EGYPTIAN THEATRE IS OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
The Ziegfeld Theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz is much more than just the stage adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved tale of characters who find they have everything they are searching for within themselves. Not only is their Dorothy magical, but the cast, which includes three Deaf actors will perform the classic in both English and American Sign Language.
In theater there is a saying “you can’t lie on stage” meaning you have to really be feeling the emotion you are portraying in you character. Director, Caleb Parry feels Peyton Lozano is amazing at just that. “Peyton offers such an honest and earnest reaction to each of her experiences through OZ that the audience feels like they have the perfect avatar through which to experience the show. She has also been so amazing to work with in learning a whole new language. She worked extremely hard to get each sign nailed down so that our Deaf audiences wont miss a beat with their main character.”
Several years ago, Ziegfeld’s production of Newsies, was performed with ASL. The impact it had in their community and across the nation was remarkable. They received accolades from writer Alan Menken and the President of Disney Theatrics. “The Deaf community responded in a big way,” added Parry. “and the film of our production was shown in classrooms all across the country. We quickly decided that an ASL show must be a staple of every season. What better than to present a classic like “Wizard of Oz” in a way that includes our amazing Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.
The audience does not have to understand ASL to enjoy the full production. The deaf actors playing Scarecrow, Glinda and the Wizard have ‘shadow actors’ who play their voices for the hearing audience.
This production of The Wizard of Oz teaches us lessons of intelligence, courage, love, finding home and being inclusive.
Follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her friends at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre September 9 to 18th. Get tickets at parkcityshows.org