North Judson-San Pierre Students Present the Wizard of Oz

North Judson-San Pierre students from the elementary, middle and high schools have been practicing for months, preparing for this weekend’s production of the Wizard of Oz.

The musical premiered in the NJ-SP Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Friday. It will be shown again tonight at 6 p.m. and there will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.

The entry fee for the show is $8 for adults, $5 for students and children under 5 get in for free. There is a $20 family deal that is also offered.

Choir Director Amanda Ness said they offer the deal as a way to make the show more accessible to those who want to bring multiple family members. Ness said, “That way the people who do have large families can come and enjoy it and it won’t be too cost prohibitive for them.”

According to Ness, auditions were held back in December, to allow students time to learn their lines over Christmas Break. They’ve been meeting on a regular basis ever since, getting ready to bring the Wizard of Oz to the NJ-SP stage.

Ness said initially, the show was going to be limited to High School students. However, when they had a few spots left she decided to open up the auditions to middle schoolers. She said when she was thinking about casting the munchkins, it only made sense to expand their reach to the elementary school as well.

If you’d like some more details about this weekend’s musical and those involved, you can find a brief interview with Choir Director Amanda Ness and a few of the show’s key players below: