The De Soto High School Theatre Department will present “Before Oz” next week.
The play, which tells the story of author L. Frank Baum’s journey to write “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” will be performed at 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 6-8, in the High School Auditorium. Admission costs $6 for students and $8 for adults.
De Soto High School theater teacher Samantha Roop is directing the play.
Sophomore Camden Jahnsen, who is performing in his third play at the high school, said he was both excited and nervous when he landed the lead role of Frank Baum.
“It’s a big role,” he said. “It was overwhelming. But once I got into a rhythm of practicing, I was able to figure out how to get into character very well,” he said.
In the play, Baum knows he wants to tell stories but is afraid he will fail, Jahnsen added.
He said people will enjoy the play, especially with the recent popularity of “Wicked” and the upcoming release of “Wicked: For Good.”
“It shows what went into the making of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ he said. “He goes through a lot of interesting things in his life. He goes through a lot of jobs. He can’t find one that sticks. I think a lot of people can relate to that.”
Kalli Cooper, a senior at De Soto High who plays Frank’s wife, Maud, said the character she plays isn’t like a lot of young women of her time. Maud’s mother, Matilda, was active in women’s rights, and Maud enrolled in college at Cornell University. Cooper said Maud is smart and realizes Frank’s creative talents and encourages him.
Cooper thinks those who watch the play will like it because it is a sentimental and heart-warming drama.
Quinn Williams, a senior, plays Matilda, who is the basis for the Wicked Witch character. She said Matilda was feared by a lot of men in power because she was progressive.
Cooper said Matilda had big dreams for Maud, and Frank didn’t fit in with those dreams. However, throughout the play, Matilda comes to understand and support Maud and Frank’s relationship.
Other cast members include seniors Melody Pigg, Cheyenne Crafton, Allana Bachmeyer, Alex Trimble, Gunner Olson and Slade Zgiet; juniors Drew House, Liv Walker, Brynn Hoelzer, Izzy Wheetly, Bryce Wright, Elizabeth Crafton, Marrianna Mooney and Caden Hill; sophomores Daeton Shockley, Amelia Richardson, Kelsey Urich, Austin Jones and Gracelyn Andrews; and freshmen Ragan Moore, Junior Hardesty, Lexi King, Adelaide Deason, Harley Pawlak, Audrey Hearst and Michael Moore. Younger students performing in the play include Jaxon Roop, third grade, and Jonathan Roop, fifth grade.