There's no place like  Sorensen

COEUR d’ALENE — A tornado of talent has touched down at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities.

Since the beginning of the school year, the entire student body has been preparing for two special performances of a production that reminds audiences: "There's no place like home."

"We picked ‘Wizard of Oz’ because there are so many different layers, so many different scenes for kids to do," said Lake City Playhouse board president Brooke Wood, the artist-in-residence coordinating the all-school project. "I wanted to do something that was classic and lovely and had a good message."

Kindergarteners on up to sixth-graders have been spending two days a week rehearsing lines and songs, creating sets and costumes, practicing dances and diving into the world of theater. They'll be showcasing their talents for their families later this week.

"It’s really fun to have so many lines and so many areas to be,” said fifth-grader Anabelle Taylor, who stars as "Dorothy." "You get to explore so many things."

Fifth-grader Rebecca McLachlan has also been enjoying the adventure in acting. This is her first stage performance and she is playing opposite Anabelle as the "Wicked Witch of the West" (known as "Miss Gulch" in Kansas).

"It’s really exciting," she said, a smile creeping up her face. "I’m quite evil with my brother, of course. He’s older than me, so I like to get out all my evilness on stage. It’s really fun.”

Every grade has a part in the production, which will feature one half of the school the first night and the other half the second. The kindergarteners and sixth-graders are "Winkies" (residents of Oz) and flying monkeys, the fifth graders are jitterbugs, the fourth-graders comprise the Emerald City, the first- and third-graders are munchkins and the second-graders are crows.

Sixth-grader Lincoln Wood, who plays the "Cowardly Lion," said having the entire school involved is challenging, but fun and interesting.

"What’s interesting is there’s so many people brought together in one play, working together to make a big production," he said.

Sorensen welcomes three artist-in-residence programs a year that are funded by the Sorensen Auction and Soirée.

Wood, who is Lincoln's mom and helps teach theater at Sorensen the rest of the year, said she loves the "Wizard of Oz" because "Dorothy" realizes that what she needs has "been there the whole time."

"I think it’s a good message for kids to realize that everything we need is inside of us, and that we don’t need anything from the outside world," Wood said.

She said she also really appreciates the idea that “there’s no place like home, because there isn’t any place like Sorensen."