BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

BRASHER FALLS – The timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz, is this year’s spring musical at Brasher Falls Central School.

Directed by Nichelle Burnett, performances will be held Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m. with two performances on Saturday, March 4, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $10. Link to purchase tickets online: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/70631

The production features Mikhaila Cootware as Dorothy Gale, Emily Taylor as Aunty Em and Costume Manager, Andrew LaMora as Uncle Henry, Emma Stevens as The Scarecrow, Ayden LaBaff as the Lion, Truman Burnett as The Tinman, John Snyder as Professor Marvel and The Wizard of Oz, Chloe Debyah as Glinda, Sophia Guerard as The Wicked Witch of the West, Mia Snyder as Ms. Gulch and many other students in grades 5-12.

The stage manager is senior Gabriel Knouse, assistant stage managers are Kaleigh Recore and Leeia Debiew. The Assistant Technical Director is John Snyder. There are 68 students involved in the production.

We chose to perform the Wizard of Oz at the suggestion of some of our seniors. It seemed like a great show to get the audiences back into the school after three years since our last full fledged musical,” stated Burnett. “We have done smaller events such as theater workshops, and a revue, All Together Now (Fall 2021) and a straight play, The Man Who Came to Dinner (Spring 2022) directed by Mark Ruddy, but this is the first musical we have been able to do since the pandemic began.”

“The performance will closely follow the storyline of the hit film from 1939 and will be entertaining for young children and seasoned theater goers alike,” she added.

Burnett has been organizing shows at St. Lawrence Central since the 2018-2019 school year. Ruddy is the assistant director and light and set designer, Matthew Snyder is the orchestra director and sound designer, Larry LaBarge built sets and worked on sound and lights. Jessica Patrick, a St. Lawrence Central alum, is the choreographer.