The Wonderful Wizard of Oz- Week Six: 'All Tin, No Heart.'

Half-way there! It's hard to believe that we are officially over half way into the term. This week however we have begun to introduce costume and props into the show (and we will continue to do so as we get further and further along- and more things turn up in the post). The Chameleons are working hard to bring the pieces of the show together and have done some outstanding work. Our team, meanwhile, was finally all back together again so, with the exception of a few sick Chameleons, it was great to have the gang all assembled again.

This week kicked off with 'The Curious Case of Inspector McClue,' a new spin on the classic 'wink murder' game. One person is selected to be the Inspector, while another is secret chosen to be the 'sleep winker.' The latter must walk around the room with the group and put everyone to sleep by winking at them. It is the Inspector's role to catch them out and stop them before everyone falls asleep. It's a fun game and the group were plenty energised by the time we had caught the villain.

Next we played a group shape game- following on from last week's 'what's in the box?' exercise. The Chameleons had to work in teams to create an object using only their bodies. We had to be able to see what they had created without being told. Everyone came up with some very artistic and creative ideas, ranging from a cannon, a working piano and a sofa (see above).

Next we focused in on the theme of the week; 'good vs evil.' We asked the Chameleons to create a superhero and a super villain and see how being both made them move around the room. We talked about how there are good and evil characters in the Wizard of Oz, and what ways the cast could move to show everyone which side they are on, without having to tell the audience. It is a nice, subverted approach to getting the group to consider characterisation and how they can physically portray their characters in the show.

We split up then to work on the next scenes. In the absence of the Scarecrow we had to adjust our plans and instead looked at the meeting between Dorothy and the Tinman. This term especially it seems that the Chameleons are working hard at putting themselves in the scene; everyone has a good understanding of what happens and their own ideas to put forward. We had some great interactions between the Tinman and Toto which made us laugh lots.

Also being visited was the Wicked Witch's castle. After summoning her crows to deal with Dorothy, she is understandably frustrated that she is still without her red shoes. Ever determined not to be beaten, she hatches another scheme to complete her mission, much to the dismay of the Monkey King and Captain Oreo. These three have a really nice dynamic which is getting stronger and stronger each week. The Wicked Witch is both scary and funny to watch and there is some lovely work going on there. Everyone seems to be really enjoying their roles this term and it's great fun all around.

Finally we looked at the first meeting between Dorothy's group and the Cowardly Lion; one of our  favourite characters, and the attack by the Wicked Witch's evil trees. The scene is great fun because we got to explore a lot of levels with the characters, from the Lion's grand entrance (featuring some lovely chorus work from our ensemble) to the softer moments between him and Dorothy. Having the trees come to life was also fun and, though we were short on time, we're excited to work on them some more once the cast are back together next week.

Another week gone and the show moves closer yet again. The cast are working so hard this term and it's showing! Things are looking better and better and we're super excited for some of the scenes in the upcoming weeks- including the meeting with the famous Wizard himself. That's all for now but as usual we shall leave you with some rehearsal pics for your enjoyment. Adios!