Hello all! My name is Jim Dahlquist, and for the last eight or so weeks I have had the pleasure of playing Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Oh, by the way, THANK YOU for voting for me overwhelmingly in the Facebook poll.

We’ve been practicing all summer for the last Muni show of the season The Wizard of Oz (WOZ). Our directors have done a wonderful job paying tribute to the classic movie along with adding a few surprises of their own!

WOZ is such a great story of friendship, adventure, bravery and perseverance. And tell your little ones that our flying monkeys are played by children so there’s nothing to fear. Well, except of course for the Wicked Witch. But even she is SO nice in real life that children will want her autograph afterwards along with Dorothy’s and the whole WOZ cast. Let’s also not forget Toto! There’s nothing quite like an adorable dog on stage to put everyone in a good mood. He already knows all his lines and only peed once on stage…oh wait, that was me. 🙂

You don’t have to worry about storms, either. Any inclement weather will simply become part of the special effects in the twister scene.

So as we head toward opening night, here are a few thoughts and questions to ponder:

How many set pieces are actually used in this production?

How many gallons of paint did it take to cover them?

Will the cast be able to complete our strike before dawn on August 12^th?

How many seconds does it take our munchkins and flying monkeys to devour an industrial-size container of gold fish crackers?

Which member of our children’s cast will be your favorite? (Nearly impossible to pick just one!)

Our Toto’s real name is Arlen.  How is that name associated with the Wizard of Oz?

I’m quite confident audiences of all ages will leave with smiles on their faces and humming the familiar Wizard of Oz tunes. You’ll definitely want to grab some popcorn or a Muni Dog, a large fountain drink, and then join us as we head down the Yellow Brick Road.

We’ll see you over the rainbow.