Special effects bring new magic to a classic story

Excitement. That’s the name of the game with Samohi Theatre’s take on the classic L. Frank Baum children’s novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Theater director Kate Soller and her students transformed Barnum Hall into “Oz” with thrills including flying, bicycle riding, a live animal, multiple projector screen usage, ball acrobatics and parkour flips. The cast and production team used magnificent costumes, detailed makeup and set design to truly bringthe multicast story to life.

“Special effects get people interested in the production,” Soller said. “They bring excitement to the situation and get the audience engaged and interested.”

The musical follows Kansas farm girl Dorothy (Maya Kleiman (’16) and Ciara Brewer (’16)) as her life gets turned upside down and she finds herself stranded in the magical world of Oz. She follows the yellow brick road on her quest to find the powerful Wizard of Oz, who she hopes will help her get back home. Along her travels, Dorothy meets Scarecrow (Rhenzy Feliz (’16) and Hannah Hayes (’16)), who hopes to get a brain from the wizard, Tin Man (Justin Braun (’17) and Ronald Harris-Gavin (’16)), who wants to obtain a heart and Lion (Caroline Macou (’16)), who needs some courage.

The multitude of special effects used in the production kept the audience eagerly awaiting whatever comes next, whether it be a flying bike rider, levitating witches, giant twisters, a kid balancing on a large ball or flipping monkeys. There was constantly something entertaining going on onstage that drew “Oooh”s and “Aaah”s from the audience. 

According to costume, hair and makeup artist Anna Pack (’17), a special company was brought in to incorporate the flying effects of the show.

“The actors went through a period where they slowly learned and got comfortable being in the air,” Pack said. “They eased into it. They use harnesses that are clipped to wires that crew backstage can control. The crew will pull up or down to maneuver the wires so that the actors move. A lot of what made the show really surreal with the flying and magical costumes was really a group effort backstage.”

According to Brewer, the crew handled all logistics surrounding the show’s special effects.

“The crew did everything,” Brewer said. “There were people making costumes, running sound, building sets, running the lights and flying cast members. The crew put in just as many as, if not more than, we [the actors] did.”

Additionally, the unique props create an environment in which the play’s entertainment value thrives, according to Pack.

“There are so many interesting props and sets that enhance [the production], whether it be the bicycle that the witch flies on or the set piece [well] that she melts into,” Pack said. “The actors are able to take the audience on a journey to a magical place with their commitment and all the special features like the flying.”

According to Soller, it was not challenging for the special effects to be integrated.

“They just added to the actors’ ability to portray the action of the scene,” Soller said. “They brought the scenes to life.”

According to Alyssa Jaffe (’17), who played Glinda the witch in the North cast, the flying gave the characters more detail.

“I flew across the stage numerous times,” Jaffe said. “First, the harnesses could be extremely uncomfortable when the weight of the Glinda dress was on but the flying was so amazing and an item is definitely crossed off my bucket list. [Also] it brought in a larger audience. It’s not every day you get to fly and have a live dog onstage! Also, it definitely helped the actors become their characters just a bit more.”

Also, the costuming was far complex in this show than in other past musicals, as professional costumer designer Shannon Kennedy was hired again for the Oz production.

“Our costume designer Shannon would get fabrics and embellishments and we would piece and sew things together to create the look,” Pack said. “We also added a lot of things to normal clothes, using spray paint or patches. It was really imaginative making costumes like the crows and trees because we got fabrics and had to do a lot of sewing things together.”

With all of these obscure costumes, a constant need for outfit changes was always apparent. This created a hectic atmosphere behind the curtain, Pack said.

“The costume and makeup changes backstage were quick and crazy because characters would transform from being in Kansas to being in the magical land of Oz in a matter of seconds, so their looks completely changed,” Pack said.

Though the actors are the ones that work on-stage, the main key to the show is the collaboration between the full theater team.

“Everyone is gracious and respects everyone’s role in [the] show,” Pack said. “We all know that it’s a collaborative effort and that the show wouldn’t succeed without the cooperation and trust of each person. We all have a special bond; probably the best I’ve ever seen in my experiences. Everyone is so talented and committed and the actors are able to take the audience on such a journey.”