The Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet presents “The Wizard of Oz,” April 18 at 3 p.m. at Shreveport’s Riverview Theater.
“The Wizard of Oz” premiered in Shreveport in 2006 and features an original score by SMB music director Kermit Poling. Poling will conduct the SMB Orchestra. “The Wizard of Oz” also features original choreography and staging by SMB artistic director Kendra Meiki and a cast of about 100 local dancers.
Professional guest artist Jacob Sparso of Ballet Oklahoma reprises his critically-acclaimed performance as the Wicked Witch of the West. Sparso has appeared with SMB on numerous occasions and originated the role of the Wicked Witch in the original production.
“The Wizard of Oz” is produced in conjunction with the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s “Triumph Over Tragedy” initiative, a year-long commemoration of the Great Depression and the New Deal Era. The classic film “The Wizard of Oz,” based on the L. Frank Baum novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” was released in 1939 and provided weary Depression-era audiences with much needed escapist fantasy. The themes and lessons of this story — self-reliance, friendship and family — are still relevant today.
Tickets for “The Wizard of Oz” are on sale now. Tickets are $10-$35 and may be purchased by calling (318) 866-9916 or visiting www.shreveportmetroballet.org.
Tickets are also available for the Emerald City Luncheon which will be held at Barnwell Garden and Art Center at 1 p.m. prior to the performance. Tickets are $10 for children and $15 for adults and can be purchased by calling (318) 866-9916 or visiting www.shreveportmetroballet.org.
