Wizard Of Oz Play Analysis

I saw the 11/17 showing of “The Wizard of Oz”. It was a play about a Kansan girl named Dorothy who meets a cowardly lion, a tinman, and a scarecrow. They look for a wizard to help Dorothy get back home to Kansas, the lion courage, a heart for the tin man, and a brain for the scarecrow. The show was in the Burtness Theatre, a Proscenium theatre. The stagecraft of the play was like most plays I’ve attended. The play had several components of stagecraft, such as props, sound, lighting, and costumes. At the beginning, the set resembled a family farm with a small house, fences, and a small chicken coup. During the tornado, various members of the cast and some crew members came and made it seem as the house was flying in the air in a tornado. Also during the tornado,

Throughout the play, the orchestra in the pit played music and also did sound effects as well. When the scarecrow hit the tin man’s chest, there were well timed echo sounds to go along with them. When the group first met the Wizard, a close up was shown on a giant mirror and made it seem as if Dorothy, the lion, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the Wizard, were having a live conversation. I enjoyed the sounds of the play. The props of the play were great. One of my favorite parts of the play was that there was a real life dog playing Toto. Also, during the scene with the professor, there was a pretend campfire as well as a pretend crystal ball. In addition, Dorothy carried a basket for much of the play. There was a tiny spark on the arm of the scarecrow when the Witch lit him on fire. The poppie seeds had red umbrellas with big black dots painted on them. The props were a positive of the play. My favorite part of the play were the scenes when the Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy talked with the Wizard and a close up of the Wizard’s face was shown a giant mirror. I liked these scenes because it was great editing and timing that made these scenes