So You Wanted To Meet The Wizard?

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Debbie Kerrick, Tina Tippit and Bill Brown holding original Broadway poster for THE WIZ.[/caption]

“It is certainly not every day that the author of such an acclaimed musical offers to come visit with junior high school students to discuss his experience,” says Greenwich Country Day School Choral Director, Debbie Blake Kerrick, when Bill Brown, book writer of the musical The Wiz paid a visit. Bill and his wife, Tina Tippit, joined me onstage at the strikingly impressive on-campus Performing Arts Center. GCDS is the largest independent K-9 school in the country.

The 127 students that make up the cast and crew were expecting a rehearsal for their upcoming March production of The Wiz one recent Wednesday morning, but instead were treated to these guest visitors. Bill was the man of the hour regaling stories of the inception of the musical, his many industry collaborators, and now-famous stars of the 1975 Tony Award-winning show. Although many of the names referenced — Hinton Battle, Geoffrey Holder, Stephanie Mills, Andre De Shields — may not have meant a lot to these 7th, 8th and 9th grade students, the adults in the audience were enthralled — and the students knew they were experiencing something special. To end the day, Bill took great pleasure in hinting at some upcoming news that might bring The Wiz back to Broadway in a fresh and dynamic way.

We’re wishing the students of GCDS the best of luck as they open their own production. Stay tuned for photos, and more announcements regarding the hopeful (and highly anticipated) Broadway revival.

Interested in producing The Wiz at your school or theatre company? Samuel French is here to help! Check out our The Wiz’s latest rental packages, which includes an enhanced Piano/Conductor score as well as new user-friendly vocal chorus books.

Feature photo: The original Broadway cast; Hinton Battle, Stephanie Mills, Ted Ross, and Tiger Haynes.