MACON – The National Tour of “The Wizard of Oz” announced that 12 children from Central Georgia will perform the roles of munchkins in Macon showings of the beloved classic live on stage. “The Wizard of Oz” will be performing at The Grand Opera House March 15-16 at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Macon.
“This is a spectacular opportunity for our talented local youth to perform side-by-side with seasoned Broadway actors,” said Betsy Fitzgerald, executive director of The Grand Opera House. “Macon is fortunate to have quality arts education organizations like the Academy of the Performing Arts that give students the skills required for performances of this caliber.”
Macon dance studio Academy of the Performing Arts auditioned, selected and will prepare all 12 munchkins for their choreographed songs and dances in the production. The children will have the opportunity to dance alongside a nationally touring Broadway company and learn valuable, real-world skills while having fun. Owners Sylvia Haynie and Laura Voss, both with 30 years’ experience, are excited to be a part of this production. Haynie says the children are rising to the occasion. “When I first found out about the opportunity I assumed the kids would walk on stage, stand still, smile and look cute, but this is a full-out performance for the children, with an entire choreographed routine of dancing and singing,” said Haynie. The munchkins are completely involved in the play and will be doing much more than standing and smiling.
The 10 munchkins that are from Macon are Mary Jane Boland, daughter of Paul and Lis Boland; Logan Childs, daughter of Keith and Laura Childs; Celia Evan Correa, daughter of Alex and Shay Correa; Grey Faulkner, son of Kimberly and Dre’ Faulkner; Meredith Fuchs, daughter of Leslie Fuchs and Virginia Davis; Cassidy Joye Hall, daughter of Thurman and Holly Hall; Matt Newberry, son of Emily and Raines Newberry; Ella Trotter, daughter of Tim and Jean Trotter; Charles Upshaw, son of Amanda and James Upshaw; and Olivia Walsh, daughter of David and Laura Walsh. Joshua Garner, son of John and Tracey Garner, is from Perry and Allie Renner, daughter of Michael and Stacey Renner, is from Warner Robins.
The Grand Opera House
A performing arts center of Mercer University, The Grand Opera House is a historic 1,000-seat theatre located at 651 Mulberry St. in downtown Macon, Ga. The Grand brings the very best in live, professional performing arts and entertainment to Central Georgia. In addition to its popular Broadway Series of nationally-touring productions and its GrandKids Arts Education Series for elementary, middle and high school students, The Grand hosts a variety of special events throughout the year. It is also home to the Macon Symphony Orchestra, the Central Georgia Opera Guild and The Nutcracker of Middle Georgia. For a complete schedule of upcoming performances, contact Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or visit www.TheGrandMacon.com.
