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Children‘s drama workshop follows the yellow brick road F I This one‘s for the kids. Or, in Leske Hill‘s case, the kids at heart. The director of the Kâ€"W Children‘s Drama Workshop couldn‘t be more excited about the group‘s spring production of The Wizard of O0z, opening its threeâ€"day run Friday at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener. "I‘ve always wanted to do The Wizard of Oz at some point," she said. "And that‘s because I‘m still a kid myself. I get carried away with the story." Based on L. Frank Baum‘s children‘s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the play tells the story of young Dorothy Gale who is attempting to run away when a twister strikes. Dorothy is knocked unconâ€" scious and her house â€" with Dorothy and her dog Toto inside â€" qs lifted up into the funnel cloud and deposited squarely on top of the nowâ€"deceased Wicked Witch of the East in Munchkin City, in the Land of Oz. Wanting nothing more than to return home, Dorathy is advised to follow the yellow brick road, which will lead her to the mysteriâ€" ous Wizard of Oz. Along the way she meets three new friends â€" the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion â€" who are all in search of help from the wizard. After overcoming adverâ€" sity in the form of the Wicked Witch of the West, the quartet reaches Oz, meets the wizard. and learns more than a few lessons. _ . "I love the whole fantaâ€" sy," Hill said. "The magical aspect where things can just appear. then disappear in a puff of smoke. "We‘re actually trying to By Anorea Baicey Chronicle Staff _ simulate the smoke scenes. I hope it will work properly. You never know with smoke. It will go where it wants." Members of the Kâ€"W Children‘s Drama Workshop rehearse a scene from The Wizard of Oz. While many theatre groups put a modern spin on fairy tale classics, when it came to directing The Wizard of Oz, Hill chose to stick to the traditional script. "The story took place in 1939, and 1 decided to stick with that era as much as possible," Hill said. "I went out and bought fedoras because, at that time, all the ladies wore gloves and hats and the gents also wore hats. "A few of the kids asked me, ‘What‘s a fedora?‘" Some cast members also ARTS FOCUS suBMITTEO PHOTO wanted to update parts of the story, Hill said. "They‘ve got a different spin on it," she said. "Some of them asked, ‘What if we did this?" One of them even asked, "Couldn‘t we do this like a rap?‘" Hill said it‘s important to stay with tradition for the younger members of the audience. "I go for the little guys," she said. "And if they‘ve seen the movie, you can be sure they‘ll pick out the disâ€" crepancies if you don‘t folâ€" low the script to the letter. Hill added with a laugh, "The only part of the play that‘s different is that my scarecrow is wearing green pants, instead of brown like in the movie. I‘m hoping no one picks that out." The show features a number of local talents including Waterloo‘s Kathryn Lawler and Katie Billo, who share the role of Dorothy. "They both sing Someâ€" where Over the Rainbow, and they both do a great job," Hill said. Filling out Waterioo‘s contribution to the cast are Dora Guzina (Cowardly Lion}, Oscar Kovac (Guard of the Gates}, John McGill (Scarecrow), Kelly Roberts (Wicked Witch of the West), Brendan Steven (Cowardly Lion}. Alex Opperman (Scarecrow}, and Addison Farmer (Toto). "We had so many kids join last fall that I didn‘t know what to do with them all," Hill said. "So I decided to make double roles and have two of each character. That way if one kid gets sick, there‘s another to take his or her place." Togel)fer. Hill said, the group has successfully capâ€" tured the moral of the story. "The moral of this story is that if you run from your troubles, you can end up in lots of adventures," she said. "Dorothy‘s lucky she ended up with just one wicked witch and many friends to help her through. "It‘s great if kids can enjoy a story, and actually learn something from it." The Wizard of Oz runs Friday through Sunday at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children $7 for seniors/students. The play is not suitable for children under two years old. Tickets are available by calling 725â€"3586, or at the Waterloo Community Aris Centre, Words Worth Books and the Kâ€"W Bookstore. The KW Philharmonic Youth Choir will be holding a concert this Saturday at St. John The Evangelist Church, located at 23 Water St. in Kitchener, at 7:30 _ Tickets are available at the door, as well as through the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578â€"1570. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $5 for children and eyeGO students. The Cambridge girls choir will be holding audiâ€" tions in June for its 2004â€"2005 season. Founded in 1981, this choir of eightâ€"19â€"yearâ€"old singers from throughout the Region of Waterloo helps youth to develop a keen appreciation of music through singing choral music in varying styles during concerts and tours. For more information or an application form, contact Peter West at 894â€"9810. The Robert Langen Art Gallery is hosting the 29th annual juried exhibition of the Waterloo Potter‘s Workshop until May 27. o Nine awards were given at a reception, including the prestigious Ontario Crafts Council Design Award, which went to Janice Ditner for her work, Leaves In The Water. The exhibition showcases works by members of the Waterloo Potters‘ Workshop that have been selected by a juror. o "We are extremely lucky and proud to have been selected as the site of this year‘s exhibition," said Deborah Currie, manager of cultural affairs. "Some of the best potters in the region compete and the qualiâ€" ty of works says a lot about the talent." _ Established in 1967, the workshop holds pottery lessons for adults and children and two sales annualâ€" ly, in addition to the juried exhibition. In recent years, the exhibit has been hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Art Gailery, Homer Watson House and Gallery and the Harbinger Gallery. As Wilfrid Laurier‘s visual arts centre since 1989, the Robert Langen Art Gallery provides knowledge, stewardship, appreciation, and enjoyment of Canaâ€" dian art and culture to the local community. The gallery is located in the John Aird Centre and is open from noon to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturâ€" day. Admission to the gallery is free. KW Philharmonic youth choir holds concert Cambridge girls choir holding auditions WLU pottery exhibit ends tomorrow