Weston Junior Broadway to Perform "Wizard of Oz" This Weekend

Have you ever dreamed what it would be like to direct a musical? Have you ever wondered what it was like to more-or-less babysit about 40 children at once? Have you ever thought what it would be like to do this while managing a high school work load? For several juniors and seniors at , that is the responsibility of becoming one of the directors of Weston Junior Broadway.

One of the girls in charge this year is my classmate, Alex Wile. This is Alex’s second and last year as a director, and with the show’s upcoming performances this weekend bringing a close to this year’s program, I thought I would get to know more about what she does and what WJB is all about.

WJB “is a community service project led by high school students for over 12 years,” the money they raise goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and so far they have raised over $70,000. Impressive!

WJB puts on a musical every year for fifth graders who sing and act in whichever show the directors choose. “We got involved through previous directors in the high school,” says Wile, “we are chosen after an interview with the group of past directors (it’s super intimidating!)”.

Once in charge, the high schoolers “have to organize everything from ordering the script to managing the parents of 50+ fifth graders and the kids themselves,” now that’s a lot! All that hard work adds up; “we put in over 400 hours of community service every year.” 

Every year WSJ gets bigger and bigger. Last year they put together Beauty and the Beast. This year the amateur company is putting on the spectacular Wizard of Oz. “We chose this because it’s a really fun play with really different characters to show off lots of the kids’ talents.” Thinking back to the year when we were in fifth grade the show they put on was Pocahontas, and the year before that was Peter Pan. I’m glad to see the tradition of WSJ picking entertaining and playful musicals has been kept up! 

This weekend is showtime! Don’t miss your opportunity to watch the talent of Weston youth coupled with the hard work and leadership of Weston’s upper class-men directors, including Alex. All of the performances will take place in the Amy Potter Center in the Middle School and show times are Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets will be $10 at the door. It should be a great show!

What meant the most to Alex in becoming a director this year was the fact she could think back to her experience as a member of the WJB company. "When I was in Junior Broadway in fifth grade I idolized my directors,” isn’t it great to see how time turns around!