Alberta Theatre Projects follows the yellow brick road into its biggest holiday show ever

If you suddenly landed in Oz, who would you be? Not who you hope you’d be, but the character you actually see staring back at you in the mirror. It is the kind of question that unlocks something about this story, something Alberta Theatre Projects is tapping into with its massive new holiday staging of The Wizard of Oz. 

For director and choreographer Tracey Power, that mirror quality is the magic.

“I love the characters that are in the story,” she says. “It is a story of friendship, of family, of adventure. And what better way to celebrate the holidays than a good adventure story with good friends.”

This production is the largest in ATP’s 50-year history. A core cast of 12 a youth ensemble of 10 and two alternating dogs as Toto fill the Martha Cohen Theatre.

The company even built Emerald City in partnership with Calgarians who dropped off hundreds of recycled items. Old bicycles, cake pans, yogurt tubs, wooden spoons and tin cans have all been transformed into the bright, chaotic world over the rainbow.

Power has choreographed The Wizard of Oz twice before, but this is her first time directing it; that shift gives her the chance to reshape it in her own way.

“I get to bring my vision to the piece,” she says. “As a choreographer, I am always trying to match the director’s vision so it becomes seamless. So it is nice to come to this piece with a vision of my own and a team of my own that I can bring together on this adventure.”

It also gives her room to lean into Dorothy as a rare centerpiece. A young girl at the heart of one of the most enduring stories of the 20th century matters even more now, as another generation discovers Oz through the new Wicked films. Power felt that resonance in the rehearsal hall every day, especially with eight girls in the youth ensemble.

“When I grew up, there wasn’t as many stories that empowered women,” she says. “I was often following a male lead in a story. So I think now there are more stories that have young women at the center of them. It is incredible for me to see that and witness that and be a part of bringing this story to young audiences and young women in particular.”

Behind the costumes, that humanity is just as important. Costume designer Ralamy Kneeshaw made an early decision with Power that the audience needed to see the people under the makeup, especially in a show where every character is larger than life.

“We wanted the human faces to come through,” she says. “Ultimately we see ourselves in all of these characters and I think that has a lot of power, especially for the kids.”

That idea shaped everything from the gentle hint of Tin Man makeup to the way the youth ensemble is dressed. Kneeshaw resisted the common impulse to turn children into miniature adults. Instead, she leaned into nostalgia with vintage touches and a little bit of carnival colour.

“The Munchkins are a delightful group of youth,” she says. “There is a wonderful vintage 1960s dress. They have a vibe that is beachy because there are lots of stripes, but also delightfully a bit clownish. They look like exuberant little creatures.”

The biggest challenge was designing costumes that could survive the amount of dancing this show requires.

“Everyone is on the floor at some point, so you cannot be precious with the costumes,” she says. Her original Tin Man was more restrictive, but that disappeared once rehearsals began. “Our Tin Man is an amazing dancer. We had to completely rethink the Tin Man and allow him to do all the movement he does but still have that feel of the vintage Tin Man.”

Then there are the dogs. Two Cairn Terriers, Duncan and Breezy, share the role of Toto, each with a wildly different personality.

“Breezy is very excitable. Her tail is always wagging. Duncan is more laid back,” Power says. Watching the actors learn each dog’s rhythms became its own rehearsal subplot; so did watching the dogs learn what lands with an audience. “Once they know what they are supposed to do and if they hear people respond, then they get excited to do that.”

It is that blend of spectacle and small human details that anchor ATP’s Oz. Big dance numbers like Munchkinland and Jitterbug are packed with bodies and colour. The cast moves through an Emerald City built out of Calgary’s donated odds and ends. And under all of it, the story stays rooted in something recognizable: Bravery, curiosity, friendship, the long walk toward finding your place.

The Wizard of Oz runs until Jan. 4 at the Martha Cohen Theatre.

More information and tickets can be found here.