Last weekend, the Northeast Music Department put on its annual fall musical. This year’s musical was set in the land of Oz, had a yellow brick road, and included many different singing animals.

The Wizard of Oz was a huge success, according to not only those who attended, but also cast members and Mrs. Amy Thorpe. Mrs.Thorpe who has directed the school’s musical for 8 years described it as “extremely successful” and said that “it was very well attended and the audience seemed to enjoy themselves”. She also gave full credit for the success of the performance to the cast and crew.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic musical, following a teenage girl who runs away from home and gets whisked away in a tornado to the magical land of Oz. The main character Dorothy was played by junior Chloe Bugay. Bugay has been involved in the music department since her freshman year and will start her second varsity show choir season this winter. Other main characters included Aaron Reyes, a sophomore,  who played the Scarecrow; Cameron Vollmer, a junior,  who played the Cowardly Lion; Tyler Nye, a senior, who played the Tin Man; Bekah Corey, a senior,  who played the Wicked Witch of the West; and lastly Skylar Nickles, senior,  who played Glenda the good witch.

While being interviewed Thorpe described everyone as being “really spot on” and said they were “really lucky to have this strong of a cast line up”. “When selecting a musical the previous year, we always think about whom we have in our department that can handle the vigorous requirements that the lead characters present.” After describing the picking process Thorpe went on to say that even back in May it was obvious that they had the perfect cast to put on the Wizard of Oz. She also said she loves the aspect of auditions where someone unexpected comes in and “wows” you.

On top of having such a strong cast, and an awesome set, there was an amazing stage and technical crew. “To be honest- they are really the ones that make it all work,” Thorpe said. The stage and tech crew consisted of 11 members. With over 30 set pieces to move around and more than 500 sounds and audio cues, they were busy at work.

During the musical, the audience was highly engaged, with flashing lights, a fog machine, and members that came out into the crowd. It was a highly interactive show and had the audience on the edge of their seats the whole time.

At the end of her interview, Thorpe exclaimed how she would like to see more students get involved in the musical or the music department in general. Music is open to any student at LNE, whether they have experience or not.
Congratulations to the music department for putting on a highly successful musical. It was great to experience and we wish you the best of luck in your other events this year!