Green Brook Middle School’s The Wizard of Oz

On March 23rd the cast, crew, and staff of Green Brook Middle School’s The Wizard of Oz proudly drew the curtains on their opening night of the show. The 54 cast members went through a five day prep and audition process and spent the last twelve weeks memorizing lines and stage directions, learning to sing the iconic songs from the show, and perfect the choreography. The 21 crew members had their work cut out for them backstage with difficult lighting cues, lots of mic switches, quick scene changes, and the use of projected images and fog, but they performed like pros.
Audience members were blissfully unaware of the difficulties of executing this production because the students seamlessly transitioned from scene to scene with the incredible actors keeping us engaged every step of the way. The genuine emotion that the actors elicited from the audience was palpable. Whether they were making us laugh through the overacting of the Wicked Witch or making us cry over Dorothy’s yearning to go home, the students of this show entertained us from the opening number to the bows.
The final show concluded with a wonderful cast party enjoyed by all 75 cast and crew members which is hosted by a group of parent volunteers. The show was directed by the school’s chorus and orchestra teacher Mr. William Alzaher while the backstage crew was managed by Mrs. Erin Ferrara. Mr Alzaher is in his second year at Green Brook while Ferrara is in her first year as the school’s theater arts teacher. Mr. Alzaher and Mrs. Ferrara are both so incredibly proud of all the students and parents involved in this year’s musical and can’t wait for the next show-stopping performance by the students of Green Brook!