Tag Archives: Wizard of Oz

Ortiz Earns Obie Award for His “The Woodsman” Puppet Designs

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James Ortiz is a real puppet master…

James Ortiz

The Latino actor, director, writer and puppet designer has received an award at the 61st annual Obie Awards, established by the Village Voice to acknowledge achievement in off-Broadway theater.

The Woodsman

Ortiz picked up the award for his puppet designs for New World Stages’ production of The Woodsman, the one-of-a-kind show Ortiz created that tells the tale of the Tin Man, the woman he loved, and the witch that would stop at nothing to keep them apart.

It’s Strangemen and Co.’s critically acclaimed take on one of America’s original fairy tales, the Wizard of Oz.

The Woodsman

The Village Voice now runs the Obies with the American Theatre Wing, which also co-presents the Tony Awards (with the Broadway League).

The ceremony was held Monday evening at Webster Hall and hosted by Lea DeLaria.

Ortiz serves as the co-artistic director of Strangemen & Co. His design/directorial credits include The Tempest (DC Shakespeare), SeaWife (Naked Angels), Mercury Fur (The New Group), King Lear (Delacorte Theater in Central Park), Ludic Proxy (Soho Rep), King Lear (Theatre for a New Audience), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Place Players), Miss Lilly Gets Boned (Studio 42), My Base and Scurvy Heart (Studio 42) and An Intimate Evening with Typhoid Mary (Glass Bandits).

Arjona Lands Lead Role in NBC’s “Wizard of Oz” Drama “Emerald City”

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There’s no place like home for Adria Arjona…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican/Guatemalan has landed her first series lead.

Adria Arjona

She’s been cast as Dorothy in Emerald City, NBC’s 10-episode straight-to-series Wizard of Oz drama.

The casting follows Arjona’s previous television credits. She recently scored her first series regular role in TNT’s untitled Miami drama and her first recurring stints on CBS’ Person of Interest and the upcoming season of HBO’s True Detective.

Emerald City, originally developed during the 2013-14 season, was recently resurrected with a new writer/executive producer, David Schulner. He is now joined by Shaun Cassidy, who also will serve as executive producer.

In Emerald City, in the blink of a tornado’s eye, 20-year-old Dorothy Gale (Arjona) and her K9 police dog are transported to another world, one far removed from our own — a mystical land of competing kingdoms, lethal warriors, dark magic and a bloody battle for supremacy. This is the fabled Land of Oz in a way you’ve never seen before, where wicked witches don’t stay dead for long and a young girl becomes a headstrong warrior who holds the fate of kingdoms in her hands.

Described as a modern and dark reimagining of the classic tale of Oz in the vein of Game Of Thrones, drawing upon stories from Baum’s original 14 books, Emerald City hails from Universal Television.

Michele & Darren Criss Perform “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” at Taste For A Cure Benefit

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Lea Michele is doing her part offer a musical taste for the cure…

The 27-year-old part-Spanish actress/singer and her Glee co-star Darren Criss joined voices at the 19th annual “Taste For A Cure” benefit gala to help raise more than $700,000 for UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center at the Beverly Wilshire Friday night.

Lea Michele & Darren Criss

As an all-star crowd of Hollywood elite dined on a sumptuous menu paired with 14 distinguished vintages from six of France’s premier wine-making regions, Criss asked who in the audience would donate to hear Michele join him on stage for a duet.

Co-chair Dana Walden bid $5,000 and the pair performed a touching version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.

Michele voices Dorothy in the new animated Oz-inspired movie, Legends Of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.

She posted a snippet of the performance on Instagram and wrote, “And then this happened!”

In all, more than 450 guests attended the event, which also included the participation of How I Met Your Mother’s Alyson Hannigan, Community’sJoel McHale and actor/comedian Tom Papa.