Lakeview students were buzzing when they found out that The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is going to be the spring musical. It centers around a young girl, Dorothy, and her dog, Toto, in Kansas when they are whisked away in a tornado to the magical land of Oz. There she meets a scarecrow, tin man, and lion with whom she adventures down a yellow brick road to seek help from the great and mighty Oz while trying to dodge the wicked witch of the west from stealing her ruby slippers.

     Auditions were held for students to test their acting and singing capabilities in hopes of gaining a role in this American classic. Debuting on March 18th and 19th, the musical will be performed by the drama club for peers, families, friends, and the Cortland community.

     According to Marty Young, director of LHS drama club, “Drama is a great way to explore what young kids can do creatively and it’s an awesome way to showcase their talents. The spring musicals are a fantastic way to test their talents because they are usually more familiar with the play and the casts are larger.

     Numerous students are thrilled to find out Oz is the musical, especially senior, Natalie Gottfried.

     Gottfried says, “I’m extremely glad that my senior musical will be The Wizard of Oz. I have been watching this musical since I was a child and being able to participate in it is refreshing. I am very excited to see how everyone is cast; I know it will be a great production no matter what.”

     Making her acting debut, senior Drew McLennan says, “I’m excited to be a part of the actual acting cast this year. I have taken part in the tech crew in the past, but I finally get to be on that stage giving it my all.”

     As all play auditions go, the musicals are usually more stressful because the students must sing and read lines for a spot in the show. Junior, Jennie Gresley says, “Auditions were stressful as usual but I’m wishing everyone luck and I am confident that we will have an amazing production as always.”

     Sophomore, Sean Galela says, “My audition went really well. I’m so happy that I decided to do the wizard of oz, I’m looking forward to what this new play will bring to my high school experience and see what I can actually do with singing.”

     Everyone is ecstatic for this production including junior, Reagan Stack who says, “I’m looking forward to being apart of this musical because I know it’s going to be a blast!” The Lakeview Drama Clubs continues to showcase the impressive talents of our students.