There’s no place like home. So this Christmas let Creation Theatre bring the merry old land of Oz right into your home with their surreal and anarchic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Audiences across the globe will be invited to escape reality and journey together with the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and many more dreamlike characters as they work together to get Dorothy back home.
An annual fixture usually staged at the North Wall Arts Centre, this year Creation Theatre takes the anarchic spirit and style of their traditional family shows online, reuniting the team behind many of its Christmas hits including The Snow Queen, Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol. Families and friends may be apart this year, but Creation Theatre are reaching out to more people than ever around the globe this Christmas. People can book onto the same show as someone they know and will be able to spot them in the audience.
Director and adaptor, Gari Jones and costume and set designer, Ryan Dawson Laight will recreate a magical tale and a visual feast with an eight-strong cast including a very special surprise cameo appearance from one of the most dazzling and iconic performers of the stage.
“This show will be playful, silly, surreal and anarchic but alongside it there’s a tale with a heart that has a beauty and fragility.” He adds: “It’s also really poignant right now, especially when audiences may be feeling a sense of loss and isolation, so we wanted to try to recreate that sense of being able to hang out with your family and friends and experience a unique and fun night of surprises and liveliness.”
Gari Jones
The production features a cast that includes Chloe Lemonius as Dorothy, Simon Yadoo (National Theatre, RSC, Lyric, Old Vic) as the Cowardly Lion, Dharmesh Patel (RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe) as Scarecrow, Tom Richardson (New Vic Theatre, Watford Palace Theater) as Tin Man, Annabelle Terry as the Wizard (Creation Theatre’s The Tempest Live) and Andy Owens (Blood Brothers UK Tour, Creation Theatre), with an appearance by Shelley Atkinson (New Vic, York Theatre Royal). The shows will also feature a community chorus with over 70 young people from all over the country who attended Creation Theatre’s Home Delivery weekly online drama workshops.
Performances will take place from 19 December to 3 January. Tickets cost £30 per device / per household.
Times: 2pm and 7pm GMT (12noon and 4pm GMT, Christmas Eve)
Running Time: Approx 110 mins including a 20 minute interval
Box Office: 01865 766266 or online at www.creationtheatre.co.uk
Creation Theatre has been recognised for its digital work and this month has been awarded significant funding by public body Innovate UK to develop further its ground-breaking digital stage practices. For more information see www.creationtheatre.co.uk