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From trash to theatrical treasure: ������Ƶ students bring Oz to life

Imaginative costumes and puppets are made from discarded materials.

Photos of original costumes embedded in release 

Link to rehearsal broll: 

***Suggested VO script below***

Plastic water jugs become a lion’s head. Old VHS tapes, balloons and cutlery become colorful costumes. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s , students are learning to turn everyday trash into theatrical magic.

The creative work is part of the musical running October 23–31. Reimagined by director and master of fine arts candidate Jack Romans, the beloved classic is set in a world inspired by a landfill. The production follows Dorothy’s journey home, with familiar songs, imaginative costumes and puppets made from discarded materials.

Learning through creativity

Led by ������Ƶ Mānoa costume design professor Maile Speetjens, students are discovering that working with unusual materials requires more than sewing. They’re learning to solve problems and find creative ways to make costumes wearable and durable.

“It has been an extremely exciting and rewarding experience watching students in the costume shop problem-solve their way through these unconventional materials!” Speetjens said.

Puppets made from everyday objects

������Ƶ Mānoa alumna and puppet designer Jill Jackson is bringing familiar characters to life using unexpected materials. The Cowardly Lion features a head made from plastic water jugs, toenails made from hangers and a body built from discarded packaging.

Toto, Dorothy’s beloved dog, has a skeleton made from plastic pipes and bolts, with foam and fabric scraps giving him shape. His floppy ears are one of Jackson’s favorite details.

“I just love when something as simple as hot gluing fabric onto foam can have an adorably profound impact on the believability of a puppet,” Jackson said.

The hands-on experience shows how creativity can transform even the simplest materials into something extraordinary.

“You don’t have to have a lot of specific tools and training for this,” Jackson said. “Puppets can be made with items found around your house and your own imagination! You just have to be willing to see things in a different way.”

Photos of original costumes embedded in release 

Link to rehearsal broll: 

SOUNDBITES 

Jack Romans/Director, ������Ƶ Mānoa Wizard of Oz 

(:15)

“Our production is going to be trash, quite literally and endearingly because we’re setting it in a landfill. Part of what is at the heart of this performance is that we’re taking things that are deemed unworthy of our wonder and imagination and making that the source of this wonderful world of Oz.”

(:14)

“Hopefully people can start to see themselves in it more. They see themselves in the ages that are represented on stage. Hopefully they can see themselves in a sense that we’re building these magical characters out of things that most people are throwing away in their own time or seen lying around in their own home.”

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO 

������Ƶ Mānoa is bringing the magic of The Wizard of Oz to the stage in a new musical production opening tomorrow at Kennedy Theatre.

VO 

Geared toward younger audiences, the musical puts a creative spin on Dorothy’s journey home. Set in a world inspired by a landfill, ������Ƶ costume design students crafted discarded materials into colorful costumes and imaginative puppets. The creative process also gives students hands-on experience in theatrical design.

VO TAG

Performances run through Halloween. ������Ƶ the Kennedy Theatre website for tickets.