"We're off to See the Wizard!" by Rachel T

It’s almost the end of the school year, and the sixth grade, including me, created an end-of-the-year play! Based on “The Wizard of Oz”, Toto, Marcus, and Julia were blown out of Rome when Mount Vesuvius exploded in Pompeii. They landed in Egypt, in the court of Ramses the Great, and crushed the evil pharaoh with a boulder on accident. The slaves rejoiced, and an Egyptian Goddess gave Marcus and Julia the Pharaoh’s magical ankle bracelets. The group even found a mummy who was in search of a brain. The goddess told them to search for the Wizard of China, so they traveled onward. They went past the Ancient Israelites, who helped them cross the Red Sea. They went through Ancient Greece, where they found a trojan soldier scarred by war, and brought him with them to help him get his “heart” back. Next, our main characters found themselves in Mesopotamia, where Julia almost got her hand chopped off! Quickly, the characters escaped, and arrived in in the Persian Gardens of Cyrus the Great. After smelling the beckoning flowers, Julia, Marcus, Toto, and the soldier all fell into a deep sleep. The mummy had no brain, and therefore was not affected by the flowers. He saved the others, and they moved on to the jungles of Ancient India. In the jungle, they encountered Hanuman, the great monkey god. There, they found a monkey guard in need of some courage. With Hanuman’s blessing, the cowardly monkey joined the search for the Wizard of China. Finally, the weary travelers entered China, and saw a giant castle. The Wizard of China was really not a wizard; just a wealthy man. As they were leaving, he noticed the ankle bracelets, and stopped them. The bracelets had the power to grant any wish, and so they could have gone home the entire time. After giving their friends what they wished for, Julia and Marcus started to wish to go home. Suddenly, someone called out that their home, Pompeii, was destroyed in the eruption. The characters decided that they all wanted to stick together and go on more adventures together.

This play was written and produced by the sixth grade class. It was a very fun experience, and we all had a part. We performed in front of our parents, and created a beautiful backdrop for the show. This play had aspects of Language Arts, History, and Expressions, which made it into a learning experience, too!