Stunning costumes are the result of many nimble fingers and hours upon hours of hard work
After months of preparation and growing excitement, the fruits of a community’s labours finally hit the stage next week.
The Wizard of Oz opens at the Algonquin Theatre on Thursday, April 16, and runs for 10 performances, including three matinees, one of which is reserved for the schools.
Hundreds of hours of volunteer work have gone into the Oz production, from the creative crews who built and painted the sets to the folks in the orchestra meeting weekly for rehearsals and, of course, the cast, under the direction of Gregg Evans and choreographer Suzanne Baxter, who have been in rehearsal since the beginning of the year.
But, most likely for audiences, the biggest impact – the ‘wow’ factor for want of a better term – will be the stunning costumes, lovingly designed, cut and stitched by a talented team of artists led by Nicole Pantaleo.
WINDOW DRESSING: Nicole Pantaleo tweaks the costume of the Mayor of Munchkinland (Taylor Calleja) in the window of Christmas Tyme on Main Street on Saturday morning. The live window display will be repeated this Saturday, April 11 between 1 and 3 p.m.
She alone made in excess of 32 costumes, not to mention 40 Munchkin hats. “I had help with the hats though, thanks to Ashley West and Kim Gerhart,” said Pantaleo.
Pantaleo is a relative newcomer to the Huntsville area, having arrived here with husband John and two children, Connor, 15, and Ella, 11, from Toronto two years ago. They opened a business, Alberto Salon and Spa just off Brunel Road beside the high school, and almost immediately became involved in community theatre.
“I helped out with A Christmas Carol and met Gregg Evans,” she said. Pantaleo has worked extensively in theatre so, not surprisingly, Evans was quick to add her to his list of able volunteers.
“I went to George Brown for fashion, then worked in film in Toronto and theatre in Stratford and Lindsay, as well as for costume houses in Toronto,” said Pantaleo, adding that, after 10 years and with small children, she began working from home, making dance costumes.
Pantaleo has spent hundreds of hours on costumes for Oz. “It’s been a huge undertaking, but a lot of fun,” she said.
With the lead roles featuring two or three different actors, more than one costume for each character was required. Beverley Hawksley designed and made the two Cowardly Lion outfits, sculptor Brenda Wainman Goulet fashioned two costumes for the Tin Man, Jocelyne Lamoureux took care of the three Dorothys, Sherry Peddie, the two Scarecrows, Barb Hartwick, the two Wizards and three witches, Celia Finley, the three Totos, and Diane Bickley ensured the three Glindas will glitter in their gold and white finery.
When Oz hits the stage, even more volunteers will be working hard in the wings, with stage crew Jay Osborne, Zelda Dwyer, Suzanne Riverin, Don McCormick and Lisa Thomas (props), ensuring everything runs smoothly.
Down below in the dressing rooms, Carol Rhodes and Lynn Fletcher, along with more than a dozen helpers, will be applying makeup, and Carlyn Preston and Ashley White from Alberto Salon and Spa will see every hair is in place.
It’s a stage musical of mammoth proportions. An old adage states ‘build it and they will come’ and, if ticket sales are any indicator (more than 1,500 as of April 1), every seat will be filled at each performance.
That is the hope of Evans, the Rotary clubs of Huntsville, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and the North Muskoka Players, who have shouldered the production costs.
Presenting a show of this magnitude does not come cheap, said Evans. “It cost $42,000 to produce Jesus Christ Superstar, and royalties alone for Oz are in the region of $8,000.”
The Wizard of Oz is presented at 7:30 p.m. on April 16-18 and 22-25, and 2 p.m. on April 18 and 25. Tickets are $80 for a family of four, $25 for adults and $20 for youth under 18, and are on sale at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by dialing 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.
