Community gets involved in Endicott College Production: The Wizard of Oz
April 1, 2016- It seems everyone wants to see the Wizard! Endicott College’s Mainstage Production of The Wizard of Oz will reach out to at least eight community schools and groups. It features three Endicott College employee children, two Endicott alumni, and has students from nearly every major on campus either in the production or on its staff.
The Wizard of Oz performances will to be held in the Rose Performance Hall of the Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts, Endicott College, 376 Hale Street, Beverly on Wednesday, April 6 through Saturday, April 9, 2016 at the following times: Wednesday, April 6 at 7:00 PM (Special Sneak Preview!), Thursday April 7, Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9 at 7:30 PM, and a 2:00 PM matinee performance on Saturday, April 9, 2016. Ticket Prices are $15 for general admission, $5 for seniors and students of other institutions, and free for EC ID holders. They can be purchased attickets.endicott.edu or by calling (978) 998-7700.
Thanks in part to a grant from the van Otterloo Family Foundation, audiences will hail from Hannah School in Beverly, Lynn English and Lynn Classical High Schools, Witchcraft Heights Elementary School in Salem, Girls Inc. in Lynn, Children’s Friend and Family Services, Brooksby Village retirement community of Peabody, and the REAL program of Lynn. Students of the REAL program, a non-profit working to address literacy issues, will be treated to an entire Oz experience, thanks to students in the community service, education, and events management clubs at Endicott College. They will do reading projects, meet characters from the production, and participate in a scavenger hunt in a fully Oz decorated center on campus.
Student Kaitlin Donaldson is an organizer for the REAL program outreach event.
“The children will be so excited to meet the characters from the show in costume, she said. “I can’t wait to see their faces.”
Actresses Melody Curran, (The Wicked Witch,) and Kayleigh Barrucci, (Glinda,) feel the same way.
“I am super excited to make this appearance,” Barrucci said. As a sophomore major in Early Childhood Education, she knows how important real experiences are to assist with children’s literacy. “The whole event should be inspiring.”
“Events like this show demonstrate what is so exciting about colleges the sixe of Endicott,” Kenneally said. “With one production, we can involve not only students who love to perform, but artists, staff, children, and the community at large.”
Three Endicott College employee’s children have joined five other school-aged kids to appear as Munchkins, monkeys and other featured roles in the classic musical. Ila Bumagin, 9, of Marblehead, is the daughter of the Chair of Performing Arts, Becca Kenneally, who is also co-artistic director for the show. Charlotte Crichton, 9, of Beverly, is daughter of Kerry Crichton, administrative assistant for the school of Sports Management. Paris Barrett O’Brien, 13, of Beverly, is daughter of assistant grant writer Catherine Barrett. All three have stage experience, but this is Crichton’s first musical.
“It’s fun to work with the college students,” Crichton said. “We learn a lot, too.”
Endicott’s production of The Wizard of Oz examines this classic in a new way, while telling the familiar story with its universal themes. This new telling of the iconic tale features the beloved music of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, and book by John Kane (based on the film). You will dance in your seat while re-visiting the quest theme for today's world. Conceptualized by the Endicott Community with Artistic Directors Penny Hansen and Becca Kenneally, the show will have art, sets, costumes, props and sound designed by staff, faculty and students.
“The fun we have had working together on this project will be contagious,” Kenneally said. “Kids of all ages will relate to this show that is totally classic while giving a wink to some of today’s challenges as we navigate life’s journey.”
If you have any questions regarding The Mainstage Production of The Wizard of Oz, or any of our programming in the Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts at Endicott College, please contact Rebecca Kenneally, Chair of the Performing Arts Department at 978-232-2397 or rkenneal@endicott.edu.