Over the Rainbow - A CIS Infant School Production

The Colombo International School (CIS) will be staging their Infant Play Over the Rainbow on June 14 and 15 at the School Auditorium.

Over the Rainbow is a children's musical developed from the popular MGM screenplay and novel by Frank Baum The Wizard of OZ . The cast will consist of over 250 students which include students from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. The production will be a modern theatrical performance with the use of sophisticated LED video, providing the unique opportunity for the audience to experience the splendor of a production blended with the best of Talent and Technology. The musical includes a variety of dance, song and drama to keep your toes tapping along the yellow brick road while the attractive costumes add to the colour of the production.

Directed by Amanda Rajesh, Choreographed by Shanika Weerasinghe and Musical Direction by Chrishanthy Anthony, staff of CIS and all of whom are members of staff at CIS.

The story is as follows, Dorothy is a young orphaned girl being raised by her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em on a Kansas farm against a dreary backdrop of dry, gray prairies. Her one source of happiness is her little dog Toto. One day the farmhouse is caught up in a tornado and swept away with Dorothy and Toto inside and lands in a field in Munchkin Country. The falling house kills the evil ruler of the Munchkins, the Wicked Witch of the East.

The Good Witch of the North accompanied by the Munchkins comes to greet Dorothy. The Good Witch presents her with the Ruby Shoes that the Wicked Witch had been wearing when she was killed. These shoes are believed to posses magical properties. Dorothy wants to return to Kansas, and in order to do that the Good Witch tells her she will have to go to the 'Emerald City' and ask the Wizard of Oz to help her.

Dorothy sets off down the Road of Yellow Bricks, and on her way frees the scarecrow from the pole he is hanging on and restores the movements of the rusted Tin Woodman with an oil can.

She invites the two of them along with the Cowardly Lion to join her and Toto on their journey to the Emerald City. They gladly go along with her because the Scarecrow wants to get himself a brain, the Tin Woodman, a heart and the Cowardly Lion wants to find courage. This little band of friends experience adventures and battle evil spells on their way to the Emerald City.

When they finally arrive there, the Wizard of Oz agrees to help each of them - but only if one of them kills the Wicked Witch of the West and brings him her broomstick. As the friends travel across the Winkie Country the Wicked Witch sends her Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy.

The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Lion come up with a brilliant plan to save Dorothy from the Witch's castle, proving that they already possessed within themselves what they had set out to look for - a brain, a heart and courage. When the Witch tries to take Toto away, Dorothy angrily grabs a bucket of water and throws it on her. To her amazement, this causes the Witch to simply melt away. The Winkies rejoice at being freed of the Witch's tyranny and hand her the broomstick.

When Dorothy and her friends meet the Wizard of Oz again, he tries to put them off. A brave guard pulls down a curtain revealing the Wizard to be an ordinary old man who had journeyed to Oz long ago in a hot air balloon. The Wizard has been longing to return to his home ever since.