Open Forum

The Wiz was the first show I directed when I started my Theatre program. As my program was in its infancy, I didn't have a huge budget either. After she was splashed with water, I had my student sink in a circular motion while she sold the melting through her acting. Then I had the other characters gather around to watch her once the audience had the idea. Her outer costume was easily removed, so view of her was obstructed, she removed it, left it onstage, and quickly escaped under the curtain. Once she was offstage, the actors moved to reveal the hat and dress left on the stage. Hope this is helpful.

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Hugh Fletcher
Performing Arts Coordinator
IS 229 Dr. Roland Patterson Middle School
Roosevelt NY
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Many many moons ago, when I *played* the Wicked Witch, I backed up to the curtain and a tech in long black gloves undid the back of my dress (velcro). I stepped out of it and a person on either side held the dress and I slowly sank down a bit and as the final moment, they dropped the dress and pushed my hat on top of it... it was very effective. ;-)

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Dorothy Pierce
Workshop Instructor/Drama
Edmonds Heights K-12
Edmonds, WA
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And adding a little stage fog - 'steam' off the melting witch - can help too.

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Bill Jacobsen
Drama Teacher / Curriculum Coordinator
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-07-2017 13:12
From: Dorothy Pierce
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

Many many moons ago, when I *played* the Wicked Witch, I backed up to the curtain and a tech in long black gloves undid the back of my dress (velcro). I stepped out of it and a person on either side held the dress and I slowly sank down a bit and as the final moment, they dropped the dress and pushed my hat on top of it... it was very effective. ;-)

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Dorothy Pierce
Workshop Instructor/Drama
Edmonds Heights K-12
Edmonds, WA
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I produced this show last year and built a platform. We didn't have a trap door, but a steep set of stairs at the back. The platform had a 7" lip at the front to help hide the witch and a vertical fog machine. I may be able to send pictures if you are interested in how we did it.

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Matthew Taylor
Elkins WV
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-08-2017 11:15
From: Bill Jacobsen
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

And adding a little stage fog - 'steam' off the melting witch - can help too.

------------------------------
Bill Jacobsen
Drama Teacher / Curriculum Coordinator
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-07-2017 13:12
From: Dorothy Pierce
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

Many many moons ago, when I *played* the Wicked Witch, I backed up to the curtain and a tech in long black gloves undid the back of my dress (velcro). I stepped out of it and a person on either side held the dress and I slowly sank down a bit and as the final moment, they dropped the dress and pushed my hat on top of it... it was very effective. ;-)

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Dorothy Pierce
Workshop Instructor/Drama
Edmonds Heights K-12
Edmonds, WA

About a million years ago (it seems) we "melted" the witch out of her castle by sliding her down a ramp. As she was "melting," she sand to her knees then her front as she slid down toward the wing. She lifted her hands to her head and nudged her hat off and slithered through the curtain. We had 2 4 x 8 foot wedges that were angled about 2 feet on one short end to the step that the casters created on the other. We turned them to show one long side for the cornfields in Kansas and Oz; the other long side for the enchanted apple grove where Dorothy meets the Tin Man and short 4 x 2 raised sides were painted for the witch's castle. (The floor was yellow brick road). A little fog machine, a little lighting, a couple of really good actresses, and everyone bought it.

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Leslie Weinstein
Monongahela PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-13-2017 09:48
From: Matthew Taylor
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

I produced this show last year and built a platform. We didn't have a trap door, but a steep set of stairs at the back. The platform had a 7" lip at the front to help hide the witch and a vertical fog machine. I may be able to send pictures if you are interested in how we did it.

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Matthew Taylor
Elkins WV
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-08-2017 11:15
From: Bill Jacobsen
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

And adding a little stage fog - 'steam' off the melting witch - can help too.

------------------------------
Bill Jacobsen
Drama Teacher / Curriculum Coordinator


Original Message:
Sent: 08-07-2017 13:12
From: Dorothy Pierce
Subject: Melting the witch in Oz

Many many moons ago, when I *played* the Wicked Witch, I backed up to the curtain and a tech in long black gloves undid the back of my dress (velcro). I stepped out of it and a person on either side held the dress and I slowly sank down a bit and as the final moment, they dropped the dress and pushed my hat on top of it... it was very effective. ;-)

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Dorothy Pierce
Workshop Instructor/Drama
Edmonds Heights K-12
Edmonds, WA

We built a small platform with the ramp on one side and the other was the "jail" for Dorothy to be locked into.  This solved having to have a door for the others to come through.
The ramp was painted as yellow brick road so audience could see the yellow brick road in Munchkinland.  I am unable to paint the stage floor.  
I put up flats on either side of the platform/ramp and hung a curtain.  Crew with a fog machine could stand behind flats.
Witch dropped to her knees and slid backwards and leaves the hat.  
since Dorothy just came out of the cage and platform is facing the audience - you fool the audience.

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Tammy Smith
Virginia Beach VA
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Funny how many of the responses have this common theme of being a low budget school, and we all chose to do Wizard of Oz/The Wiz. My goodness the technical requirements of this show were a nightmare. 

We had put some 'meta' into our production already, having Jitterbugs working the scene changes, making eye contact with the audience and mugging a little (not too much, but just enough), in order to sell the audience on 'Look, we're doing a musical. And we're using performers to move the scenery'. At one point in the play, after the heroes are quivering behind the huge rock as they scout out the witches castle, and the big fight happens with the witches guards, it looked like the jitterbugs had forgotten to come on and get the rock offstage. We held the stage in a silent still picture, lights up still, rock sitting there, for about 10-15 seconds. Then the rock just 'got up' and 'walked offstage' (Jitterbug hidden underneath). Generated one of the productions biggest laugh. 

The rolling under the curtain trick worked for us as well. The actress playing her did a fantastic job of 'melting' and then rolling under the curtain, but also drawing attention to the way it was done (which fit our overall production aesthetic. Or it was my first musical ever, and I didn't have the good ideas expressed above about using other actors to conceal her as she disappeared. Still, it worked. The audience loved it. 

Best of luck in cobbling together a solution from the excellent ideas shared already!

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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor

Etobicoke ON
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