The Wizard of Oz travels over the rainbow to Gainesville on Oct. 10 and 12

October 2, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — NETworks Presentations presents The Wizard of Oz at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the Phillips Center.

This production, based on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, is presented with special effects that will sweep audiences away, from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas.

Twelve children from P.K. Yonge School will be performing the roles of “munchkins.” Singing timeless classics such as “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,” the local children will help bring this classic to the stage of their hometown as part of their continuing performing arts education.

Director Nigel West, choreographer Leigh Constantine and set and costume designer Tim McQuillen-Wright utilize art-deco Hollywood as the technicolor backdrop for the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow are transported over the rainbow to adventures in Munchkin Land, the Haunted Forest and the Emerald City.

The musical features the classic songs, as composed by Harold Arlen, “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” and “If I Only Had a Brain.”

The Gainesville presentation of the Wizard of Oz is sponsored by ProGifts Promotional Products.

Tickets for The Wizard of Oz range from $30 to $50 and are available by calling the Phillips Center Box Office at 352-392-ARTS (2787), 800-905-ARTS (toll-free within Florida) or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-277-1700. Tickets may also be purchased at the Phillips Center Box Office, the University Box Office at the Reitz Student Union, from any Ticketmaster outlet, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

For more information, visit www.wizardofozontour.com or www.performingarts.ufl.edu.