“The Wizard of Oz” is coming to Vandegrift as the first musical of the school year. As rehearsals begin, the VHS Theatre Department is preparing for the show dates on Jan. 27, 28 and 29. You can find tickets at vandytheatreco.com. Technical Theatre teacher, Jon Alonso, is the director of the show, and junior Beth Eden is the designated Head Stage Manager.

“Man, I’m so excited,” Alonso said. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a musical obviously because of COVID. And even though I feel like we’re a little rusty getting started, I’m excited to get on the stage and be able to perform such a fun show.”

Eden said she is also very thrilled to be a part of this show and has lots of experience in being an assistant stage manager in various Vandegrift shows. However, she originally began on the acting side of things.

“I started doing theater in 5th grade with CYT (Christian Youth Theater) and I loved performing and being onstage for all their musicals,” Eden said. “A funny thing is that my first theater show was Wizard of Oz. It’s funny how it has all come full circle but now I’m on the tech theater side.”

Alonso said that his favorite part of the show is when the MunchkinLand scene takes place, and the music and magic really begins. Alonso said he hopes the audience connects with the show and the fun songs continue to stick with them even after the show is over.

“[Wizard of Oz] is kind of a fairy tale that everybody knows and most people know it from the film,” Alonso said. “I think that in itself makes it stand out because it’s kind of a classic.”

Alonso has directed many plays in over fifteen years of his time in high school theatre. He has also been in many positions from assistant director to assistant technical director. However, this is the first musical where he is the director of the main stage musical and he said he is really excited to take his childhood memories and bring them to life.

“When I was younger, I lived out in West Texas in a really small town,” Alonso said. “And we didn’t have cable TV, so we had three VHS cassettes that I would watch consistently. They were ‘The Black Stallion’, ‘ET’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ So it just brings nostalgia to me and I remember my family just scattering around watching a movie and being a kid growing up with the film.”

Alonso said that there are many challenges to directing this memorable show. From the time crunch and several school breaks in between each rehearsal, to the headache of double casting and looming threat of the ongoing pandemic, he said he is still excited for the show to come together and for many other aspects of the show to come to life.

“Seeing the characters kind of come to life and seeing the kids in costumes is one of the best parts,” Alonso said. “I’m already laughing thinking about certain people. And last night we had one of the Cowardly Lions come out and they had to do a voice with it, which was super funny because we’re not used to seeing the student talking a certain way and we no longer see them as the student they are, but something completely different.”

Eden has her own set of thrills and challenges, and has gained a lot of experience in the tech field over the past high school years. She said she would advise new people to jump right into what they want to do whether it be the acting or techie side of things.

“For future techies, I have to say I recommend just diving into what you want to do,” Eden said.  “My freshman year, I waited till a lot later in the semester to start doing tech because I was scared to start something new, but looking back I wish that I started out the year diving into theater. We are always open to people who want to learn and there’s nothing I love more now as the person who helps teach the new techies, than seeing people figure out what they want to do.”

Eden said she is especially excited for the flying part in the show. She said there will be a national stage flying company that is going to teach the crew how to operate the equipment and make the show even more real to the audience. She said she hopes to take on the challenge and give the audience a fun experience.

“I would love for the audience to be reminded that there’s no place like home of course,” Eden said. “My goal for every show is to just have every person get something out of it whether that’s a good laugh, a life lesson or just an overall good time.”