Show goes beyond Yellow Brick Road
In Camille Martens’ Oz, a lion leaps Cirque-like into the air, winged monkeys lift their legs above their heads, and black leotard-clad bodies contort into the shape of a spider.
The Emerald City sparkles in all its green glory while balls and hula hoops are tossed in the air, then caught in perfectly choreographed moves.
And that’s just a taste of what’s to come when Okanagan Rhythmic Gymnastics present The Wizard of Oz at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre next weekend.
One look around Martens’ giant warehouse in the BX, equipped with Olympic sub floor which absorbs impact, and it’s obvious we’re not in Kansas anymore.
The founder and leader of Okanagan Rhythmic Gymnastics, Martens, is a former Olympian who competed at the ‘96 Games in Atlanta, and is taking a break from training her young athletes for competition to put on one of the most beloved tales of all time.
An original creation, based both on the Frank Baum children’s book, with some aspects of the 1939 film, the gymnasts’ Wizard of Oz uses a unique fusion of drama, acrobatics, dance and Cirque-du-Soleil-like story telling.
“This is different from the script. We’ve pulled from both versions and have amplified some scenes for fun,” said Martens, who not only directs and choreographs the show, but stars as the Wicked Witch, and is still as spry as ever.
“This is neat for me,” she added, watching as her students head into their third hour of rehearsal. “In a high-level sport there is so much competition, so it’s nice to branch into the art world. These kids have such amazing skills, and this a way to show what they can do away from competition. They feel empowered as they are artists and to bring art into sport is important because it makes you a better athlete.”
The show features some of the club’s younger members, ages five to seven, playing Munchkins and other characters, while intermediate athletes, eight to 11, play more anchor roles such as Emerald City characters and the aforementioned spiders, while some of the club’s top-ranked athletes take on a variety of roles.
Kiah Ward, playing one of the witch’s flying monkeys, is ranked fifth in Canada, while Rylee Haubrich, as the Scarecrow, is a member of the national team, which ranked 15th in this year’s world championships.
“Rylee was actually supposed to be on a 11-country tour, but she wanted to be in our show instead,” said Martens.
Tamsin Lourens has come all the way from Winnipeg to train with Martens and is taking on the role of the Lion, while Tin Man, Brie-Anne McPherson, who is currently studying at the University of Victoria, is returning to her hometown to be a part of the show.
Armstrong’s Mia Herault takes on the role of Dorothy, while BX Elementary School student Megan Hamilton is Dorothy’s lovable pet Toto.
“Some of the kids picked their parts and two of our top competitors (Ward and Kelsey Anderson) are monkeys as they wanted to do more gymnastics,” said Martens.
Members of the community have also joined the foray.
Ballet dancer and visual artist Chiara Costa, who originally hails from Brazil, is playing a witch and is helping with makeup, while Calista Ward, who has three daughters in the show, also plays a witch, and is helping teach the girls ballet and is boosting their spirits, while Bob Scott is the multi-faceted Wizard, who has one of the only speaking roles, besides the narration at the beginning of the show.
“This is like a ballet or an Italian opera,” said Martens. “We have had a good time doing this together and have received some great ideas that we’ve tried to incorporate in the show.”
“The kids love it so much,” added Ward. “This kind of thing can shape the rest of their lives. They are completely dedicated to it."
Local set and lighting designer Dave Brotsky, with help from Camille’s father Jim Martens, has created a magical world, complete with monolithic columns (originally used as Stonehenge in last year’s Celtic Connection concert), a spider throne, and a literally dazzling Emerald City, and says he has been just as impressed with what he has seen.
“The quality of work displayed by these high-performance athletes is truly amazing,” said Brotsky. “It’s high energy, gravity defying, deeply disciplined, and amazingly inventive. The production is not a sport demonstration event, but rather a gripping theatrical event seamlessly blending their rhythmic gymnastic elements with dance, story, full costumes, scenery and lighting – a real feast for the eyes.”
The Wizard of Oz, opens Friday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m., and continues Saturday, with two shows at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 adults, $12 for seniors/students, and $50 for a family (two adults and two-to-three children, available by phone or in person only) at the Ticket Seller box office in the Performing Arts Centre, 549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.
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