Broadway Maricopa is set to open a musical version of The Wizard of Oz on Friday at Heritage Academy’s new auditorium, according to InMaricopa. The show marks the company’s second independent community production in Maricopa and will run through Aug. 8.
The production features hand-built sets, custom lighting, effects and costumes created by more than 70 local performers, builders and designers. Artistic Director Marcus Ellsworth said the show turned into a much larger undertaking than expected.
“It was an enormous undertaking. I never realized how big ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is,” Ellsworth said, adding that the team needed a variety of local artists and designers to bring it together.
Ellsworth said the production is designed to be interactive and sensory, using smoke, light effects, bubbles, leaves, snow and apples that will go into the audience. He said the goal is for attendees to feel like they are part of the show.
Community involvement is also central to the production, with Ellsworth reaching out to local artists for stage work and casting local children as munchkins. He said tickets are selling fast.
