'The Wizard of Oz' production in Fayetteville to highlight togetherness

Cape Fear Regional Theatre's production of "The Wizard of Oz" aims to highlight the themes of teamwork and togetherness from the classic story.

The theater at 1209 Hay Street will present The Wizard of Oz starting Thursday at 7:30 p.m. through Feb. 13.

Tiffany Green, the director of the production, said she wanted to focus on the themes of heart, teamwork and family.

"Really focusing in on what those themes are more than just the simple 'there's no place like home' but that idea that home is where you place your heart," she said. "So what does that look like? The community of people that you surround yourself with and what that looks like and means to you."

Arts news: How state funding will affect the Cumberland County art community

Green also directed a production of "Shrek" in 2020, which she said Wizard of Oz has somewhat exceeded.

"Now we have people flying; there's pyrotechnics, I think there's 32 cast members," she said. "So this has really been a great challenge for me just to explore how to tell a really simple story and make sure that story comes through even though there are all these fantastical elements."

The leading lady of the production, Kiara Hines, will play Dorothy. She said that aside from enjoying the time spent preparing for the production, she also felt pressure.

"I'm a Black girl, and this role is ironically white, and I'm not going to lie and say that I don't feel any type of pressure with that, especially being in the South and in a place where people really like tradition, which there's nothing wrong with," she said. "But sometimes it can be hard to get people to understand it's OK for things to look differently and for someone to put their own spin on something."

In spite of her fears from the pressure, Hines has seen people excited about her in cast as the leading role.

"So, feeling that pressure knowing that at some point, everyone in the town is going to find out that Dorothy is a Black girl and what's going to happen when that happens? Are we going to have any issues?" she said. "I haven't seen any of that and that really warms my heart to know. In fact, I've seen the opposite, so much outpouring of love. I haven't seen a single person talk about the color of my skin, which is really, really nice, and it makes me feel really good and makes me feel very proud to be from this community."

Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the "subscribe'' link at the top of this article.

Greene said it's important to add new perspectives to classics like the Wizard of Oz.

"We need to tell (classics) in a way so that it's a relationship between the audience and the performers on stage and those of us on the creative team sort of helping to shape the conversation and the responsibility there," she said. "This is a show about teamwork. Dorothy is not Luke Skywalker, she is not the only person who can kill the Death Star. She realizes that she needs to put a team together and everyone's strengths complement the other's weaknesses so that they are all stronger together. The idea that that story should be told right now, I think is very timely to this idea that we need to work together as a community to overcome adversity and challenges."

Nicki Hart, who plays both Glenda and Aunt Em, has performed at the theater since 2004. For Hart, the theater highlights the wonder in the Fayetteville community.

"It's one of the most beautiful things our community has," she said. "When people like directors like Tiffany and actors like Kiara and all of the wonderful artists come to see us, they really do enrich our community and give a gift that we desperately, especially now in these times, are grateful for."

An important part for the theater is also teaching the youth. Cecilia Finley, 8, plays not one but four roles in the production as a muchkin, a jitterbug, and Ozian and a poppy.

Finley said she doesn't really know how she balances all the roles she has but after watching the movie recently, she was intrigued.

"We watched it again very recently, and it was exciting and like I didn't want to stop," she said.

Tickets for the play can be purchased through the theatre's website at www.cfrt.org.

Staff writer Akira Kyles can be reached at akyles@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: The Wizard of Oz production in Fayetteville to highlight togetherness