Open casting call for Longford's St Mel's Musical Society 'Wizard of Oz'!

St Mel’s Musical Society is having an open casting call for anyone to audition for ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Auditions will take place on Sunday, October 5 and registration is now open.

New chairperson of the society, Andrew Reynolds, talked about the upcoming audition and production:

“The Wizard of Oz is in the second week of Easter 2026. Auditions take place on Sunday, October 5 in St Joseph’s in Longford. People can register their interest online, on Facebook or can reach out via email. We encourage everyone to take part, even if they’ve never done a music production before. Basically, auditions are open to everyone. We like to see the old faces and new faces coming on. There’s a mix of age profiles needed for this production. There’s a place in society.”

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Audition material will be available on the coming Friday via a Google Drive link.

For the auditions, Andrew provided some advice for those wanting to try out for the roles. As the society is open to both experienced and first-timers, Andrew wanted to make something clear for those who might be unsure about whether to try:

“Don’t be nervous. St Mel’s is a very open and welcoming society. Our director, Sean Power, will work with somebody if he sees potential. We’ve had people in starring roles who’ve never performed before. There’ll be support and we support each other through the process.”

Principal roles include: Dorothy Gale (mezzo-soprano); Aunt Em (non-singing); Glinda, the Good Witch (mezzo-soprano); Uncle Henry (non-singing); Zeke/Cowardly Lion (baritone); Hickery/Tinman (tenor/baritone); Hunk/Scarecrow (baritone); the Wicked Witch of the West (non-singing); and the Wizard of Oz (non-singing).

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Ensemble roles include, and are not limited to: Emerald City Guards; munchkins, Winkies and flying monkeys (dancing required).

To stage these productions, St Mel’s Musical Society will be hosting a fundraiser with an After Dark Ball in the Longford Arms Hotel. This will happen during Halloween, and is the first major fundraiser for the society.

As a final comment, Andrew said:

“Auditions are open to everybody regardless of experience or age. Those who have been involved, the society welcomes everybody regardless of ability. We encourage and support each other. If we can help each other, we will.”

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The society has previously performed 'Me and My Girl' (2025), '9 to 5' (2019) and 'Oliver!' (2014). Each production has been massively successful, and the society is continuing to grow with interest.

Further information about St Mel's Musical Society can be found on their Facebook page, which includes key dates; the full roles list; dates and times, as well as contact details for their email address.