As we hit the peak of tornado season, according to the National Weather Service (which runs March through June), one performing arts company in Boulder wants to remind us of the danger of such natural weather phenomena. Namely: Not following proper safety precautions may very well transport risk-takers to a magical land far, far away.
We’re not talking about heaven here — we’re talking about the land of Oz, of course. Kicking off on May 3, and running on stage through May 19, The Spark, 4847 Pearl St., unit B4, Boulder, is staging a special presentation of “The Wizard of Oz” as the company’s spring musical offering.
The Spark is teaming up with Boulder Performing Arts Company to bring together a multi-generational and inclusive cast to tell L. Frank Baum’s classic story of how a young girl and her teeny dog teamed up with a scarecrow, tin man and lion to meet a mysterious wizard and melt a witch.
Founded in 2019, The Spark was created by longtime theater veteran Dillon Kenyon as a safe space for performing arts experts and neophytes to come together, learn and grow in a professional theater setting.
“It’s very much a mentorship program where everyone is learning,” Kenyon said. “We have adults who have toured on Broadway, adults who are just getting into theater and teenagers who are somewhere in the middle — so it’s a very wide variety. Our company is a safe space; We do a lot of slow teaching, we’re welcoming and we all just love to perform.”
In Kenyon’s decades-long career in the theater industry, she has found that creating an environment where people are allowed to take chances — and fail if they need to — is the best way to grow as an artist.
“The adults that we work with create this safe space where youths who want to do theater feel comfortable enough to try new things,” Kenyon said. “These kids get to work alongside these adults — they’re not just working under them, but they’re rehearsing together, and they’re in scenes together, or even sharing a role. That unique environment helps youth take risks, and make big choices onstage. And they’re supported by this strong network where, if they mess up, it’s no big deal because they have mentors that have messed up before, too.”
In this collaboration with The Spark, Boulder Performing Arts Company is bringing one essential element to the performance: Munchkins.
“Boulder Performing Arts Company is made up of all children, so the teenagers and newer actors in our cast not only get to work with seasoned adults, but younger kids who are also just starting their journeys in theater,” Kenyon said. “So they get to be mentored, and do some mentoring.”
The performances will include two totally different leading casts, so over three weekends of this 10-show run, audiences can see the play twice and have a different experience each time. Even the iconic Toto will be played by two different real-life pups, according to Kenyon.
“There’s Moose, a tiny terrier that is small enough to be carried in a tote,” Kenyon said. “Then there’s Zeb, a 15-year-old terrier mix. They’re both adorable, and they’re both great actors, too.”
For tickets to see The Spark and Boulder Performing Arts Company’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”, visit tickettailor.com/events/thespark.
