On New Year's Day, Ellie, Josie. Eric and I, along with 6 more of our family members, all attended the play The Wizard of Oz at The Civic Theater. This is the same play that Ellie had so much fun getting to see all the behind the scenes things to while on her preschool
field trip in November. It was such a perfect first play experience for our future actress Ellie!
No pictures were allowed during the actual play but here are a few from before, intermission and after...
Ellie before the show. We were lucky enough to get tickets to the only night that included audience participation so Ellie got to dress as Glinda the Good Witch. We all also got goody bags that had items to use during the show including bubbles to blow whenever Glinda appeared on stage. Ellie was already trying them out!

Before the show all dressed up audience members got to enter a costume contest and walk across the stage in front of 400 people! We had no idea it was going to be like this or we might have tried to get Ellie (and her cousins) an official Wizard the Oz costume instead of the Barbie princess dress she wore!

Regardless, Ellie still got to be one of the three children's finalists and got called back up on stage during intermission!! Here she even got to tell her name into the microphone.


The super cute Tin Man won but, just for being a finalist, Ellie won a free session of classes at the Civic Theater. These were the same classes that we were already considering signing her up for in the spring so this was a HUGE blessing to now be able to do them for free! (They cost $125 which is exactly what the prize she won will cover.)
After the show, Ellie and her cousins got to meet all of the cast!
Ellie and Glinda

Sara and Dorothy.

Sara's doll was dressed in her Dorothy costume, too, and the "real" Dorothy loved it! (We were hoping Sara could enter the contest with her doll but, unfortunately, it didn't work out...)
Ellie and the Wizard.

Sara and the Wicked Witch.

Ellie and the Scarecrow.

Sara and the Tin Man.

Both girls with the Cowardly Lion.

This was such a great play and has only fueled the stage performing spark for Ellie that began on her field trip to the theater. She is so excited to start her classes!!!
And here is just a cute little bonus video of Josie getting into the Wizard of Oz spirit right before we left for the play.
(Josie, by the way, did great for the 3 hour play! She just kept going back and forth between all of our family members and I caught her being completely enthralled with the play several times!)