The Wizard Of Fu is a fun, updated version of the well-known musical The Wizard Of Oz, taking to the stage at Joburg Promusica in Roodepoort for two performances only on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th July at 11am.
Produced by StageWorx Performing Arts school in collaboration with Journey School of Arts, Wizard Of Fu is an endearing tale of triumph over adversity; including the uplifting music in the mix by the feel good band, Sergeant Fu, as performed by pupils of both schools in the first of its kind, staging a professional theatre production with both able-bodied alongside special needs children.
After landing in the Land Of Fu after a storm, Dorothy, from the small town of Kroonstad, goes on a journey to find the Wizard to help her get home. All is not well in the land, however. People are missing things. The Lion is missing his courage, Mr Tin has lost his heart, and The Scarecrow has lost his dancing skills. Worse yet, Miley Cyrus has lost Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber has lost his voice! Dorothy kindly takes it upon herself to put everything right and, in the process, finds herself caught up in a wacky adventure of song, dance and wild antics!
The story is linked together by the popular feel-good band, Sergeant Fu who burst onto the music scene in 2010 with their internationally successful World Cup song Vuvuzela”garnering attention across the globe. Their current single is strongly featured in the successful local movie ‘Superhelde’ along with 2 other of their tracks.
Sergeant Fu has introduced a new genre of music to the world called "Feel Good". As this would suggest, their aim is to bring light and happiness into people’s lives. With the incorporation of 6 of their tracks into Wizard Of Fu, their music provides the ideal accompaniment to this colourful, funky and upbeat show.
Says Matthew Marinus of Sergeant Fu; “We are thrilled to be involved in the production of Wizard of Fu! The kids are amazing, the story is hilarious, and the band...well...the band is us! When Gemma from Stageworx approached us with the idea, we were in from word go. A great script has added so much to the entertainment value! Our music fits right in there and the kids give it a new energy that’s fantastic! Come check it out! Booya!”
The show is produced by StageWorx Performing Arts and Journey School of Arts, in association with The Joburg Promusica Theatre.
All show profits will be going to Journey School of Arts, a full time arts school for children with special needs to raise funds for much-needed equipment. The two schools have collaborated to produce a professional quality production that is suitable for the whole family, and is sure to warm your heart and leave a broad smile on your face.
There is a tendency to separate children with special needs into their own schools, and this makes sense in terms of the kind of attention and teaching methods they require. StageWorx recognises, however, that children are children, no matter what their specific needs, and youngsters from special needs schools need to mix with other children their age, as there is so much that they can learn from each other.
Says Gemma Donnelly from Journey and StageWorx; “Everyone deserves a chance to experience the Arts, we have taken children from all backgrounds and all abilities including those with special needs to produce a professional quality production. The Special needs and able bodied learn to communicate and work together as a team on stage whilst learning the tools necessary to do a show of this quality. In class they learn dance, Singing and drama techniques that have helped every single child to perform to the best of their ability.”
Families are asked to come and support this wonderful initiative, and group bookings are encouraged with discounted rates. Whether you’re 6 or 60, you’ll love this uplifting interpretation of an age-old classic, as performed by children who will quite literally steal your heart.
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