(The following letters originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on April 29, 2009.)
Community production of Oz was pure wizardry at work
A prominent Huntsville playwright was heard to remark last week that The Wizard of Oz was “one of the best productions ever to come out of Muskoka.” It was a sentiment echoed by many who saw the musical at the Algonquin Theatre, a lavish show that recently played to 3,600 people over the course of 10 shows.
Bringing a community musical back to Huntsville has been a longtime vision of Huntsville community theatre thespian and director Gregg Evans. It was not an easy feat, bearing in mind the financial cost and number of people required to make such an event successful.
Last year, Evans approached the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) and the Huntsville Rotary Club for help in re-launching the annual spring musical tradition. With a leap of faith, they came on board and together, with some 200 volunteers clocking up more than 15,000 hours, Evans’ dream became reality. The resulting show was a visual and aural feast, from the wonderful sets, the great music emanating from the orchestra pit and the fabulous costumes and props to the incredibly talented cast.
The production was a success that surpassed all expectations. It was once said, “If you build it, they will come,” and the people of Muskoka came in droves. That support, through net proceeds, will benefit a number of worthwhile local projects supported by Rotary and the HFA.
If Oz is any indication of what the future holds for the annual community musical, we say, “Welcome back!”
Gillian Brunette
Huntsville Festival of the Arts
board member
Huntsville
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Musical was a huge success
Bravo to the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, the Rotary Club of Huntsville, Gregg Evans and the amazing actors and behind-the-scenes supporters of the recent totally delightful production of The Wizard of Oz.
This community never ceases to amaze me with its talent, energy and willingness to create opportunities for fun, excitement and learning for young and old alike. Add that to the commitment to use the proceeds of such efforts to support local projects and you have a truly winning combination for everyone.
With the availability of our beautiful Algonquin Theatre as the perfect venue, I certainly hope that this particular partnership, the festival, rotary and North Muskoka Players, will continue to thrive. I, for one, look forward to many future productions.
Thank you to everyone involved.
Lela Shepley-Gamble
Huntsville
