The Wizard of Oz
Directed by Sarah Jane Hardy
Run time: Approx. 90 minutes with one intermission
By L. Frank Baum
Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg
Background Music by Herbert Stothart
Dance & Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. & distributed in all media by Warner Bros.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Kafoury McDougal: Lawyers for the People
Oregon Arts Commission
Oregon Cultural Trust
NWCT’s Donor Families
Media Sponsors:
PDX Parent
NW Kids
Special thanks to Broadway Rose Theatre Company
Cast
DOROTHY: Emma Lombard*
DOROTHY: Josie Overstreet*
SCARECROW / HUNK: Annabel Cantor
TINMAN / HICKORY: Samson Syharath
LION / ZEKE: Dustin Brown
WIZARD / PROFESSOR MARVEL:
Kevin-Michael Moore
GLINDA / AUNT EM: Sophie MacKay
WICKED WITCH / MISS GULCH: Lindsay Reed
GUARD / UNCLE HENRY / ENSEMBLE:
Graham Buyagawan
ENSEMBLE SWING: Devan Kotkins-Mitchell*
ENSEMBLE SWING: Paige Mercer*
ENSEMBLE SWING: Peyton Keck*
ENSEMBLE SWING: Mira Herman*
ENSEMBLE: Cassidy Gettinger*
ENSEMBLE: Christian Reid*
ENSEMBLE: Emmylou Blasengame*
ENSEMBLE: Giselle Laughlin-Koch*
ENSEMBLE: Maggie Graepel*
ENSEMBLE: Samara Hasan*
ENSEMBLE: Teagan Joules Dick*
ENSEMBLE: Vivian Taylor*
Creative Team
DIRECTOR: Sarah Jane Hardy
MUSIC DIRECTOR: Ezra Weiss
CHOREOGRAPHER: Dustin Brown
SET/PROPERTIES/COSTUME DESIGNER:
John Ellingson
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Carl Faber
PROJECTION AND FILMING DESIGNER:
Emma Sanders
SOUND DESIGNER: Henry Martin
STAGE MANAGER: Roger Monroe
KIDS CO DIRECTOR: Sophie MacKay
KIDS CO MUSIC DIRECTOR:
Amy Faulhaber
Production & Support
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Sarah Jane Hardy
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: John Ellingson
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Steve Hambrick
MASTER CARPENTER: Paul Brown
BOARD OPERATOR: Henry Martin
BACKSTAGE CREW: Alina Klimecky*, Atlas O’Hare*, Wren Harmon*, Willa Ramsey*, Stella MacKay*
STITCHER: Nancy Christy
PHOTOGRAPHY: David Kinder
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Lea Zawada, SUCHa Production
*Members of Catalyst: NWCT’s Youth Company.
Click here to learn more about the Catalyst program and how to audition!
Musical Numbers
Act 1
Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Dorothy
Munchkinland Musical Sequence: Dorothy, Glinda, Munchkins
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Munchkins
If I Only Had A Brain: Scarecrow, Dorothy, Crows
We’re Off To See The Wizard Duet: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Crows
If I Only Had A Heart: Tinman, Dorothy, Trees
We’re Off To See The Wizard Trio: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman
If I Only Had The Nerve: Lion, Tinman, Scarecrow, Dorothy
Jitterbug: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Jitterbugs
Act 2
Optimistic Voices: Ensemble
The Merry Old Land of Oz: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Ozians
If I Were King of the Forest: Lion, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman
Winkie March: Winkie Guards
Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Reprise): Dorothy, Aunt Em
Winkie March (Reprise): Winkie Guards
Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, Winkies
Bows: Company
Meet the Cast
Emma Lombard (Dorothy) is thrilled to return to the Mainstage for the fourth time at Northwest Children’s Theater.
A senior at Central Catholic High School, some of her recent roles include the Witch in Into the Woods (Central Catholic), Paulette in Legally Blonde, Blue Dog in Go, Dog. Go! (NWCT), and Echo in Eleemosynary (Readers Theater Gresham).
