The biggest challenge Renata Marino faces in staging a socially distanced musical is choreographing the dance numbers.
Marino is directing and choreographing “The Wizard of Oz,” featuring a cast of home-schooled and cyberschool students participating in the Stage Right Arts in Education program.
The musical will play at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Science Hall Auditorium on the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus.
“How do I make this show not look like I’m dealing with covid?” Marino said. “Everyone comes out and stands 6 feet apart and stays in their spot. There’s no partner dancing. There are no excessive patterns.
“You want to keep it from seeming too static,” she said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting, too.”
Marino said another exciting element of the production will be the use of video projections as part of the scenery. As in the classic 1939 movie, scenes in Kansas will be sepia-toned, while scenes in Oz will have vibrant color. A video tornado will provide the transition between the two.
Hannah Walker plays Dorothy Gale, while Gia Petrazzio is Aunt Em and Brycen Watkins is Uncle Henry.
Other leads include Hannah Duckett, Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch; Addison Watkins, Glinda; Hailee VanHyning, Zeke/Cowardly Lion; Braden Poole, Hickory/Tinman; Caitlin Fitzgerald, Hunk/Scarecrow; and Oliver Winkler, Professor Chester Marvel/Wizard/.
“All the leads are teens, and the ensemble are our pre-teens,” Marino said.
Even if the dancing won’t be as exuberant as usual, Marino said, “It’s really important for the kids to have this for at least a little sense of normalcy, which the kids are so desperate for.
“This is really special after all the loss they experienced last year — and they’re still kind of living in it,” she said. “It just makes my heart swell.”
A limited number of in-person seats will be sold for each performance. To provide for social distancing, all tickets will be general admission. Patrons will be seated in pods on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks are required.
Tickets are $15, or $10 for students. A livestream option is available for $15.
“The cool thing about streaming is that family members in other states who wouldn’t be able to travel to Greensburg can now see the show,” Marino said.
