Mother McAuley Theatre Presents 'Wizard of Oz'

The Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Theatre Program will present its annual all-school musical, “The Wizard of Oz,” on November 20, 21, and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23. There will be a show for senior citizens on Wednesday, November 19 at 12:15 p.m.

Mother McAuley students, as well as boys from neighboring high schools, have worked since early September on this production of “The Wizard of Oz.” More than 300 McAuley students participate in the show, whether on stage or as part of the stage crew, tech crew, make-up crew, costume crew or pit orchestra.

The female cast of “The Wizard of Oz” includes seniors Maddy Zuiker (Beverly) and Annabel Oliver (Morgan Park) as the lead, Dorothy Gale; seniors Suzanne Dwyer (Tinley Park) and Falyn King (Ashburn) as Aunt Em; seniors Tabitha Miller (Burbank) and Tara Duffy (Palos Heights) as the Scarecrow; junior Francesca Velcich (Tinley Park) as the Cowardly Lion; seniors Nora Hartnett (Beverly) and Claire Cunningham (Beverly) as the Wicked Witch; senior Erin Cunnea (Crestwood) and junior Kathleen Sullivan (Oak Lawn) as Glinda; senior Jessica Pedroza (Orland Park) and sophomore Mae Schuberth (Beverly) play the cyclone; senior Danielle Griffin (Beverly) plays the guard; juniors Caitlin Hennessy (Morgan Park), Imani Williams (Beverly), Scarlet Wickert (Morgan Park), Katherine Coffey (Oak Lawn), Marie Lynch (Morgan Park) and Erin Ludwig (Midlothian) play the Guardians of Oz; sophomore Carley Perovic (Mt. Greenwood) and freshman Haley Gutrich (Evergreen Park) play the flying monkeys; senior Liz Evans (Morgan Park) plays the munchkin mayor; senior Rebecca West (Morgan Park) plays the munchkin coroner; senior Shannon O’Malley (Mt. Greenwood) plays the munchkin barrister; seniors Molly Finnell (Oak Lawn) and Elizabeth Khouri (Palos Hills) and sophomore Sarah Aubin (Oak Lawn) play the munchkin city fathers; junior Olivia Seweryn (Chicago Ridge) plays the munchkin braggart; seniors Allison Cody (Mt. Greenwood) and Becca Stockover (Kennedy Park) play the munchkin school teachers; senior Jessica Pedroze (Orland Park) and sophomores Eve Moyar (Orland Park) and Mae Schuberth (Beverly) play the Lullaby League Ballerinas; and seniors Patricia Green (Beverly) and Deja Starks (Auburn Gresham) and junior Anna Strahlman are Oz soloists. The male leads include Tom Jakubczak and Tim McNamara as Uncle Henry; Declan Kennedy and Andrew Gardner as the Tinman; John DiFranco as the Cowardly Lion; Michael Chakinis and Brendan Kelly as the Wizard of Oz; Andrew Kenny as the guard; Nate Evanish as Winkie General; and Dennis Burns, Vincent Zampillo and Andrew Kenny as the Lollipop Guild.The cast is rounded out with a group of dancers and a choral ensemble.

Many students hold leadership positions that are integral to preparing for the production. Among those positions is the role of Assistant Director, held by seniors Erin Byers (Oak Lawn) and Suzanne Dwyer (Tinley Park).

Additionally, many faculty and staff members assist with the production, including Julie McKee as director; Carrie Alifantis as musical director; Kyle Dunleavy, Donna Thomas and Patrick Sullivan as set designers and head of construction; Amy Bieganski as costumer; and Hannah Lawson and Tony Rallis as pit orchestra conductors. The choreography is provided by Michael Gutrich.

Tickets for the show are $12 and will be available for purchase at mothermcauley.org starting on Monday, November 3, 2014.

Two events are set up in conjunction the performances of “The Wizard of Oz.” All girls in grade 6 – 8 are invited to register for the McAuley Backstage Pass. This V.I.P. pass gives students exclusive access to everything happening behind-the-scenes before the performance starts each night. This free event comes with one ticket per registrant for the show.

The Mother McAuley Father’s Club will hold their annual Spaghetti Dinner before the performance on Saturday, November 22 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the McAuley Dining Hall. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and free to children five years and younger. Tickets include an all-you-can-eat spaghetti buffet.

Caption: The cast of “The Wizard of Oz” at Mother McAuley High School. The show will run November 20–23, 2014 in the McAuley Auditorium.