When she’s not on stage, Emma enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music, and drinking matcha. She is excited to be performing with NWCT again and sends heartfelt thanks to her friends and family for their endless support!
“I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz, and Dorothy was even one of my first Halloween costumes—so getting to bring this story to life at The Judy is a dream come true!”
Josie Overstreet (Dorothy) is so excited to be back on the stage at NWCT! You may recognize her as Red Dog (Go, Dog, Go!), or Cassie (A Chorus Line), or even maybe as Dragon (Shrek Jr.) if you’re an OG.
Other favorite credits include the Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods – Central Catholic Drama), and Lavender (Matilda – Lakewood Theater Company).
Outside of Oz, Josie is heavily involved in the theater department at Central Catholic High School, and loves to hang out with her friends and family. She’d like to thank Sarah Jane, John, Maggie, Emma, and Dustin for everything, and her friends for their unwaivering support.
As for hidden talents? “I can do a killer trumpet impression!”
Annabel Cantor (Scarecrow / Hunk) is an NWCT alum and graduate of Sarah Lawrence College who makes theatre in the Portland area and teaches for NWCT’s education program. An actor, director, deviser, and lighting designer, she likes to stay busy by dabbling in many different roles.
This fall, they had the distinct pleasure of designing lights for From a Hole in The Ground here at The Judy, a special co-production with Corrib Theatre.
Annabel was most recently seen onstage at The Judy as Men on Planets in The Little Prince. Other recent performance credits include Emily in Heroes of the Fourth Turning, and performer/co-creator of Horseplay, both presented at Shaking the Tree Theatre.
In their free time, Annabel enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and going on long walks to admire the beauty of the world!
As a lifelong fan of Oz, she is honored to help bring this world to life, and owes a debt of gratitude to Sarah Jane for her trust.
More at annabelcantor.com
Samson Syharath (Tinman / Hickory) is a Laotian-American artist, educator, and content creator based in Portland. He previously appeared in NWCT’s Rudolph, Tenali and The Jungle Book. He is the Co-founder and Managing Artistic Director of Theatre Diaspora.
Samson loves singing holiday songs in harmony with his castmates and performing for youth audiences. “They aren’t afraid to react loudly.”
Learn more about Samson at samsonsyharath.com.
Dustin Brown (Lion / Zeke & Choreographer) is thrilled to return to the NWCT Mainstage! He has previously been seen as Cool Cat in all three productions of Halloween Ball and as Rudolpho in Matilda The Musical.
In addition to performing, Dustin is also on staff at NWCT as the Program Manager for Catalyst: NWCT’s Youth Company. He has directed several Catalyst productions including A Chorus Line, Singin’ in the Rain JR and Newsies JR.
Sophie MacKay (Glinda / Aunt Em & Kids Co Director) is thrilled to be back on the NWCT Mainstage in yet another pink, sparkly costume!
NWCT audiences may remember her as Princess Pumpkin in The Halloween Ball (2024), and Hattie in Go, Dog, Go! She was most recently seen as Sarah in Triangle, Sandy in Grease, Trish in Five Golden Rings (Broadway Rose), Blanche in Bonnie & Clyde and Rose in Dogfight (Bridgetown).
Outside of performing, Sophie is on staff at NWCT, teaches lessons from her own voice studio, and is an instructor at Pure Barre.
In the new year, you can catch her in Broadway Rose’s production of Dear Evan Hansen as Zoe Murphy.
Special thanks to her family for their constant love and support.
“Performing alongside the incredible youth actors in Kid’s Company, as well as sharing the stage with my dog (who seems to have been born to play Toto) in Oz is making this holiday season one for the books!”
Lindsay Faye Reed (Wicked Witch / Miss Gulch) holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in Vocal Performance.
