#Footlight theatre wizard of oz movie#Lindbjerg Strelau said she picked the 1939 movie classic to be Footlight's biggest production to date because of its challenge. Taking on Dorothy is Michelle Creber, 12, who is no stranger to being the star on stage: two years ago, she portrayed Annie at Theatre Under The Stars (her parents, Michael and Monique Creber are also The Wizard's musical directors). It's a lot of hard work but musical theatre is my passion. "She's one of my dream characters to play. "It's been a great adventure learning her part," the Grade 10 student said. Gleneagle secondary's Jennifer Gillis, 15, is cast not only as a featured dancer and flying monkey, she's also the Dorothy understudy. Fox Theatre in Burnaby and features 26 Tri-City actors. The Wizard of Oz will be Footlight's 45th anniversary production, which opens next week at the Michael J. Last year, Lindbjerg Strelau had tried to secure the licensing rights for the show however, when that didn't happen, Footlight put on The Sound of Music instead. "There's really something to appeal for everyone," she said. Though her cast of 70 is largely made up of minors, Lindbjerg Strelau has added mature actors, too: her mother, Elaine, plays one of the 41 munchkins while The Oz is in his 70s. Children like new sensory experiences, she said, "and they're not use to something so larger than life right in front of them." To keep their interest, she also aims to keep the story line moving with fast-paced scene changes and visually stunning sets. "She is evil embodied but kids know she's bad and, in the end, that Dorothy conquers and all is well," Lindbjerg Strelau said. Her Wicked Witch, for example, is green-faced and grotesque, with a big puffy dress and sparkles and spews a hideous laugh. "I see it just like Halloween: children are in costume that's other-worldly so they're not afraid," she said. The kids will be riveted - not scared, vows director-choreographer Lalainia Lindbjerg Strelau, a Coquitlam mom of a two- and eight-year-old. Parents need not fear if they're accompanying their young children to see Footlight Theatre Company's upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz.
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