On Thursday and Friday night, students ranging from 5^th grade to 12^th grade performed “The Magical Land of Oz” for the RMA community. Directed by beloved 5^th grade teacher Ms. Willis, both performances went spectacularly.

This musical, like the “Wizard of Oz”, follows Dorothy (Baileigh James) as she tries to make her way back to Kansas upon a storm relocating her to Munchkin Country. Glinda the good witch (Jami Perkins) tells Dorothy that she must travel to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz (Joshua Ramirez) to send her back to Kansas and sends her on her way with a new pair of silver slippers. However, this trip is no easy task; the wicked Witch of the West (Nyla Green) wants the slippers and makes the path much harder. Dorothy meets friends along the way, a Scarecrow (Joe Cockrell), a Tinwoodsman (Alexis Reams), and a Cowardly Lion (Lindy Pittman) to accompany her in her trip to Oz. All of the characters, thanks to countless hours of practice, portrayed their characters perfectly. “The Magical Land of Oz” was highly anticipated, as all RMA plays are, but with a cast of 46 the magnitude of this play was surly felt after each member of the audience left the play Thursday and Friday night.  “I’m normally not one for musicals, but I really loved ‘The Magical Land of Oz’. It was really fun to see my friends up on stage portraying all the different characters. Money well spent!”, says senior Garrett Walker. However, audience members were not the only ones enjoying the musical. “This play was such a meaningful experience to me.”, said Baileigh James when she was asked about her last musical at RMA. “I really loved having the part of Dorothy my senior year; it made the whole experience really special.”

This of course would not have been at all possible if it were not for the many teacher and parent volunteers. Because this production was a musical, it called for the expertise of the adored music teachers, Mr. Leonard and Mrs. Braswell. The two spend many hours practicing and perfecting the many songs featured in the musical. And, what is a musical without dancing while singing? Mrs. Petruziello, mother of Joseph and Porter Peturziello, worked with all cast members to make sure that the audience stayed entertained through the intricate dances paired with songs. The job of turning high schoolers into animals, soldiers, and tin-people, is no easy task to say the least. To make this play as real-life as possible, Mrs. Serraino, a RMA mother, volunteered her time to ensure that all cast members had adequate costumes and makeup for their respective parts. Last, but certainly not least, Ms. Willis directed this musical and dedicated countless hours to see that this production left the audience satisfied and that all cast members had a good time. From practices after school in January to Saturday afternoons scrambling to work out details, Ms. Willis was there through it all. As a member of the cast, I can personally testify that without the help of these 5 adults, we would not have had a successful musical.