"The Patchwork Girl of Oz" by Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers
Company:
Louise Reichlin & Dancers / Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers
We are delighted to invite you to a narrated production of The Patchwork Girl of Oz. With colorful costumes, multimedia set, and spectacular dance we take a dazzling interactive journey into the Land of Oz – one that ignites imaginations of young and old alike. In this story adapted from L. Frank Baum, we follow characters from the "Wizard of Oz" and introduce new ones – like the exuberant title character the Patchwork Girl.
The company is in residence now at Melvin Avenue Elementary School. One of our grants specifies that the student workshops culminate in a performance for the public, but because of the nature of on-line activities (and not possible to monitor at the school site) we are presenting one only for the school where the students are in two of the dances, and one for the public without those students but with our professional dancers. Thanks to our funders who include the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles, the CA Arts Council, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, and the Arts Office of the LA Unified School District.
Besides the performance itself, we also feature a talk with some of the dancers and Choreographer/Director Louise Reichlin about the beginning of the production in 2000 with one act completed each year with intermittent performances, its world premiere in Montana at the Myrna Loy Theatre in 2002, and its CA premier here in Santa Monica at the Miles Playhouse in December that year. Originally performed and touring as a more technically complex production 30 minutes longer, the present production is a sleek 45 minutes created when a Children's Festival in No Carolina requested a work that would be shorter and easier to produce, and we have done this version ever since, also adapting it for school residencies both here and eight states.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz is based on the L. Frank Baum (author of the Wizard of Oz) book of 1913. This magical modern-day fable includes vivid costumes, interaction, music and multimedia sets. The Land of Oz comes to life and we go on an intriguing interactive journey into the land of Oz – one that ignites imaginations of young and old alike. In this adapted narrated story, the dance follows characters from the "Wizard of Oz" and introduce new ones – including the high-spirited title character the Patchwork Girl and Ojo, a sheltered youngster, who sees his Uncle turned into a marble rock, and must make friends and work with others to bring him to life again. This production is appropriate for all ages from tiny ones to discriminating grandparents. Although known as stories for the young, L. Frank Baum was way ahead of his time, with super strong female characters, diversity as part of his storyline, and advanced technology - he has Glinda, Sorcerous of the South, invent wireless technology at the beginning of the story- and this was in 1913!
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