You may have seen Lindsay as Peter in Shakespeare in Love or the Acrobat in Lakewood’s production of Matilda. Some of Lindsay’s favorite projects/roles include working on the creative team as a costume designer for Nikki Weaver’s solo show, Weaving Women Together; Portland Playhouse, Brutus, Coriolanus; Bag n’ Baggage, Hen Ensemble/Jay, The Cunning Little Vixen; Opera Theatre Oregon, and Ensemble, A Christmas Carol; Portland Playhouse, which was honored with a Drammy Award for Best Production of a Play and best Ensemble.
“I’m nervously excited to play such an iconic character as the Witch Witch and I’m hoping to bring my love to clown, play, discover and explore to this process. Really honored to be here working with such a talented and inspiring cast.”
Kevin-Michael Moore (Wizard / Professor Marvel) has been creating for theater for over forty years. He has preformed in hundreds of plays regionally, and spent 17 years writing, performing
and touring nationally with the sketch comedy troupe the 3rd Floor. Some acting highlights include, Don’t Hug Me for Broadway Rose, Assassins at A.R.T., Sometimes a Great Notion with Portland Center Stage, Talk Radio with Stark Raving Theater and Matilda with the Northwest
Children’s Theater, where he was nominated for a Drammy Award for best actor for his performance of Miss Trunchbull, and winning a best supporting actor Drammy
for his performance of Sharktooth in How I Became a Pirate, also with NWCT.
Kevin teaches classes in improv, sketch comedy, and writing for stage. Kevin can be seen in film and television. Performing in
the films, Wild, First Cow, Timmy Failure, Pig, and Showing Up. On the small screen, Kevin can be seen in Grimm, Portlandia, and was the weekly late night host of Saturday Night Dead for KGW.
If you’ve ever been in one of Kevin’s classes, you may know him as Professor Momo!
Graham Buyagawan (Guard / Uncle Henry / Ensemble) is delighted to be making his NWCT debut!
Graham is a singer, actor, musician, music director and educator in Oregon.
Graham was most recently seen as Frank Hamer in Bonnie & Clyde at Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre, and Harold in Fly By Night with Tapestry Theater Collective where he also co-produced and music directed.
Graham also serves as the Executive Director of Tapestry Theater Collective. Graham holds BAs in Vocal Performance and Music Education from George Fox University.
“I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this show and bring this iconic show to life!”
Devan Kotkins-Mitchell (Ensemble Swing) is so excited to be making her Mainstage debut!
She began her Catalyst journey in the ensemble for Singin’ in the Rain and most recently played Mike in A Chorus Line.
During her years as a competitive dancer, Devan discovered her love for musical theater. Her favorite dance highlights include Gretchen in Mean Girls, as well as featured dancer roles in A League of their Own and House of DeVille.
“The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite shows, so I’m thrilled to help bring this show to The Judy, and share its magic with the next generation!”
Paige Mercer (Ensemble Swing) is so excited to be performing in her first mainstage show at NWCT!!
Previously, you may have seen her in the catalyst production of Newsies as Katherine Plumber.
Other credits include Fantine in Les Misérables at Broadway Rose, Olive Ostrovsky in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Ariel in Footloose.
A few facts about Paige: “I served as State thespian officer for the state of Oregon last year, I am a senior at ACMA, I have two dogs that I love very much, my favorite food is dim sum, I’ve been in The Wizard of Oz once before, and I can solve a Rubik’s cube in under two minutes!
I hope you enjoy this journey to Oz with us!!”
Peyton Keck (Ensemble Swing) is eighteen years old. He is super excited to be in his first Mainstage production.
At his high school, he is an Outreach officer for his theater troupe and has performed in many shows including Spongebob The Musical, Head over Heels, Night of The Living Dead and many more!
Peyton loves reading in his free time and typically love stories with lots of imagination and whimsy. The Wizard of Oz has so much of that, and it is incredibly iconic. This gives Peyton so much excitement to share the end product with everyone.
He is so excited to be performing in this show as a swing and has really enjoyed this new challenge and step in his work.
