By Whitney Sheblessy
It’s Friday, July 31, 2026, and it’s opening night of the Know Theatre’s 2026 Summer Camp production of The Road to Oz, partnering with InBocca Performance. After the students have worked for weeks on their production, the excited anticipation of opening night pulses through the theatre. Once you find your seat, you are transported back to Oz. The stage is set, with a minimalist interpretation of Oz’s Emerald City and the iconic yellow brick road, lined with large, vibrant poppies, set against a black backdrop. Set Designers Erica Kruse and Krista Noll did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of Oz.
Devised Work from a Beloved Source
What makes this production so special is that the Summer Camp 2026 students used L. Frank Baum’s 5th book in the Oz series, The Road to Oz, as a starting point for their story. The students expressed the “issues they felt strongly about, right now, and wanted to talk about,” Director Caroline Stine mentioned in their playbill note.
The plot, compiled by the students, is classic. The Ozians are trying to rebel against a tyrannical leader who has taken over Oz and removed the magic from the land. Who can help the revolutionaries and General Jinjur with their mission to bring back peace and magic to the land of Oz? None other than Dorothy Gale herself. General Jinjur (Cece Shepard) and their army summon Dorothy Gale (Aariana Duckworth) back to Oz. To paraphrase General Jinjur, they brought Dorothy back because she has already killed two witches in Oz, so what makes this task any different? I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it was clever.
Children Will Listen
Director Caroline Stine and Assistant Director Rachel Hawkins did a fantastic job of listening to their students and helping them create a production that truly captures our younger generation’s self-expression. The performers portraying the Flying Monkey Army do an excellent job of conveying the internal struggle of knowing you’re supporting a tyrant while you must save face to protect yourself and your family. The performers of the Army of Revolt also express how you have to keep your morale high, even when all seems lost.
You can feel that all the performers poured their hearts and souls into their individual performances. The story expresses their concerns about the world today and their hopes of overcoming the struggles that plague it. The performers reveal glimpses of their true selves through their character performance, helping the audience connect with them on a more personal level. I loved the sassy chemistry between the Witches of the North (Phoebe Bryant), West (Aaydin Duckworth), East (Ava Fortner), and, of course, Glinda (Emeline Gallagher).
Solid Dancing and Choreography
Choreographers Perry Hensley and Krista Noll did an excellent job of using the musical numbers to keep the story moving forward, while maintaining a contemporary dance style. Emori Witmer-Gautsch (Mombi), Aariana Duckworth (Dorothy Gale), and Cece Shepard (General Jinjur) do an wonderful job of bringing their characters to life through dance.
The performers do an incredible job of keeping the audience engaged throughout the entire performance. As anyone knows, it can be quite challenging to maintain the attention of even one person, let alone a group of over 50.
There is one quote that stands out to me during the performance: “The magic of Oz is, you exist, and you are here” ~ Dorothy Gale. This is a powerful statement that carries over into our own reality.
Get Tickets
This performance of InBocca’s The Road to Oz is not one to miss. If I didn’t express myself clearly above, I had an absolutely wonderful experience.
Remaining Performance Dates: August 1st at 7pm and August 2nd at 2pm. Get tickets through Know Theatre Box Office.
I am eagerly looking forward to Know Theatre’s 2027 Summer Camp performance, and discovering more about InBocca Performance!
Whitney Sheblessy is a Client Service Associate for a local financial advising firm. A 2011 Miami University grad and Cincinnati native, she has a passion for music and theatre. Whitney lives in Loveland with her husband, Dan, and their small herd of cats and dogs. If Whitney is not working, watching a Bengals Game or attending a play or music concert, she is with one of her 10 nieces and nephews.
