AFTER six months of planning, preparation and rehearsals Newtown Musical Theatre Company (NMTC) will be presenting their spectacular latest production, The Wizard of Oz.
NMTC puts on two productions a year and the latest – which has been in development since October last year – will begin its four day run on Wednesday, March 30.
The director, Kat Bond, is promising a spectacular show, with special effects, a supremely talented cast and most importantly, the performance of Bertie James the terrier as Toto.
Kat said: “It’s very different, we have not really done a children’s show before, there is a lot for the adults but it’s very different and quite a challenge really. We have never had a show with quite as many special effects before and it has been a delight to work on.
“It’s very exciting we have gone for as much of the magic as we can possibly get in the theatre so they can stand by to be thoroughly entertained.
“There’s a very scary witch and some really lovable companions for Dorothy, there’s a lot of camaraderie there, it’s lovely.
“They’re real characters to fall in love with and we’ve got two outgoing and warm-hearted Dorothies to complement them.”
Kat also promised a variety of visual treats with special effects including explosions, smoke, glitter and fireballs.
The part of Dorothy is being shared by Katy Collins and Josephine Bowen and Kat revealed they had to pass the ‘Bertie test’ before being selected for the part.
She said: “This was started when we cast Bertie first as Toto, then we had a day of workshops with all the ones who wanted to audition for Dorothy.
“Part of those workshops was handling him and he had to be in each of the individual auditions with them because we thought if they couldn’t work with a dog it was not going to work.
“Whether or not they liked dogs we were looking for someone who would be natural with him, like he belonged to her.
“It’s a risk working with children and animals as they say but it’s working very well and it’s a very happy production to be working on.”
The production will be taking place at Theatr Hafren at 7.30pm from Wednesday, March 30, to Saturday, April 2. There will also be a matinee at 2.30pm on the Saturday.
Tickets can be obtained by contacting the Theatr Hafren box office on 01686 625007.