Mira Herman (Ensemble Swing) is so excited to return to the Mainstage for one of her childhood favorite musicals!
Last year at NWCT, she appeared as Hermey the Elf in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Mira also attends Catlin Gabel School as a senior, where she has gotten to perform some of her other favorite roles, such as Bruce in Matilda, Mina Harker in Dracula, and Ali in Mamma Mia.
Mira was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz as a kid and has accumulated multiple collections of Oz-themed items. Whether nutcrackers or tiny dolls of all the characters, a scarecrow music box, a ruby slipper necklace or a Dorothy stuffed animal, she’s got it all!
She hopes that you enjoy the show!
Cassidy Gettinger (Ensemble) has been involved with the Catalyst program for over a year. You might’ve seen her last as Lina Lamont in the Catalyst holiday show Singin’ in the Rain JR. last year.
In her free time, Cassidy enjoys playing her guitar and thrifting. She would like to thank her mom, sister, and directors for helping her with her theatre journey.
“I’m excited to bring this show to The Judy because The Wizard of Oz has always held a special place in my heart, and I’m excited to be a part of it!”
Chris Reid (Ensemble) has been doing theatre for two years and has appeared in A Chorus Line as Greg, Macbeth as Macduff, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Reuben, and will be playing Tommy in an upcoming production of Brigadoon at his high school!
“I’m excited to share this story with others because it’s iconic and timeless!”
Emmylou Blasengame (Ensemble) is excited to be bringing the magic of Oz to the stage! This production will be her second NWCT Mainstage production. Last winter, she was in Rudolph as Ms. Donner/Ensemble.
As a member of Catalyst: NWCT’s Youth Company, Emmylou recently appeared in the emotional and VERY dance-y A Chorus Line. She has been in multiple productions including Legally Blonde as Elle Woods, Newsies as Jack Kelly and Alice in Wonderland as Alice. Emmylou is THRILLED to “follow the yellow brick road” with this wonderful cast.
Emmylou would like to thank her amazing parents for always supporting her.
“I am excited to bring this show to The Judy because this story is telling us about discovering the strength and solutions that already exist within us (also, the songs are so iconic)!”
Giselle Laughlin-Koch (Ensemble) is a competitive Irish dancer and actor. She has been with NWCT’s Catalyst company for two years and has acted in A Chorus Line, Newsies, Crazy For You and Chicago. So far her favorite role has been Lori in A Chorus Line.
Giselle has been Irish dancing since the age of three and has performed and competed across the Western United States. Last St. Patrick’s Day, she danced in 16 shows within the span of three days!
Giselle is happiest when on stage, and she is thrilled to be making her Mainstage debut this holiday season.
“Growing up, I attended countless NWCT productions. I adored every show, but one of my absolute favorites was the 2016 production of The Wizard of Oz. I never thought that I would get to PERFORM in this incredible show, let alone alongside members of the original cast and creative team. This is a dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to bring this amazing production to the stage!”
Maggie Graepel (Ensemble) started taking classes with NWCT at age 7, and she never stopped! At NWCT, she is a Resident Artist and a member of Catalyst. Maggie most recently appeared as a Witch and a Murderer in Catalyst’s Macbeth at NWCT, as well as Elsa in The Sound of Music and Gertrude in Seussical Jr. at Mountainside High School.
You may have also seen her behind the scenes working stage crew in Rudolph (2023) and Catalyst’s Newsies Jr.
Outside of the theater, Maggie is also involved in band and choir.
“A fun fact about me is that I taught myself ventriloquism in 5th grade in an effort to win America’s Got Talent and the 5th Grade Talent Show. In my free time, I absolutely love baking cookies (chocolate drop cookies with mocha frosting are the best!). I’m so excited to bring this show to life because it’s such a classic, lovable story that I can’t wait for everyone to experience! Being on the Mainstage has been one of my biggest dreams since I was little, so it feels so surreal to actually be performing with all of the actors that I grew up watching.”
