07/07/2025
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!
For The Rage of the Stage Players 24th year, we are presenting what is arguably our most āPOP-u-larā production, "Dorothy in Oz", written by Pittsburgh playwright James Michael Shoberg! The play celebrated its world premiere in Pittsburgh, PA, in September 2009, and has gone on to be produced both nationally and internationally, including premieres in New York City and London. The 2011 revival of this uproarious comedy features an updated script with brand-new jokes and āEaster eggsā for āOzā fans, so even if youāve seen it before, you HAVENāT seen it before!
"Dorothy in Oz" will also have one Sunday matinee performance (a rarity for our company) after which we will host an audience talkback with the cast and playwright (a FIRST for our company)!
GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY! LIMITED SEATING!
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The Rage of the Stage Players
Shamelessly Present:
"Dorothy in Oz"
By Pittsburgh Playwright
James Michael Shoberg
Inspired by Characters Created By
L. Frank Baum
August 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, *10, 14, AND 15
*Sunday, August 10 will be a special 2:00 PM matinee performance followed by a talkback with the cast and playwright!
Margaret Partee Performing Arts Center
523 Lincoln Avenue
Bellevue, PA 15202
Curtain: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $25.00 / $20.00 (WITH STUDENT ID)
rageofthestage.com/tickets
For more information:
[email protected]
rageofthestage.com
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SYNOPSIS:
"Dorothy in Oz" is a skewed take on L. Frank Baumās beloved American fairy tale, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". The productionās dark and mature humor, riddled with āEaster eggsā, parodies the original childrenās novel, the 1939 film, "The Wiz" (1978), "Return to Oz" (1985), and even "Wicked"!
Set in the āOzlin Centerā, a Kansas mental facility, the play follows a bipolar Dorothy (Dottie) Gale, whoās involuntarily committed by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. While hospitalized, sheās treated with an experimental drug called āCyclozilā, which causes her to hallucinate a twisted version of the hospital, simply called āOzā. While in her drug-induced delirium, Dottie encounters a ditzy therapist named Glinda and discovers that her only chance to be released is to seek out the hospitalās mysterious chief administratorāāThe Great Ozā, himself. Sheās instructed to follow the dingy yellow floor tiles on her journey through a veritable madhouse, where sheās joined by āSkarekrowā (two Ks) a drug-addicted goth-rocker; Rusty, a pierced, axe-wielding biker with severe anger issues; and Mr. Lyons, a sexually-frustrated deviant, searching for a prescription to give him a little ācourageā below the belt. However, if coping with the quirks of her three new companions isnāt difficult enough, Dottie also attracts the attention of the Wicked Witch of the West Wing, a crazed doctor, who sends three of her cronies: Twitch, Grunt, and Swish, each the subject of one of her experiments, to capture Dottie for her own purposes.
(IM)Mature content and adult humor. Think of it as a āchildrenās play for grown-upsā.
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Cast (In Order of Appearance):
DOTTIE
Chelsey Gooch
AUNT EM
Linda Baker
VOICE ON THE HOSPITAL INTERCOM
Ryan Ott
MRS. GOODE/GLINDA
Carrie L. Shoberg
DR. GREEN/THE WICKED WITCH
OF THE WEST WING
Jen James
SKAREKROW
Luke Frederick
RUSTY
Mike Psenick
MR. LYONS
Bill Herring
GRUNT
Justin Havens
TWITCH
Anthony Babeaux
SWISH
Jamez Draconis II
MS. GATES
Lily V. Sixx
THE GREAT OZ/DR. OZLIN
Matthew Grimm
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PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR
James Michael Shoberg
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/STAGE MANAGER
Rachel Roach
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("Dorothy in Oz" stage play logo by Greg Lightner.)
