The Saints Present The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz presented by The Saints Drama Group, Allesley Village Hall, Coventry, from 14 – 17 February.  The Wizard of Oz is co-directed by Mark Smithers and Daniel Peckett. The play has been adapted by Alfred Bradley. 

Preview.

The Saints have now been going for 65 years and have decided to start their 2024 season with the perfect story for all the family – The Wizard of Oz. They are also delighted to announce that they will be performing a matinee show. Something that has never been done before in their entire 65-year history. 

Co-Director Daniel Peckett said, “This is a fresh take on The Wizard of Oz that many have come to know. The play was written by Alfred Bradley who has adapted the play from L. Frank Baum's original book. The first thing we decided was to avoid the film and songs in order to create something new with the story.

Rehearsal time: L-R: Gemma Louise Sharman as The Cowardly Lioness, Richard Morelli as The Tin Woodsman, Jamie Peake as Scarecrow, Shannon Lee as Dorothy. Photo courtesy of The Saints.

“It would have been easy for us to copy and paste everything from the film but then where would the fun in that be creatively? We always like to do things differently at The Saints and our production of The Wizard of Oz is no different. 

“The challenge for us was how do we take this classic story and make it our own? We decided to put our focus on the Shack in which Dorothy lives in and how that can be transformed into the land of Oz. The power of play and imagination has been the creative key in unlocking the door to how we have approached this production. 

Rehearsals - Dorothy and friends are confronted by the Wicked Witch of the West played by Lucinda Toomey. Photo courtesy of The Saints.

Daniel continued: “We have plenty of colourful characters that many will know from the original story - Dorothy, Scarecrow, The Tin Woodsman, the Cowardly Lion and Toto (seen in a way none have seen before). We have a fantastic cast with some members returning to The Saints from our previous productions as well as actors who will be making there own stage debuts with The Saints.” 

Book your tickets for The Wizard of Oz online through their new website: http://www.saintsdramacoventry.org or call the box office on 07927 319985.