Samara Hasan (Ensemble) is very excited to be a part of The Wizard of Oz as an ensemble member! Her most recent performance was Legally Blonde at Westview High School. She’s been with Catalyst for about four years now, and some past Catalyst shows she participated in are Annie Jr., Miss Electricity, and The Wardrobe. She’s also worked backstage on shows like Cinderella! This is her debut on NWCT Mainstage.
A young Samara would probably say that her favorite Wizard of Oz character is Toto the dog, and not much has changed since then! She is excited to bring this classic show and classic characters to another group of kids.
Teagan Dick (Ensemble) has played a hyenia in The Lion King, Veruca in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Sir Toby Belch in the Twelfth Night. She excels at and enjoys comedic roles! In week-long intensive camps, they performed in Romeo + Juliet, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Legally Blonde.
Teagan is also in choir and enjoys singing! They joined Catalyst less than a year ago, and they’re excited for their mainstage debut in The Wizard of Oz!
“I’m excited for this show because I’ve always liked The Wizard of Oz, and I love theater, and I’m excited to introduce kids to it!”
Vivian AJ Taylor (Ensemble) is devoted to the theater and loves everything about it. She started acting with her older brothers and sisters in home plays based off The Sound of Music. She’s done shows from Battleground, Washington to Oregon City, Oregon. She particularly enjoyed playing Miss Hannigan in Annie Jr and Jenny Johnson in an original performance at Alliance Charter Academy. This is her first Mainstage show at The Judy and she is enamored with the amazing cast and crew and greatly appreciates the professionalism.
Vivian is focused on developing her mind, body and voice to be the absolute best she can be onstage. She is a composer with the Youth Composers Project division of Fear No Music. She recently achieved her 2nd purple belt at the Oregon Ki Society’s West Linn Dojo. Also, Vivian sings not only with her high school chamber choir at Alliance Charter Academy, but with the Pacific Youth Choir, and takes lessons with Vox Studios.
Milo (Toto) is making his theatrical stage debut! Milo is a five-year-old 8-pound Havapoo (havanese/toy poodle mix). He landed the role when he crawled into the director’s lap at the audition and promptly fell asleep, unfazed by the activity around him.
Milo has a very familiar face in the cast—his mom is Glinda!—played by Sophie MacKay.
Special Appearance by Members of Kids Co as The Munchkins!
Kids Co. is NWCT’s educational performance troupe for ages 9–12. This year, Kids Co members get the experience of performing in a professional Mainstage theater production as they take on the roles of The Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz! Kids Co also performs throughout the year around the community and presents a musical revue each spring. Learn more about Kids Co >>
The Munchkins in Alphabetical Order: Annabelle Pickard, Aspen Clayton, Charlie Gosselin, Cleo Woods, Colin Klimecky, Emily van der Hoest, Georgia Sprinkling-Felt, Ioni Laughlin-Koch, Isla O’Neal, Jackson Smith, Kinley Wolf, Mallory Loftus, Miriam Parecki, Ollie Pool, Talia Polesso, Thea Hennessy, Yooni Kim and Zoey Moody.
Meet the Creative Team
Sarah Jane Hardy (Director) is the Artistic Director of NWCT. Some of her favorite NWCT directing experiences include Matilda the Musical, Rudolph, Chitra, the Girl Prince in partnership with Anita Menon, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, adapted for the stage by local composer Ezra Weiss, and Mary Poppins (twice!).
Sarah Jane is excited to bring The Wizard of Oz back to the NWCT Mainstage and share this timeless story with a new generation.
“This show has always had a special place in NWCT’s heart. Bringing it here to our new home at The Judy makes it feel even more magical. It’s a multigenerational story—grandparents grew up with the classic film, and now kids are discovering Oz in their own way.”
Ezra Weiss (Music Director) began working in theatre when he was 10 years old, and he’s been music directing NWCT shows for over twenty years. Favorites include Crazy for You, Seussical, and Matilda the Musical.
