When she was a little girl, Tessa Colburn watched “The Wizard of Oz” with her grandmother. Last week, her grandmother watched Tessa in the Broadway production.
Colburn, 11, is a sixth grader at Central Junior High School.
It was through Debby’s School of Dance, where she has attended for eight years in Creve Coeur, that she got the opportunity to be a part of the Broadway show.
“Debby had the opportunity to pick a couple of people and, thankfully, she picked me,” Colburn said.
Although she was told she would be a munchkin in the production, Colburn did not realize it was a Broadway show.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The costumes were really great, and it was a lot of fun,” Colburn said.
“The Wizard of Oz” took place at the Peoria Civic Center Nov. 3 and 4. Prior to the performance, Colburn practiced two to four times a week for a month. Practices took place at Corn Stock and the civic center.
At first, Colburn said she was nervous when she met the other munchkins. But, the 12 munchkins soon bonded in the dressing room they shared.
The hardest part of the experience for Colburn was remembering all of the instructions, which she called pitch choreography. The munchkin crew was sent the choreography and vocals ahead of time, and they were incorporated into the cast in a single afternoon.
“It was kind of hard to get everything thrown at you at once and remember it for three hours later,” she said.
And the second night of the show, Colburn’s shoe fell off.
“It was kind of embarrassing, but not everyone noticed. I was in the back and one of the cast members gave it to me,” she said.
Other highlights of the experience Colburn shared were about the pyrotechnics, Dorothy’s ruby red slippers and meeting Toto.
Colburn said they were instructed not to look directly at the pyrotechnics on stage because it could damage their eyes. Another eye-catching thing they could look at were Dorothy’s ruby red slippers, which were covered in real Swarovski crystals.
“When they fell off, they would sweep the stage and glue them back on. They were really, really shiny,” Colburn said.
The cast was also instructed not to look directly at Toto or call his name because the dog could be distracted and miss its cue. However, after the show, Colburn was able to meet Toto, whose real name is Dusty. She also met the other cast members. Contrary to popular belief, Colburn said the Wicked Witch of the West was actually really nice, or at least actress Pat Sibley was pleasant.
Colburn’s favorite actor may surprise some. It was the coroner munchkin who declared the Wicked Witch had died when the house landed on her.
Through her experience, Colburn said she made many friends. She met another girl who also played a munchkin and shared her first name – Tessa Seibel.
The Peoria Munchkins were comprised of 12 local youths, ages 8 to 13, who were selected to be a part of the production. Jenny Parkhurst instructed the children from Corn Stock for Kids, The Dance Connection, Kim’s Academy of Dance, Debby’s School of Dance and Dianne’s Dance World.
“It was kind of cool to meet all these new people and learn about them and their families,” Colburn said.
As a munchkin, Colburn sang and danced. Being a “Wizard of Oz” fan helped.
“I knew most of (the songs) because I really, really like the “Wizard of Oz,” but they added different things to make it longer and make the Broadway different from the movie,” she said.
Members of Colburn’s family attended both performances. Her grandmother, Kathy Staley, said,
“It was a real good professional production. I was impressed.”
After the show was over, Colburn said she was sad.
“I wanted to do it for another week. It was a lot of fun. I could do it a lot,” she said.
Although the “Wizard of Oz” is over, Colburn’s chance to act is not. She will continue on stage in an upcoming play at Central Junior High School. She starts rehearsals in about two weeks.
“It’s a lot of fun to show how I can dance,” she said.
Colburn views her dancing, singing and acting as a hobby. Ultimately, some day, she said she wants to own a pet store because she loves animals.
Who knows … maybe Toto will even visit.
East Peoria, Ill. —
