WW Drama is ‘Over the Rainbow’ 

By: 
Kate Wehlann, Staff Writer

The West Washington Drama Club, both elementary and junior-senior high school departments, will bring the technicolor world of Oz to life when they perform their play, “The Wizard of Oz,” from Friday, April 20, to Sunday, April 22.

The beloved story entranced movie-goers in 1939 and beyond and the young thespians at West Washington hope to do the same in the school’s biggest theater production yet, with more than 40 students involved.

It’s a lot of pressure for the actors, including Sammy Nance, who plays Dorothy.

“It can be scary,” she said. “So many people are relying on you to know your lines and where you need to be. On the other hand, it’s great that you’re trusted enough to play such a big role. The whole show is so iconic. If you’re not up to par with that, it can put people off.”

One thing Nance will get to do during this play is sing a solo while being the only one on stage. “You’re not just singing in front of your parents or by yourself in the shower, so that can be nerve-racking,” she said. “That said, it can also bring out something else in you. People aren’t looking at Sammy Nance. They’re looking at Dorothy.”

This is the sophomore’s seventh play with the school. “When I was in sixth grade, I came and watched the Drama Club do ‘Grease’ and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said Nance. “It’s fun to sing and dance and I really love the people in this club and Mrs. [Kayla] Seybold for doing it. There’s nothing like coming off stage after acing a scene.”

This is sophomore Caleb Murphy’s third play. He plays the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz.”

“I walked into English one day and Mrs. Seybold called me over and said, ‘You’re in Drama Club,’ so I was kind of forced into it!” said Murphy.

“You weren’t forced,” said Max Strother, who plays the Cowardly Lion and was listening nearby. “You didn’t have to go and you’ve loved it ever since.”

“Yeah,” said Murphy, “I do love Drama Club.”

He said what he loves most about his character is how different the Tin Man is from himself.

“It’s been great getting a role I wasn’t typecast for because it’s let me work on my character and become a different person on stage,” he said. 

Murphy said drama drew him in because it was different from anything else he’d been involved with. “I got to know people I’d have never been around otherwise and it really brought us together, which made me love it so much,” he said. 

Being in “Wizard of Oz” may have even helped him in other aspects of his extracurriculars. The football player may come back next season with improved footwork after learning the dances for the play.

“We’ve all gotten to learn how to tap dance,” he said. “None of us knew how to tap and they just came in and told us we were going to tap. It’s been fun to learn.”

Laura Martin, a sophomore, said the dancing and general physicality of her character, the Scarecrow, has proven an extra challenge. That, and the fact she’s playing a character normally considered to be male.

“At first, I was a bit iffy because no one gave me a direct answer as to if I was playing the Scarecrow as a boy or a girl,” she said. “Eventually, Mrs. Seybold decided she wanted him to be a boy. The physicality is hard. I’m not used to having to fall. Being a girl, I don’t have a low voice, so we’ve had to change the key for some songs … Prepare for bigger stunts and dances. This is by far the biggest play we’ve done.”

Despite this, Martin said she loves her character.

“He’s really compassionate and caring,” she said. “He’s Dorothy’s first friend in Oz and he’s the closest to Dorothy. They have a special connection.”

Martin said her great aunt was a music teacher at West Washington for 30 years and was instrumental in Martin and sister, Eva, performing. Eva is a senior this year and is playing Glinda the Good Witch as her final drama role in high school.

“When I was in fourth grade, I decided I wanted to be on stage, too,” she said. “My whole family is musical.”

Martin said the hardest part about the spring musicals isn’t learning lines or choreography. It’s losing the seniors. “We’re all back there crying afterwards,” she said. “My sister, Eva, is playing Glinda and she’s a senior this year.”

Strother is a junior and has been in several plays as well before trembling on stage as the Cowardly Lion.

“My favorite part in this play is that I get to goof off and portray a character I loved watching growing up,” he said. “I loved ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It’s cool to put my own spin on a character most people know.”

Like Murphy, Strother said he was recruited by Seybold. “I was super timid about it because it was terrifying,” he said. “She barely talked me into it the first time. I did ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ and fell in love. I sat out my first musical and Mrs. Seybold talked me into the next one. I’ve enjoyed them ever since.”

One of the big challenges for Strother was the dancing. “This is the first show I’ve had to dance and I have a hard time with it,” he said. His lion costume, he said, is both slippery on stage and hot under the lights. 

Still, it’s worth the joy he gets out of it, along with being part of a close-knit cast.

“I definitely think, when we get closer to play time, we get closer as a family,” he said. “We start bickering at each other, but we’re still family.”

He said he hopes the community will “come see our take on Dorothy’s journey through the Land of Oz.”

“Even if we’re a small school, we can do big things,” he added. “Everything on set was made by people in the community and we definitely have our own take on the show.”

“Our core group of characters have developed a wonderful friendship,” said Seybold, who, due to unforeseen circumstances, is playing the Wicked Witch of the West. “When the kids are friends on-stage and off-stage, it makes all the difference in the performance.”

Seybold agreed with Strother, saying the production has received a lot of support from the community, parents, administrators, teachers and more.

“With all of their help, we’ve been able to rent better costumes, make new costumes and build amazing set pieces,” she said. “… Our administration has been so supportive with this production. They’ve allowed us to turn the entire multi-purpose gym into the Land of Oz. Action will be taking place all over the gym. It’s going to be so exciting! … Plus, this is a joint effort between the elementary drama program and the high school. Hannah Ledgerwood, our elementary music teacher, has been so wonderful  and is a huge asset to our program. She’s working with the kids on vocals and choreography. Also, Mrs. Ledgerwood and one of our moms, Courtney Henry, choreographed several tap numbers for our kids. They’re amazing.”

So why take on such a huge production?

“It just felt like it was time,” Seybold said. “We’ve been working so hard these last few years to build our program and our theatre department, and this seemed like the type of show where we could really showcase some of our talents … A huge thank-you to all of our patrons, parents, supporters and helpers. There is no way on the planet we could pull this show off without them!”

The play will run this weekend, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $8.

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