Farragut teen has key role in KCHS’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’
However, that’s a good thing.
Carter Harris, 16, a Knoxville Catholic High School sophomore, will portray the Tinman in the upcoming KCHS production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
“I’m very excited, and there is a lot of excitement throughout (the cast),” he said, as performances run Friday through Sunday, March 3-5, and Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11, in the school’s new St. Gregory the Great Auditorium, 9245 Fox Lonas Road.
“It’s a great community here,” Harris added about the school’s theatre group. “There’s a great motto, ‘One theater, one family.’
“It’s a great honor to be able to play the Tinman since it’s such an iconic story and a fun role.”
Harris said he most liked the stories surrounding the character and the challenge of the part. As the Tinman does not have a heart, he said the challenge lies in “how to effectively communicate that to theater goers.”
Opening night begins with a dinner at 5:30 p.m., Friday, March 3, followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue beginning 2 p.m., Saturday, March 4, and 2 p.m., Sunday, March 5. The following weekend’s performances start at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March, 10, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 11.
In addition to Harris, other lead cast members are Mia Winchester as Dorothy, Cayden Leftwich as Scarecrow, Nathan Cozart as the Lion, Madison Mounts as Glinda and Gracie Guest as Wicked Witch of the West.
“‘The Wizard of Oz’ was the first play I was in, as a 9-year-old,” said Jessica Magers-Rankin, KCHS Theatre/Fine Arts Department chair. “A college near where I grew up was doing it, and they were looking for kids to play the Munchkins.
Since joining the faculty at KCHS, “I knew that as soon as we could, I wanted to produce ‘Wizard of Oz’ with our KCHS students as the leads and the ensemble, with students from our foundation schools playing the Munchkins,” Magers-Rankin said.
“We have a fantastic cast and crew made up of KCHS students and youth ensemble made up of students from St. Mary’s Oak Ridge, St. John Neumann, Sacred Heart Cathedral School and St. Joseph School,” the director added.
“I’m so proud of all of the students involved in this production, but especially Gracie Guess (junior), who is our lighting designer; Eliza Noell (senior), who is our scenic artist; and Felicity Hunt (senior), who is our dance captain and assistant choreographer. These young ladies are all incredibly talented artists.”
Tickets are $15 each for adults and $10 each for students.
For tickets with reserved seating, visit: https://kchs.regfox.com/wizard?fbclid=IwAR26cvoHOU5KHqUc7K4ifEKsG_3GuIVDIhJivHUNOuDn5CG4S7585o-4saY
For dinner (pasta, salad, breadsticks and dessert) and Wine Pull Fundraiser tickets, visit: https://kchs.ticketspice.com/irish-arts-dinner-a-show?fbclid=IwAR1YzmCGlUT4lc8aRCf6pOnSwxOqn1wKCubHYekHBD-c3H2wQYH_ayN7y6w
