WIZARD OF OZ

Eagan Summer Community Theatre is playing "The Wizard of Oz." This is probably the BEST play I have seen! It's only been out a week and I've seen it twice. Ashley Nichols, who plays Glinda the Good Witch was our soloist in our wedding. She and the rest of the cast do an amazing job. Read the review below...

THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS

Stage magic abounds in ‘Wizard of Oz’
Posted: 7/13/07
by Andrew Miller
The special effects may very well blow your mind.
There’s also something to be said for the veritable battalion of munchkins — 105 in all.
Eagan High School Summer Theatre is pulling out all the stops for its production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which opened last night and runs through Aug. 4 at the high school.
This is the fifth time Denny Swanson has directed “The Wizard of Oz” in School District 196 — the first was in 1977, and the munchkins in that production are now in their 40s.
This production is the most visually stunning of the bunch, Swanson said.
“This is far and away the biggest technical extravaganza we’ve done,” he said.
Along with flying stunts — Dorothy being whipped around by the tornado, the flying monkeys and Wicked Witch — there’s also plenty of pyrotechnics.
“Big booms and lots of flames,” Swanson said.
The show features a mammoth 181-actor cast ranging in age from 4 to 62. Every school in District 196 is represented in the cast.
Honey Ribar, who plays Dorothy, is making her second appearance in “The Wizard of Oz.” She first appeared in the show at Eagan High School in 2000. Back then, she played a munchkin.
Playing the lead in a stunt-heavy production is not without its dangers. Being tossed about on wires during the tornado scene at rehearsal two weeks ago, Ribar clipped the farmhouse on the set, giving her rib cage a pretty good knock.
But Ribar seems to be weathering the pitfalls of stunt work well.
“I’m not afraid of heights, and I like being a daredevil,” said Ribar, a senior at Eagan High School.
Ribar, like other cast members, grew up watching the movie version of “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland.
In fact, the movie holds a special place in the childhood of Ashley Nichols of Jordan, who plays Glinda the Good Witch. The film was a staple of her day-care days.
“I think I probably watched it once a week” as a child, said Nichols, now a vocal performance major at the University of Minnesota.
Tickets for the 18-show run of the “Wizard of Oz” are on sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Eagan High School Ticket Office. Call (651) 683-6964 to reserve seats. Tickets prices are $10 for adults and children over 12, $8 for seniors and children 12 and under.