Magic Beanstalk Players will present “The Wizard of Oz”
After a tornado whisks Dorothy, a young Kansas farm girl, to the magical land of OZ, she starts her quest to find the mighty Wizard who has the power to send her home.
Along the way, she meets a scarecrow, a tin man, a cowardly lion and a host of other famous characters that help her on the journey.
This classic family favorite is sure to have audiences singing the timeless songs all the way home.
For the past 18 years, the Magic Beanstalk Players has been dramaworks’ youth drama program for kindergarten through eighth-grade students.
Classes take place during the school year, and the program offers a Summer Drama Camp each July.
The fall semester focuses on the theater process. Weekly classes cover such topics and activities as drama games, movement, vocal coaching, character development, improvisation, pantomime, monologues and scenes.
These teachings culminate in the spring semester, when students apply their skills in all aspects of staging and performing a full theatrical production.
While the program has always been successful, the last two years have seen record-breaking enrollment. This year, 60 kids are participating from multiple schools across Plumas County: Plumas Charter School, Quincy Elementary School, Quincy Junior High School, Plumas Christian School, Long Valley Charter School and Indian Valley Elementary.
Director Danielle Wagner Plocki said, “Because of our large numbers we decided to have two casts for our annual spring musical. There will be four total performances of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ with each cast of 30 students performing the show twice.”
The West End Theatre is home to The Magic Beanstalk Players, and recently the program remodeled a classroom space adjacent to the theatre for extra rehearsal space to help accommodate the large number of students.
Plocki has been directing the program for 11 years. She’s been involved in theater since a very young age, and enjoys acting in local productions herself on occasion.
Sarah Michelle Black brings her vocal talent to the group as music director for the third year.
Lynnette Choate and Tina Thorman have been instrumental in helping students create the visual art component of “The Wizard of Oz” as costume and set committee chairs.
This year, drama students were fortunate to have the opportunity to perform several musical numbers and scenes from “The Wizard of Oz” at Quincy Elementary School and Plumas Charter School on March 27. All 60 drama students participated in these performances, and upward of 400 students and parents attended as audience members.
“Our goal as a youth drama program is to not only open a child’s eyes to the wonderment of the theater, but to inspire young imaginations, instill an appreciation for the arts and provide a safe environment for children to flourish and grow. By participating in any aspect of the theater, children can expand in all areas of human development: fostering inter-personal relationships, boosting self-esteem and self- confidence, tapping into the creative process, learning responsibilities, stimulating critical and imaginative thinking, nourishing self-empowerment and working together as a group to attain a common goal — ART!”
The Magic Beanstalk Players is a tuition-based program. The program also has a scholarship fund to ensure that no child is turned away from participating.
It’s easy to sponsor a scholarship student. Donations can be made payable to Magic Beanstalk Players, 14 Crescent St., Quincy, CA 95971.
