"The Wiz," the Tony Award-winning musical retelling of "The Wizard of Oz," will play two performances at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Downtown Riverside this fall.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. at foxriverside.com.
The touring production is part of an ongoing partnership between the City of Riverside, Live Nation and the Fox Riverside Theater Foundation, now in its 13th year. Under a new arrangement, a portion of proceeds from group ticket purchases of 10 or more will go directly to the Foundation.
Fox Riverside Theater Foundation Board President Mike Vanderpool said the funding will support "Students at the Fox," the Foundation's program that provides free or discounted tickets to students in Riverside's school districts, Sherman Indian High School, neighboring communities, and nonprofits serving youth experiencing homelessness, at-risk teens and foster youth.
Vanderpool said demand for the program has grown beyond what the Foundation can currently fund. Each year, thousands of students request tickets and educational programming such as assemblies and artist master classes, and the Foundation is sometimes forced to turn away schools and organizations.
"For many students, attending a performance at the Fox is their only opportunity to experience professional live theater and arts education," Vanderpool said in a statement.
"The Wiz" premiered on Broadway in 1975 and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show features a book by William F. Brown and a score by Charlie Smalls, with additional music by Luther Vandross and Timothy Graphenreed. The current touring production is directed by Schele Williams, with choreography by JaQuel Knight and additional material by Amber Ruffin.
The musical is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and reimagines the story with an all-Black cast.
More information: For tickets visit foxriverside.com.
