The Wonderful Wizard of Assisi
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon Students from St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School will perform the Wizard of Oz at the school until May 16. Local residents are invited to attend. For more information or tickets, call Micheline Belisle at 431-5711.

Emily Devlin's dream of professional acting is about to get its start.

The St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School Grade 8 student will be starring as Dorothy in the school's production of The Wizard of Oz for several days later this month.

Running until May 16, local residents can watch the legendary journey of Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion, as they venture along the Yellow Brick Road in hopes of finding Oz and its magical wizard.

Devlin loved watching the movie as a child, and plans to use the production as a springboard into acting.

"It's the role of a lifetime; I've always wanted to be in a lead role," she said, hair in pigtails and dressed in Dorothy's infamous blue and white dress.

"I'm going to high school in Toronto, for a major in drama. For our resume, to write that we played Dorothy, it's something people look at. You learn so much here."

About 90 students and 20 teachers are participating in the production. There are two casts, which will alternate between evening performances. The large number of students, combined with the elaborate set design and story, have meant organizers began planning the production before Christmas, said director and Christa Matthews.

"We thought the Wizard of Oz would be (something) lots of people know and love, and it would be really easy to get the kids enthusiastic about it," she said. "It allows for a lot of kids to be involved. We start by making sure we have the staff support, then we hold auditions and start rehearsing. It's really nice to see tweens and teens doing something really positive. It gives (the students) an opportunity to engage the community in a positive way. It's very kid friends and reasonably priced."

The entire school community has also been very supportive of the project. The production takes place in the school gymnasium, meaning physical education classes have been shuffled to allow for rehearsal time. And about 100 students and staff dressed up as their favourite Wizard of Oz characters last week, said Matthews.

Meaghan Laface, who also plays Dorothy, is glad to see her peers showing support for the production.

"It's a lot of fun, a little nerve-racking," said said, dressed like Devlin in blue and white. "It's a good way to end our year. Everybody's come out to try and do it; we've seen our classmates who have never done stuff like this try it. Not just one person can do this, it takes everybody."

The show has helped bring the cast and crew close together, and given them a positive experience to remember over the last few months of the school year, said Matthews.

"You see them go from being real shy to embracing it; it's really neat to watch," she said.

Each night of the show, doors open at 6 p.m., with the production starting at 6:30. Tickets for the show are $5 per person, and can be purchased by calling Micheline Belisle at 431- 5711.