Some original characters (Scarecrow and Tin Man) mix with some new (Jack Pumpkinhead, Tip, and Wogglebug) on the Evvy’s stage.

Actor Danny Foner as “Scarecrow” is reminiscent of colonial times. He represents the way things used to be, the founding of a nation. …But that nation doesn’t quite translate to Oz’s new needs and Scarecrow isn’t ready to give up control or admit he could be wrong. Danny’s jacket is actually an 80’s white tail coat, cut from collar to tails, dyed blue (he was built in Munchkinland) and patched up! The mismatched buttons and straw complete the look, as does the fabric crown.

Actor Daniel Begin as “Tin Man” out on the streets of Boston. My tin man is very clean and dapper. He is a gentleman now that he has his heart, and the way he runs his corner of Oz you’d think nothing could ever be wrong. A 1950’s style suits him well in this regard, both politically and aesthetically.

Actor Zeke St. John plays “Tin Man” in the original run of our production. The costume is greyscale with peaks of that shiny silver we look for in a tin man. He is polished and clean down to the silver flower in his lapel.

Original character renderings for “Tin Man” and “Glinda”

Actor Meg Ciabotti plays “Glinda”, the Good Witch of the North. She embraces her femininity every step of the way and has always been underestimated by the wizard. She uses this fact to build and army undetected and becomes a major player in “Marvelous Oz”. Meg is decked out in beads and feathers and lace and petticoats, and commands the stage with a sheer pink embroidered train. Makeup and Wig styled by Kim Berry, Photo by Jenni Chapman Photography.

Glinda’s train cascades down from the pink feather shrug, which is removable for safe backstage travel. The sheer fabric and beaded appliques are all hand dyed, and help give her exit the sparkle it deserves.

Actor Madeline Addis plays “Tip”, the little boy who is destined to save Oz once he realized he was actually a transfigured “Princess Ozma” the whole time. Tip transitions slowly throughout the show, starting in a stuffy Gilikin schoolboy uniform, (s)he alters the costume little by little until finally “Ozma” is revealed.

Close up of Tip’s finished shoes. Some leather paint and whimsical ribbon laces make these shoes worthy of Oz.

Costume rendering of “Jack Pumpkinhead”, the man made of wood, old clothes, and a jack-o-lantern that Tip magically brings to life.

Actor Alex Smith in costume as “Jack Pumpkinhead” plus close ups of the head itself. The pumpkin is a lightweight hard foam, with a rigged inside painted black. When Alex put on the matching morph suit head, no one could see his face inside!

Actor Alex Smith amusing us as “Jack”. We needed to get the head in rehearsals as soon as possible for Alex, because wearing it meant he had absolutely no peripheral vision. He and I worked very closely to make sure the head was comfortable and safe on stage.

Close up of the inside of Jack’s head. 1. The cap inside is a modified snapback, sturdy and fully adjustable. 2. The wide strap is elastic, and secures once his head is inside via Velcro that aligns with the Velcro under the chin of the actor’s morph suit. 3. The acoustic foam filling the inside of the head keeps the rigging firmly in place, protects the actor should he fall, and directs the sound of his voice out of the pumpkin through the mouth without echoing.

Actor Olivia Wingate as another brand new character, “Mombi”, the vain and ever-aging witch that has kept Tip transfigured all these years. Obsessed with her own false grandeur, she is nasty and abuses Tip at every turn, before he finally steals some of her magic and runs away. Hair and makeup by Kim Berry

A close up of “Mombi” and all of the magical details of her accessories.

Meet “General Jin Jur”, played by Rachel Gallagher. Jin Jur is a spoiled brat who thinks she has all the answers as to how Oz should be run. She starts a girls-only rebellion and throws tantrums all the way. Her “uniform” is for fashion rather than function. She has a golden-edged military style jacket with flower epaulettes and purple glittered buttons to match her custom painted shoes and hat.

The rendering on the left is the original “Wogglebug” character concept. The sketch on the right is the redesign done after auditions, when we cast Amanda Breen and brought the character in a direction we hadn’t yet considered. Wogglebug is an almost androgynous female bug who is very highly educated. She was thrown out of university when they discovered she was a girl, and travels with the group to bring about change in Ozian government.

Wogglebug’s jacket tapers back into tails just like Scarecrow’s does, to echo the “beetle shell” shape but also to put her directly at odds with him. He fancies himself the smartest in Oz (with his wizard-given brain) and she challenges that. Flexible plastic strips bent to her lapels are reminiscent of dragonfly wings (a technique echoed on her shoes), and (pictured in the next group photo) an iridescent green/gold vest completes the buggy effect.

Wogglebug’s lace front wig features victory rolls (like the ensemble girls) to subtly tell the audience that she’ll be working through this war. They double as structure for her jeweled antennae.

Some of our cast on stage at an Evvy Awards rehearsal. The ensemble girls are all coordinated to the different colored regions of the Land of Oz. The bright colors in this show helped keep the Ozian feel while dealing with some much more mature themes.

6 of our 9 ensemble girls, all dressed head to toe in their home region’s color. The girls have a distinct early 1940’s feel on purpose. We looked at Oz as if the Wizard’s reign was the roaring 20’s, and him leaving was the crash. The Scarecrow has been making the Depression worse and worse and now the girls are ready to fight back and change their country. There is some new hope in the revolutions we see in this show.

Quick look at a concept sketch page for the Ozian girls. The lands of Oz are all known for different, specific traits and trades and I wanted to reflect that in their costumes.

A big priority for me on this show was the shoes. Perfect shoes can end up the last on the list for a show with a small budget, but if ever were land of perfect footwear it’s Oz. Each character had hand painted, hand embellished shoes to match their outfit, down to flower details and matching ribbon laces.

“Yellow Girl” Jenni Chapman and I after Marvelous Oz winning the Evvy for “Outstanding Costume Design”