Ezra has written Alice in Wonderland, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Cinderella for NWCT, and he is currently composing the music to The Golem’s Gift.
Ezra has also been active as a jazz musician, leading bands at festivals and clubs around the U.S., including numerous week-long engagements at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club. He has released eight albums as a bandleader, has been listed in DownBeat Critics polls, and has received the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award three times.
John Ellingson (Scenic, Properties, and Costume Designer) is Northwest Children’s Theater’s Associate Artistic Director. He’s been designing sets and props for NWCT for more than 10 years.
John’s designs have won multiple awards, including Drammys for he BFG (2013) and James and the Giant Peach (2014). In 2015, he designed the set for NWCT’s Mary Poppins, which won both the Drammy and Portland Area Musical Theater Awards for Outstanding Set Design—the PAMTAs also awarded John’s prop design for the same production.
His proudest design achievements include Matilda the Musical, The Cat in the Hat, James and the Giant Peach, Elephant and Piggie’s: “We Are in a Play!”, and The Little Mermaid.
John studied puppetry in the U.K after being the recipient of the Portland Civic Theater Guild’s Leslie O. Fulton Fellowship which led to creating NWCT’s Starling series, for which he designed and fabricated over 50 original puppets, and took home another Drammy for outstanding puppetry.
Carl Faber (Lightning Designer) is back turning lights on and off for all his friends at NWCT! Some of his favorite shows with NWCT include Blue Marigold, Chitra: The Girl Prince, Mary Poppins, and the many versions of Elephant & Piggie: We Are in a Play!
From Portland to Poland, Broadway and back, Carl has helped design lighting for live performances all over the world. His experiences range from plays and musicals to cruise ships, found spaces, and concert halls. Find him at carlfaber.com.
Emma Sanders (Projection and Filming Designer) is back behind the scenes at NWCT! Previously, Emma directed The Lightning Thief and appeared as Fox in The Little Prince (both were NWCT alumni productions) and she ran crew for the Mainstage production of Matilda. She was also Tinkerbell’s spotlight in Peter Pan.
“I actually started out in the booth as a spotlight operator for The Starlings Present: Dinosaurs! But when one of our cast members had to leave for closing weekend, I filled in at the last minute as Emma Bird. That was the only time I was on the tech team and in the show at the same time.”
Recently, Emma graduated from Liverpool Hope University, where she directed and costume designed 9 to 5. At LHU, she was also the sound operator and costume, lighting, scenic, and properties designer for Shrek the Musical. Prior to university, she also did costume, hair, and makeup design for Franklin High School’s production of Bye Bye Birdie.
Henry Martin (Sound Designer & Board Operator) is delighted to be part of The Wizard of Oz! He’s been part of NWCT since he was 10, and it’s been like a second home ever since.
Most recently, he played White Rabbit in Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and Pete in Pete the Cat. Some of his other favorite roles include Cow Patty Boy in The Stinky Cheese Man (NWCT Alumni Show), Bunny in Goodnight Moon and Huckle Cat in Busytown.
Roger Monroe (Stage Manager) has been with NWCT for more than 25 years! His favorite part of working with the company is seeing youth performers come back as adults.
At The Judy, Roger has stage managed for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Blue Marigold, and Frog and Toad.
Amy Faulhaber (Kids Co Music Director) is a school-based Speech-Language Pathologist with a background in musical theatre and piano. Prior to launching her full-time career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in 2019, Amy taught, accompanied, and served as a music director at several Portland-area arts organizations, including NWCT, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Spotlight Musical Theatre Academy, and PHAME.
Amy music directed last year’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at NWCT and Stop Making Sense at PHAME (2023).
Amy earned a B.A. In Visual Anthropology and Cinematic Arts from the University of Southern California, a Single Subject English Teaching Credential from California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, and a Masters of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences from Portland State University.
