Westfield Teachers And Parents To Perform 'Wizard Of Oz' Takeoff

WESTFIELD, NJ — Why should only students get to perform in school plays? Since 1948, the Washington School in Westfield has hosted the Washington School Show, written, directed, produced, and performed solely by parents, with one number performed by Washington teachers.

This year's show is "The Wizard of West Bizarre," which the school describes as "an original production that reminds us not to take for granted the wonderful aspects of communities like Westfield."

The organizers say the show is, "loosely based on the classic film, The Wizard of Oz ... In this take on Frank Baum’s classic, Dorothy and Toto try to make their way home to Westfield after experiencing a very different learning environment at West Bizarre Elementary."

There really is no place like home, is there?

Performances are this Friday and Saturday, but just so there's no confusion — they're not actually being held at either Washington School or West Bizarre Elementary. They'll be held at Roosevelt Intermediate School at 301 Clark St.

On Friday, the show is at 8 p.m. On Saturday it's at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $14.50 and can be purchased here. However, if you don't get a ticket in time, there's also an after-party with cocktails on Saturday, only for adults. More information and tickets are here.

The directors are Christine Barshtak and Anthony Tessitore. The script was written by Chris Gaeta. Producers are Danielle Michaeli and John Moshier. Junior producers are Scott DeVito and Lindsay Gatto.

Have school news in Westfield? Email caren.lissner@patch.com.