THE MAYOR and MP for Worcester have met their greatest adversary yet – the Wicked Witch of the West.
But far from the latest political showdown, Coun Tor Pingree and Tom Collins were special guests at WODYS rehearsals for their forthcoming production of The Wizard of Oz.
Coun Pingree spent time watching the young cast rehearse several of the show’s musical numbers, including the Cowardly Lion’s comic showstopper “If I Were King of the Forest”.
Mr Collins, meanwhile, went behind the scenes with the production’s technical crew, learning about some of the special effects audiences can expect this year, including projected backgrounds, pyrotechnics and the effects the team have built to bring the tornado to life – the moment that whisks Dorothy and Toto far from home and, in the iconic words of the show itself, leaves her realising “we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Both the mayor and the MP said they thoroughly enjoyed their morning with the cast and crew, who encouraged them to get into the spirit of Oz and meet the Wicked Witch of the West and her troop of flying monkeys, with both good sports enough to cower in mock terror for the camera.
Coun Pingree said: “Community is what my year as mayor is all about and you’d be hard pushed to find a better example of it than a room full of young people building something this ambitious together. Watching the cast rehearse this morning, the energy and teamwork on show was brilliant to see, it’s a real credit to everyone at WODYS who gives up their time to make it happen.”
Mr Collins added: “Youth theatre groups like WODYS do something really important for our city, they give young people the confidence to perform, to work as a team and to take real pride in something they’ve built together. Getting a look behind the scenes this morning, at everything that goes into making the magic happen, was a brilliant reminder of just how much talent and hard work sits behind a show like this. I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together in August.”
WODYS’ The Wizard of Oz runs at the Swan Theatre from Tuesday August 4 to Saturday August 8.
