right now I believe the trickiest part of the show is working in an outside atmosphere in the FV Bowl,” said stage manager Gina Ernst (‘16). “The actors and crew now have to work late hours to accommodate the technical aspects displayed at night.”
The musical also consists of many animal and magical characters, making the makeup and costumes for the show challenging and elaborate.
“To prepare for the show, I’ve made about 6 copies of each prosthetic that is needed for the show. So if the witch breaks one of her noses, I have an extra,” said makeup artist Ashley Leal (‘16).
With under four months to prepare and just a few days to rehearse in the bowl, both cast and crew have been working nonstop on each aspect of the show.
“Working for Wizard of Oz has all been a blur of work, time seems to run by faster than you notice it and the show always creeps up on you too soon,” said scenic designer Danthi Tran (‘16). “Having our show in the bowl is great, it gives us a lot of stage space as well as publicity, but it involves much more work due to the sheer size of the set.”
Despite the challenges a large musical and outdoor stage both bring, the students behind “The Wizard of Oz” are eager for the show to begin.
“I’m most excited to see all of it come together and invite the audience to a place somewhere over the rainbow,” said Ernst.
“The Wizard of Oz” opens tonight and runs through Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase in the bowl at lunch, online at fvhstheatre.com, and at the door.
