AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE (ASL) INTERPRETERS –  Specially trained professionals who provide access and interpret the story of the Wizard of Oz in ASL to Deaf and hard of hearing people.  

DOROTHY GALE – Young woman who is sweet, kind and has a streak of boldness. She dreams of running away to a far away place somewhere over the rainbow.  She dearly loves her family, friends and her dog Toto. The actress’ self description is as follows;  Tiana Brote is a 24-year old South Asian woman with tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes.

Toto – Adorable little dog that brings happiness and joy to Dorothy. He gets into trouble and bothers the neighbor. Initially appears as a stuffed toy and in Oz is replaced by an actress. The actress’ self description is as follows;  Sara Pinto is a short young woman with fair skin, shoulder-length blond hair, and brown eyes.

AUNT EM – Strong, hard-working farmer’s wife. She is consumed by her responsibilities, but underneath it all she cares very much for Dorothy’s feelings and well-being. The same actress intentionally plays Glinda. 

UNCLE HENRY – Proud owner of the farm who works hard from morning until night.   He is Aunt Em’s husband and adores Dorothy.

HUNK – Clumsy farmhand that talks about being smart. The same actor intentionally plays the Scarecrow.

HICKORY – Kind, sweet and nurturing farmhand. The same actress intentionally plays the Tinman.

ZEKE – Farmhand who is nervous and lacks courage. The same actor intentionally plays the Lion.

MS GULCH – A well-to-do neighbor who is mean, scary, cold-hearted and dislikes Toto for getting into her yard. The same actress intentionally plays the Wicked Witch.  

PROFESSOR MARVEL – A traveling salesman whose career of the moment is fortune telling. He is a bit of a con man. This actor is Deaf and the character communicates in ASL. The same actor intentionally plays the Wizard. 

THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST – Has a cackle that scares Dorothy, her three friends and all the residents of Oz.  She wants the ruby slippers and will do anything to get them. The actress’ self description is as follows;  Wendy Linden is a medium height Ashkenazi Jewish woman with wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and colorful glasses.

Assistant to MS Gulch/ NIKKO – The trusted assistant of the Wicked Witch and the leader of the Winged Monkeys.  Both parts are played with body language and no words.

GLINDA – The Good Witch of the North guides Dorothy in her journey through Oz.  She is beautiful and a kind and nurturing mother figure to all those who live in Oz and to Dorothy. The actress’ self description is as follows;  Lali Haines is a petite woman of south Asian Indian descent with brown hair, brown eyes and a big smile.

CITIZENS OF MUNCHKINLAND – People who greet Dorothy when she lands in Oz.  The Munchkins are full of joy and enthusiasm as they celebrate their newfound freedom.   

THE RUBY SLIPPERS – The enchanted red shoes are given to Dorothy when she arrives in Oz.  They are magic and she needs to learn for herself just what the shoes can do.

THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD – A golden yellow path that leads Dorothy and her friends to The Emerald City with the hope of receiving their wishes. The Yellow Brick Road is played by a young actress.

SCARECROW – Scarecrow is kind hearted, considerate and often quite clumsy. His greatest wish is to have a brain. He is usually the man with the plan. The actor’s self description is as follows;  Chris Merritt is a mixed race male of average height with long, lush, wild, dark, textured hair.

CROWS – They eat the corn in the cornfield and are not friendly or helpful, teasing the Scarecrow.

TIN MAN – The Tin Man is kind, sweet and compassionate.  His greatest wish is to have a heart. He is usually the one who helps the others. This role is played by a woman. The actress Maddie Freeman is a 31-year-old white woman with curly auburn hair and lots of freckles. As the Tin Man, she wears a boxy silver “can-like” top with tight silver leggings, and silver jazz shoes.

COWARDLY LION – The Lion acts tough from time to time, but his true fearful self comes out in scary and dangerous situations. His greatest wish is to have courage. He is usually the most selfless of the quartet. The actor, Adam Winograd is a 6 ft 2 inch, broad shouldered, white, Jewish male with a mane of curly brown hair.

TREES – Angry and petulant apple trees that do not like to share.

POPPIES & SNOWFLAKES – Graceful flowers that carry a secret spell from the Wicked Witch to thwart the friends.   

THE GUARD- She guards the gate and initially will not let the quartet in.  The actress’ self description is as follows;  Amy Morton is a short 50+ year old woman of Irish descent with brown hair and green eyes.

EMERALD CITY CITIZENS – The fashion conscious, fancy folk who live in Emerald City.

THE WIZARD OF OZ – The ruler of Oz and believed to be very powerful.  He communicates in ASL and initially through a scary large puppet to communicate to Dorothy and her friends. He is a pretender. The Actor’s self description is as follows;  Leon Jerfita is a Scottish 51 year old Deaf, tall, slim male with blue and brown eyes, white hair and beard, who looks like Santa Claus.  

WINGED MONKEYS –  They live to serve the Wicked Witch and cause misery wherever they go. Nikko is their leader.

WINKIES – The Wicked Witch’s down trodden guards. 

JITTERBUGS –  A group of fast moving, swing dancing insects that work for the Wicked Witch to try and stop the friends.

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