Team The Wiz is leaving for Liberia on Tuesday! This started when Tamlyn, Executive Director, Broadway Artists Connection (“BAC”) asked at our board meeting in December, “Who wants to go with me to Liberia?” and I said, “I’d go with you.” Of course, we didn’t think much more of it until the official request came in January from the International Children’s Network (“ICN”). They wanted us to launch the first theatrical production in Liberia! Tamlyn and I chatted, decided on a musical, and began putting together our team. In the last 7 months, auditions have been via video, we commit to our weekly production team calls, we’ve made costumes, drafted set designs, edited the script and music, decided to do a documentary, and most importantly plan to not plan to go into the unknown.
The experience has already been life-changing for me. This is the first musical I am directing in 20 years of directing; my first time going across the Atlantic; and the first time I have been on a flight that’s longer than 5 hours. The excitement and anxiety is real. However, my mantra is “we are doing service through theatre” and at the end of the day it’s about these fabulous young people. So as I ease on down the road via a very long flight, I know that home isn’t far away and that I am fortunate. #gratitude
We’d love for you to be a part of the launch of the Matsiko Liberian National Theatre. Below is a story from ICN and the Matsiko World Choir about Benitta who is our Dorothy. You can learn more about the show in Tamlyn’s words through to our fundraising page which includes videos and the rest of our team (Aaron Sanko, Amy Dolan-Fletcher, and James Cooper). And with that, I thank you.
Malini Singh mcdonald 