Children’s Theater prepares for ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’

FARMINGTON — Actors, singers and dancers in the Children’s Summer Theater are off to see the wizard, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

The annual theater camp will present the play at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2 in Bjorn Auditorium at Mt. Blue High School. The camp is sponsored by the Mt. Blue Music Boosters.

Final rehearsals for the two-week camp, held mornings from 9 a.m. to noon at the high school, are underway for Friday’s and Saturday’s performances, Director Kat Zachary said.

Twenty-nine children, ages 6 to 13, are not only preparing for the production but also are learning about theater, Zachary said.

She said the camp involves more than getting up on stage and speaking lines. It includes teaching children about the different parts of theater, including costumes, make-up and sets.

Putting on a production is a 1,000-piece puzzle: Every performer is a piece and is needed, she said.

The singing and music are strong, she said, and the acting is great. She was amazed at how well the children brought productions together in such a short period, she said.

Zachary, of Farmington, is no stranger to the stage. She started acting with the Sandy River Players at age 14. A May graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington, Zachary has directed Children’s Theater for the Sandy River group for the past five years, she said.

Some children followed her from that three-week camp. She is serving as director of the Mt. Blue Music Boosters two-week camp for the first time, she said. Four counselors, a lighting person and an accompanist are there to help.

For Jose Marquez, who plays the wizard, the camp means being with friends and meeting new ones, he said. It also gives him something to do over summer vacation.

In her role as a munchkin, Emily Goss thinks it’s nice to play one. “There are cool songs and funny costumes,” she said.

The stage is where Mila Long-Frost, 12, of Strong who plays Dorothy, wants to be. She takes learning lines and songs and being on stage in stride, she said.

Admission to Friday and Saturday’s performance is $6 for adults and seniors and $4 for students and children.

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: “Somewhere over the rainbow … ,” sings Dorothy as the Children’s Summer Theater practices Wednesday for Friday’s and Saturday’s productions of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” at 7 p.m. at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Dorothy is played by Mila Long-Frost and her dog, Toto, is played by Trent Beaudoin.

: Just a little oil helps the tin man move Wednesday as the Children’s Summer Theater practices for Friday’s and Saturday’s productions of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” at 7 p.m. at Mt. Blue High School. Scarecrow, played by Grace Bell, left, watches as Tin Man, Skyler Kidder, receives some oil from Dorothy, played by Mila Long-Frost. Her dog Toto, played by Trent Beaudoin, also watches.

: Actors, from left, Grace Bell, Mila Long-Frost, Skyler Kidder and Trent Beaudoin, rehearse Wednesday for the Children’s Summer Theater production of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to be performed at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2 at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington.

: Dorothy, played by Mila Long-Frost, and Toto, played by Trent Beaudoin, left, meet the munchkins as the Children’s Summer Theater rehearses for their production of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Mt. Blue High School.