“Home is always best, home is where the heart is.”
A timeless message at the heart of Sonwa Sakuba Productions’ children’s musical, The Wizard of Oz, which runs at the Guild Theatre from April 3 to 5.
Kansas farm girl Dorothy and her faithful dog Toto are swept away by a tornado to the magical Land of Oz, where they befriend a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion on a journey home down the Yellow Brick Road.
Along the way, they face wicked witches, flying monkeys and wizardly illusions in this timeless tale of courage, friendship and self-discovery.
Sonwa Sakuba, 33, director, producer and choreographer, chose The Wizard of Oz in 2024, inspired by the popularity of the Wicked movie released — an adaptation of the 2003 musical Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz.
“I wanted to do something for the kids, I had parents like ‘We need to keep our kids busy, they love this’ and I knew, OK cool, Wicked is everywhere right now, and it’s based on the Wizard of Oz,” he said.
They are using a version of the show written by Jennifer Reif and presented by special arrangement with Drama Notebook.
Sakuba said: “It also has this beautiful message to it, which is very relevant right now.
“Everybody wants to leave home and go somewhere else, saying the grass is greener but it’s not always the case, which is what Dorothy finds out herself.”
Rehearsals started in February. Sakuba said of the cast of 50 children, aged from 6 to 18, only two characters were portrayed by adults.
The Tin Man is played by Asekhona Gila with Masande Blenjana as the Lion.
Dorothy is played by Clarendon Primary School grade 7 pupil Lihlombe Skelenge, 13.
“She has a beautiful voice, our first audition is the singing and she came in with such strong confidence, I knew ‘OK, this is something different’. I have never seen a young girl sing like this.
“When we let her read [the part of Dorothy in the script], she read so well with the other characters, she fits the cast very well. She studies drama, she’s in the choir, she is quite a creative person.
“Likewise with our Wicked Witch Tyla Miles, who is also in grade 7 at Clarendon, I’m blown away by her talent.
“She is phenomenal, the way she performed the Wicked Witch is better than most adults.
“Our entire cast has worked so hard, we have a week, I am so proud of them.”
The Guild stage is now a flurry of set-building in the last stretch before opening night.
“I’m slightly losing my mind,” he teased.
“A lot of my clothes are full of paint, we are at the theatre every day, all you hear is doef doef doef — the set construction is going crazy!
“I changed my mind on Dorothy’s house yesterday because I didn’t like how it looked.
“It’s a crazy time right now but hopefully, it will come together as it usually does.”
Sakuba also launched the Stage for Change campaign on World Theatre Day on Thursday, a call to the public to help bring children from disadvantaged backgrounds to the theatre.
“With the school holidays, we would like to bring kids from various neighbouring townships to come enjoy the magic of theatre.
“Most of these kids have never seen a stage production or even been to the theatre before.
“Donations for each child are R150 which includes a show ticket, tour of the Guild Theatre, transportation to and from the theatre as well as a snack during the show.
“Theatre and the performing arts changed my entire life and I’ve gone on to do things that I never imagined as a young kid from Mdantsane.
“Hopefully, an experience of this nature will spark a life-changing experience for all the kids who benefit from it.”
- For more information on how to donate to Stage for Change, contact Sakuba on 063-427-9069 or ssakuba@sonwasakuba.co.za else go to Facebook.
- The Wizard of Oz will be at the Guild Theatre from April 3-5, tickets cost R100, but may go up closer to the opening date. Available either at the door or on www.sonwasakuba.co.za
Daily Dispatch
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