Over the Rainbow: Pioneer theater heads to Oz

Apr. 19—Iconic. It's a word many spoke Wednesday night at Pioneer Junior/ Senior High School.

The actors within understand the heft of history in their hands when they perform "The Wizard of Oz" this weekend.

In the early days of rehearsal there might have been some hesitation. Sophomore Melia McIntire was very aware her first leading role had been made legendary by Judy Garland.

But with time, a very talented cast of young actors have not only grown into their roles, they've also found a way to make this performance of "The Wizard of Oz" their own while paying homage to the film that has influenced so many like comedian Dennis Miller, musician Elton John and director David Lynch.

It inspired "Wicked," the book that became a smash hit Broadway musical and soon-to-be film. In recent years Marvel Comics even did an adaptation of the "Oz" stories.

But this weekend, Oz comes to Royal City and the Pioneer students have stepped up to the occasion. It's easy to get lost in the magical dream world they have created on the high school stage.

Off to see the wizard

McIntire was unsure she could fill the ruby slippers when she was cast as Dorothy.

"I've come to terms that I'm not Judy Garland," McIntire said. "And quite frankly I don't think anyone should expect me to be Judy Garland because I think I bring my own kind of flare to the role. But I think the audience is going to like her. I hope they will like her."

McIntire said that the repetition of rehearsals helped her confidence grow. She's provided significant support in recent productions such as Pioneer's "A Trip to the Moon" and the Junior Civic Theater's "The Sound of Music."

"I've never had a lead before," she said, wearing the blue and white Dorothy dress her grandmother made for her.

She said one of the things that made it much easier to portray Dorothy was the fact the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion are close friends and acting peers Ellison Kitchell, Luke Ulery and Austin Brooke. She felt that the fact she was working with fellow teens benefitted her performance.

"In this production, I'm going to have a closer relationship with them than (Garland) had in the movie," she said. "They were three grown men (in the movie). That's slightly inappropriate. But it's a lot easier to really connect with them because we are all the same age."

The first to encounter Dorothy on the yellow brick road is Kitchell's Scarecrow. Kitchell is perfect for the role, capable of performing the pratfalls the character relies on in the early going.

She's put a lot of brain power into performing the mindless Scarecrow, rewatching the film once but mostly relying on different kinds of research.

"I've studied how (the actor) did it and I've interpreted my own way and part of that is because I'm a woman and not a grown man," she said. "I read the lines first before even watching the movie. I get every source I can online and I interpret (Scarecrow's) lines and character growth. The main three, we all have super big character growth. For me, I get more logical and smarter. I interpreted that as a ditzy, fun airheaded guy. I make sure I can gradually show him getting smarter, like him noticing things and growing into a leader."

Next up is the Tin Man, played by Luke Ulery. Ulery, a junior, recalled one of his first performance was the JCT production of "The Wizard of Oz" where he played one of the munchkins at the age of 10.

"I remembered getting to see the older kids like my sister and her friends and now that we're doing it, I'm old enough to be one of the main characters," he said. "I've been acting with Austin (Brooke) for a long time now so it feels great."

Ulery said that one of the great things about the production was how the entire cast has collaborated in many ways from building characters to choreographing dances.

One of the students who has had his hands in many different facets of the production is junior Austin Brooke. He's choreographed the song "Jitterbug," a number that isn't included in the film and helped with make-up and costume design.

Playing the Lion, Brooke felt the cast was very prepared for this weekend's shows.

"This is a lot bigger than anything we've done before," he said. "I think we have handled it very well."

One of the things he loves most about theater is having the opportunity to create his own version of a character.

"Yes, you take a character, that on the script is the exact same, but you get to twist it into your own version," he said. "I just love doing that."

McIntire said that it meant a lot to her to perform with her friends.

"I grew up watching them in JCT and I was like 'that looks really fun,'" she said. "I didn't know them at the time. We all have a special bond, now. I think we all work the stage well together despite having different styles of acting."

Not easy being green

Maddie Schreyer, a junior, finds green paint on herself no matter how hard she scrubs her face after rehearsal.

The costume and make-up is one of the most exciting features of Pioneer's "The Wizard of Oz." Cobbled together from bits and pieces, handmade by relatives, the cast will walk onstage this weekend looking better than many semi-professional regional theater groups could hope for.

Schreyer may be too nice to be a wicked witch, but she's a strong actor and with a slathering of green face paint and a heinous cackle she can fill the role.

"This is my first time playing the villain so it's a newer experience," she said. "It's been different."

Much of the costume design comes from Bec Pawlowski, a Pioneer and IU graduate who studied theater in college.

"It's been really nice to come back and see that so many kids excited for theater and seeing how phenomenal everyone is doing," she said.

Pawlowski said that going into the design process, they knew the important iconography of each character. They then looked at how the characters had been depicted in other productions and in other forms of media and found things that they liked.

"We went 'we like these aspects of the Tin Man costume but we don't like the big tin can (body),'" she said. "We want the silver look still and we want him to be recognizable as the Tin Man so we convey that in a different way."

The solution for the Tin Man was a more human aesthetic, gray clothing with tones of brown and silver that give the character a blue collar feel befitting of his origin: fear of industrialization.

When it came to the Lion, Brooke took over and designed his own costume. He was also involved with other costumes, such as the three trees.

Brooke said he has fallen in love with theater over the past few years and hopes to pursue it as a career in the future.

"I wanted to involve myself in all aspects of theater outside of just acting," he said. "I have a passion for it."

One of the challenges presented to the crew was the fact all four actors appear onstage in their human personas at the beginning of the play. The actual tornado is happening backstage as they to change costumes and apply make-up.

Freshman Jillian Russell waits in the back to help Ulery and assist others. Brooke gives Schreyer a hand before he starts his own work to become the Lion. Senior Colton Baker is also behind the scenes assisting.

"To have (Bec) back to help us with the costumes is such a breath of fresh air," said musical director Adrienne Pursley. "It's a weight off me and Dan (McDonald). And Austin has really stepped up to help and come up with a lot of ideas. It's cool to see the kids start to take ownership with what they are doing."

McDonald, the director, said when he finally saw his cast in their costumes he knew they were close to achieving their vision for the play.

"I think it's a balance of recognizing what is important in the iconography and thinking what can we make our own while not changing things up in a way that will make it unrecognizable to people who love the film and love the classic story," Pawlowski said.