The cast has been learning stage presence with professional opera tenor Brian Cheney, who lives in Lyme.

Repeated blizzards and record cold haven’t chilled the exuberance of the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) Drama Club as cast and crew have been preparing for four shows of this year’s musical, “The Wizard of Oz,’ this week.

Dorothy (Hannah Morrison) and Toto (Isabella Warren) meet up with Scarecrow (Danielle McCarthy). Emma Bass also plays the part of Dorothy and Garrett Smith is the Scarecrow.

Staff and students have been hard at work on creating the sets.

Parker Hubbard, Tanner Griffin, Liam Flanagan and Kevin Davidson prepare the Yellow Brick Road.

Curtains go up on Thursday for in-school performances.

We welcome you to Munchkin Land: Zach Snyder, Dean Bruce, Jacob Olsen, Joey Sandora, Ethan Carrión, Liam Clark and Jeffy Joshy belt out their part of the Munchkin musical sequence.

Public performances are this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

Jenna Porter, Grace Gilbert, Faith Caulkins, Sadie Rubitski, Justin Shaw, Clair Wholean, Caroline Sagristano, Kate Hickie with quite convincing legs for the Wicked Witch of the East, who met her demise under Dorothy’s house in Munchkin Land.

Advance tickets at $8 per person are on sale at the Bowerbird or the LOLMS front office, with any remaining tickets available at the door.

Both sets of leads and the ensemble practice Dorothy’s arrival in the Land of Oz.

More than 60 students have been working on the play in recent weeks. There are two sets of the eight lead characters, each will perform one evening show.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School (LOLMS) Drama Club presents its 2015 musical production, “The Wizard of Oz,” this coming Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 and 28.

More than 60 middle school students are involved in the cast and crew of this iconic stage production.  Fans will recognize the lines and lyrics of the 1939 American musical fantasy film by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which was based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Dual leads will perform the roles of Dorothy, her side-kicks Scarecrow, Tin Man and Friendly Lion, and also Glinda the Good Witch, the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard.  The show also includes the Munchkins, winged monkeys, residents of Oz and the whole cast of characters from the classic film.

This all-student production also includes the rare Jitterbug dance scene that was deleted from the popular film version.  The play is directed by LOLMS Choral Director Laura Gladd (Lyme-Old Lyme High School Class of 2007), assisted by Jennifer Skelly and Heather Saia.

Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28.

Tickets can be purchased for $8 in advance at The Bowerbird, 46 Halls Rd. in the Old Lyme Marketplace and at the LOLMS Office, 53 Lyme St., Old Lyme during school hours from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Tickets also can be purchased on the door before the shows.

Old Lyme residents are served by a Regional Shelter, administered by the Red Cross and located at the East Lyme Middle School on Society Rd.  The Shelter will open at 5 p.m. today.

Old Lyme residents and their pets are welcome.  Take all medications with you.

Call the Old Lyme Emergency Operations Center for further assistance at 860.598.0120