Weather postpones "Wizard of Oz" opening night

Josephine E. Moore, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
·3 min read

Jul. 29—Summer storms are delaying opening night for Theatre West Virginia's production of "The Wizard of Oz."

Opening night was originally slated for Friday but has now been pushed back to Sunday, said Scott Hill, general manager for TWV.

Hill said the show will now run from Sunday to Saturday at the Cliffside Amphitheater on Grandview Road. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. each night with the performance slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.

"We originally had eight (shows) scheduled, but because of the weather, we can't paint our sets, we can't rehearse properly so we had to push things back," he said.

Being at the mercy of the weather is one of the unfortunate side effects of performing in an outdoor theater, Hill said.

"We're doing this outside and in West Virginia in the summer where we do get occasional storms," he said. "We generally don't get to two and a half weeks of weather like we've had this way, but you know we hit and miss."

Hill added that this has been a particularly challenging season with rain also impacting previous shows in June and July.

"It's been a hectic season and the rain is just not helping us whatsoever," he said.

Hill said he had toyed around with the idea of moving the show to an indoor theater but ultimately decided to just delay the show a few days.

"We thought about trying to move into Woodrow Wilson (High School), but Woodrow Wilson had a dimmer problem, a lighting problem, which we couldn't really overcome, and our set wouldn't fit in there anyway," he said.

Although moving didn't work, Hill said he was grateful to Raleigh County Schools for trying their best to accommodate them so the show could go own.

"It just didn't work, but it wasn't for lack of trying," he said. "So now we're having to roll the dice and see what we have out at the park. We're still painting, and we'll be painting probably up till showtime starts. So if you're ever on stage, don't touch anything."

Even if patrons do end up getting a little wet, Hill said they can expect a wonderful show, with colorful sets and extravagant costumes.

Performing the leading role of Dorothy will be Woodrow Wilson graduate and longtime TWV alumna Rebekah New.

"She's been part of the Theatre West Virginia family for a long time," Hill said. "...We have a lot of Beckley folks in the show. We do have a lot of very talented people that came from all over the country too like we always do, but having Dorothy from Beckley is pretty daggone cool."

He added that former longtime costumer Susie Sayre has also returned to TWV and her work has made all the difference, in this show in particular.

"I think the extravagance is going to show once we get her costumes out on the stage at Grandview for 'Wizard of Oz,'" Hill said.

Even with the weather-related setbacks, Hill said he's proud of the shows they were able to put together as part of their 62nd season.

"We've been doing this outside for 62 years," he said. "It's amazing the amount of people and hard work that it takes to make this thing happen, and I just appreciate everybody from the top of the house, to the actors, to the guests, to the people that help us park cars, to the National Park Service ... In order for something to have value, everybody needs to pitch in a little bit, and I think we are gaining value at Theatre West Virginia."

Hill said the shows will run on the new schedule and will only be canceled if safety becomes an issue. In the case of canceled shows, Hill said rain check tickets will be issued.

For more information about the show and to purchase tickets, go to theatrewestvirginia.org. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the box office from 4 to 7 p.m. at 304-256-6800.