FERGUS – With five performances, 22 well-loved songs, and all the laughter and silliness their audiences have come to expect, On the Spot Productions Fergus/Elora has begun rehearsals for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Family Musical Panto, the production’s eighth annual show.
Last year On the Spot raised $10,000 for Hopewell Children’s Home from their smash hit panto, Peter Pan.
The production company hopes to raise just as much this year and intends to split the funds between Hopewell and Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus.
“The great thing about our shows in particular is that they are not a strict sit-in-your-seat theatrical production,” said David Tanner, co-owner and director of On the Spot.
“We want you to be yelling at the stage to answer questions, to ‘boo’ the bad guy, to cheer on the good guy, and have a marvelous time in the process.”
He added that it’s not a quiet show.
“We have seen audiences from age 2 to 92 in attendance and, surprising to some, 60 to 70 per cent of the audience are adults,” he said. “So it’s not just a production for children.”
These productions take an entire year to put together and the tireless hours of many local volunteers.
This year 15 volunteers made sure sets were finished this summer and costumes are being bought and sewn thanks to the generous funding of 22 local sponsors.
There are some new faces in this year’s production.
Avery Ballaban will be taking on some sparkly footwear as Dorothy Gale and Rob Free will return as The Wizard of Oz, complete with a green beard.
The acro team will be throwing some tumbling into this year’s dancing and Paul Deacon of The Grand 101 will be taking on the Wicked Witch of the West.
“He is stepping into some big shoes as Ray Kavanagh went on leave for this year.” said Leigha Bailey, co-owner and director of On the Spot.
“Paul adds a new spark to the production.
“He is definitely the kind of bad guy the audience will love to boo.”
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Family Musical Panto will be playing Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, with evening shows at 7pm and weekend matinees at 2pm.
Tickets are available at the Fergus Grand Theatre box office, online or by phone.
“We have had a wonderful partnership with TD Canada Trust in that they have provided funds to sponsor 100 children to come to the show for a buy one adult ticket get one child ticket for $25,” Tanner said.
“There are a limited number, so we ask that you get them early.”
“This promises to be our best year yet.”
