We’re off to see the Wizard…If you love "The Wizard Of Oz", this will be a good week. As Rick Bentley of the Fresno Bee puts it… "for the next week – you won’t be able to swing a Munchkin without hitting an "Oz" lover."
Read Rick Bentley’s Coverage of the week HERE…
A national touring company of "The Wizard of Oz" will play the Saroyan Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday. For more info and tickets, click HERE… There are also performances of "Return to Oz," through Saturday, at Fresno State.
Learn more from Fresno State News by clicking HERE…
Read Donald Munro’s Coverage HERE…
Currently there’s an exhibition at the Henry Madden Library’s Leon S Peters Gallery, Shirley Harnish Brinker Gallery and Arne Nixon Center reading room on the campus of Fresno State. Included in the exhibit are various items representing the wide range of entertainment provided by all incarnations which have sprung out of the original ideas of L. Frank Baum. There are costumes, art and books, and memorabilia from the world of "Oz". It’s free to the public, and is open 10AM-5PM weekdays, 1PM-5PM on Saturday and 2PM-5PM on Sunday. The exhibit concludes on May 21st.
It’s all a precursor to the big event, the OZ BOOKS CONFERENCE AT FRESNO STATE, which runs May 14th – May 16th, and is part of the 2010 National Convention of the Wizard Of Oz Club. The event includes such events as L. Frank Baum’s great grandson, Robert Baum, reading letters from the author, exhibitions, and a variety of speakers on such topics as “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Modernized Fairy Tale”, “Silver Slippers or Ruby Shoes—That is the Question”, “Eroticism in the Emerald City: The Awakening of Dorothy’s Sexuality in Oz as Discussed in Alan Moore’s Lost Girls”, “Girlish Boys and Boyish Girls: Oz Characters as Experienced by Gay Oz Fans”, “L. Frank Baum and Harriet Beecher Stowe: Using Sentimentalism to Inspire a Female Audience”, “The Dualities of Wicked” and a performance of “Time Again in Oz,” directed by J. Daniel Herring, Speech Arts Building, John Wright Theatre, followed by a meeting with the cast of the play. This is but a sampling of the many events offered during the conference, which includes the author of "Wicked", Gregory Maguire.
Learn more about the Oz Books Conference by clicking HERE
And on Saturday night, May 15th, the North Tower Circle will host the Official Party for the OZ BOOKS CONFERENCE AT FRESNO STATE, the OZ PARTY. Admission is free and includes an OZ inspired nightclub, Exclusive performances, a "Twister" competition and guests from the OZ BOOKS CONFERENCE. The party starts at the North Tower Circle at 10PM, with doors @7PM.
So take some time to participate and appreciate all the wonderful OZ inspired events in Fresno this week. No need to go out of town to revel in the world of OZ, because, there’s no place like home…
