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Arts & Entertainment

Community Theater Brings Oz To Us

The Wizard of Oz lands locally July 29-31 and August 5-7

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion will soon travel to the far off Land of Oz, but you and your family can see them live and with a full professional orchestra at a state-of-the-art theater in home sweet home. Once again, Artful Living has produced a high quality musical theater production perfect for family entertainment. The Wizard of Oz will be held at the July 29-31, and August 5-7. 

“Artful Living is very excited to be celebrating its fifth year producing family-friendly smash-hit musicals," Producer/Director Christopher Solimene says of the upcoming production. "Building relationships, learning the craft of acting and providing friends, neighbors and family with quality entertainment has been the hallmark of Artful Living. We are a community providing the best of Community Theater.”

While the production does feature an orchestra and a takes place in a state-of-the-art theater, “our real treasures are the many people who volunteer as actors, production team workers and creative artists who come together every year and dedicate their time and talents to the craft of fine musical theater. The results are spectacular,” Solimene says. 

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The lion’s share of the 160 cast members involved in this community theater production come from the immediate area.

“People come from all corners of Connecticut to see our productions,” Solimene says. “Our cast and crew of almost 200 people are made up of families, children, teens, adults and seniors – all coming together to create the beloved American classic, The Wizard of Oz. Once our professional orchestra tunes up and the lights go down, audience goers know they are about to experience magic. It’s an amazing thing to witness.”

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"This particular production has proved to be very exciting," says Killingworth's Erin Schuster, who plays Dorothy. "Our cast consists of some real talent, and working with everyone has been a great experience. The show is really coming along and we've all been working hard to make sure the final product is the best that it can be. Artful Living brings members of the community together in a beautiful way, and I am so lucky to be a part of such an awesome cast."

“Folks often ask me if we are a professional theater," Solimene says. "I answer that I believe quality theater is the culmination of having a passion in executing many details that are each amazing and then stringing those details together until the end product has a collection of magnificent 'gems.' This is how Artful Living approaches all aspects of a production – scenery, music, costumes, lighting, acting. The result is 'living' art, thus our name, Artful Living!”

The Wizard of Oz will be performed at Haddam-Killingworth Middle School, at 451 Route 81 in Killingworth July 29th through 31st, and August 5th through 7th. Friday and Saturday performances are held at 7:30pm, and Sunday performances are held at 2pm. Tickets are available online through PayPal at www.ArtfulLivingCT.com and at the door.

If you would like more information, please email Chris at Chris@ArtfulLivingCT.com or call 860-389-1363.

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