Western Arkansas Ballet auditions for Oz

About 70 children auditioned on Saturday (Jan. 14) at the Western Arkansas Ballet Studio for supporting roles in the production of The Wizard of Oz.

The auditions were broken down into age groups of girls 6-8, boys 8 and older, girls 9-10 and the final group was girls age 11 and older. Prospective cast members were required to have at least 2 years of dance or gymnastic experience.

Each group was then subdivided into a smaller group of about 5 dancers and led through a series of steps by an older WAB company member under the direction of choreographer Charles Martin. Several routines were observed by the panel of judges while notes were taken for later revue. The casting notices will be mailed on Monday and rehearsals will be begin that Saturday and continue every Saturday up until the performances on March 31 and April 1.

"I'm looking for how they move. Are they really fluid, are they really stiff and locked up. I'm looking for general movement patterns and I'm looking to see how they follow directions," said Martin when asked what his criteria was for making casting selections.

The production can accommodate a cast of up to 100 but that doesn't guarantee everyone a spot who auditioned, said Melissa Schoenfeld, executive artistic director of the Western Arkansas Ballet. Factors that can lead to a child not making the cut include their ability to follow directions, offstage behavior and even their physical characteristics.

Costuming plays a role since all costumes will be made, bought or rented and some auditioning members may not make the cut due to costume restrictions said Nancy Turner, wardrobe mistress.

The lead roles in the performance will belong to the 14 current members of the WAB pre-professional company who audition each spring to be part of the company. A successful audition and acceptance into the company guarantees them a role in the upcoming season's performances without future auditions, Schoenfeld said.

Guest choreographer Charles Martin of the Kansas City Ballet will choreograph the production. Music selections from the movie cannot be used due to copyright restrictions. Martin will select music more suitable to a ballet and is creating an original performance based on the movie and the book. This will be Martin's first full-length ballet to choreograph. Martin plans to be in Fort Smith for at least two rehearsals but his schedule is dependent upon his commitment to the Kansas City Ballet. Frequent communication via social media, file sharing over the Internet and other electronic means will enable him to coordinate the production with the local WAB staff while he is out of town.

Martin met WAB ballet mistress Marica Porter four years ago when Porter danced for Martin's mother's ballet company in Oklahoma as part of a Regional Dance America program. His involvement with The Wizard of Oz production will be a benefit to his professional career and also the WAB.

"Having a guest choreographer come in for us was a great opportunity too. It brings a fresh approach to this original work and also for our dancers to have someone else come in and work with them," said Schoenfeld.

Tickets for the performances will cost $20 or $25 for reserved seating at the Arkansas Best Performing Arts Center. Admission for students with a student I.D. is $15.

"We really want to encourage junior high, senior high and college students to pursue arts education and for us to provide an opportunity for them, we wanted to offer a lower ticket price," said Porter.