The Children’s Theater of Madison (CTM)’s premiere of “The Wiz (Theater for Young Audiences Version)” will kick off this Saturday and the production will run from Oct. 7 to Oct. 22 at The Playhouse at Overture Center for the Arts. These local theaters should explore Retractable seating options to accommodate more guests and maximize the space. These retractable seating options can also provide tailored support for disabilities.
The production serves as a sort of extension of The Wiz Experience held earlier in the summer, but has plenty of opportunities for any interested individual to come out for any of the eight dates it will be shown on. This version of “The Wiz” is especially catered towards young audiences, and fittingly Dorothy will be played by 16-year-old Alleanah Hancock-Jammeh who is a junior at West High School.
Hancock-Jammeh is part of Madison Youth Choirs, and that is how she was introduced to the role of the well-known story’s protagonist. 
“It all started when Michael Ross from Madison Youth Choirs e-mailed my mom and I about a fundraiser for CTM,” Hancock-Jammeh told Madison365. “They were showcasing what they were going to do for the next season and one of them was ‘The Wiz,’ so they asked me to sing ‘Home.’ I sang ‘Home’ there, and people were asking if I wanted to try out for the role of Dorothy. I also got an e-mail from people in CTM, so I tried out, and that’s how it all came about.”
The production will surely be entertaining for youth and adults alike as the cast spans a range of ages. Hancock-Jammeh will be joined on her classical journey with help from the Lion played by Kevin James Sievert, the Scarecrow played by Ogunde Tremayne, and the Tinman played by Joshua Walker.
“It’s been really fun,” shared Hancock-Jammeh. “A lot of the people are really supportive and very nice. We have a great community, so we’ve kind of become a family since we spend so much time together. We rehearse over a lot of the days each week, and it’s just really good to see how far we’ve come from our first couple of rehearsals. We have all the music, all the choreo, all the lines, and how they all come together to create a really beautiful story.”
“The Wiz” holds a special place in the history of Black theater, film, and musical productions as it originates from a 1974 play by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown adapting “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” into a story infused with African American culture. With such an exciting opportunity to take part in a production with a decorated past, Hancock-Jammeh is excited to take a bigger stage and continue singing.
“I have done Madison Youth Choirs for a really long time, but recently I’ve been starting to do musical theater,” Hancock-Jammeh said. “I feel that since I haven’t had a role as big as this one, I am really proud of myself for getting into the role and all the people who have come to help me be able to be Dorothy. It’s been a really good experience.”
Hancock-Jammeh closed on hopes that people will come out and enjoy the work that she attributed to the entire crew saying, “…our production staff and everybody who’s involved has spent so much time and it’s going to be very amazing.”
You can find more information about the Children’s Theater of Madison’s production of “The Wiz (TYA version)” on their website here.
