Imagine, if you will, bringing together 80 teenagers from three different schools and attempting to meld their widely varied levels of talent into an ensemble capable of bringing the ultimate musical classic to the Powhatan High School stage.

At this early stage of its development, the PHS combined music and drama departments’ assignment to perform the Wizard of Oz more closely resembles a Chinese fire drill than a polished performance. But enthusiasm is destined to carry the day.

Cherubic Diamond Leone set the tone for the actors and actresses when the elfin freshman described her aspirations to achieve witchdom: “I can be really evil if I want to.”

Cries of “where are the trees? We can’t find the trees!” and “what a great cackle!” bounced around the empty auditorium last month as the enthusiastic thespians gave it their all. Although she did break down with unrestrained laughter on several occasions, Director/Producer Clereta “Woody” Czelusta generally guided her budding actors and actresses through their rehearsal with amazing calm, particularly considering the pattern of chaos enveloping her.

Assisted by Chris Thomas as Musical Director and Brent Fleisher as Production Manager, Czelusta ambitiously plans to meld 30 PHS students, 44 middle school actor/singers and six more from the junior high into a cast. There will be munchkins, Dorothy, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, the Wizard, the elusive Trees, as well as witches, both good and wicked. Following January tryouts, four day per week rehearsals began and will be ongoing until the May 2 opening night.

On this particular day, and following her director’s instruction to “cackle your way in,” senior Ashley Lester opened the rehearsal with a perfect Wicked Witch of the West entrance.

“I have three different [cackles],” she said.

As WW of the W she logically wanted to know why Dorothy (Samantha Hall) had dropped a house on her sister-witch and then been so rude as to confiscate the deceased Red Slippers.

“Are there any of the trees around?” interjected the director.

Everybody’s favorite witch, Glenda, played by Stephanie Sills politely — “pretend you are a Southern Belle,” her director had told her —told old Westie to take a hike.

“Oh fiddle, faddle. Be gone before someone drops a house on you, too.”

Then it was “Off to See the Wizard,” meet the Scarecrow (Myra Filibin), unglue the Tin Man (Alex Marx) and provide self-image therapy for the Cowardly Lion (Domenic Tessari).

“How about the trees?” reverberated around the auditorium.

Dorothy was getting hungry and the importance of the elusive Trees suddenly became apparent: they were apple trees.

The call had been out for The Trees since the very beginning of the rehearsal, with Czelusta finally authorizing a page over the public address system. They were ultimately located in the music room, practicing scales.

“We’re going to get the trees,” Thomas announced. “Get the props, the hats and apples,” Ms. Czelusta pleaded and ultimately the forest of Courtni Fleming, Sarah Brawley and Darnysha Nard took the stage in foliage hats. They sported loads of apples.

The ensuing apple fight, instigated by Scarecrow, had Czelusta in pieces for the first time. The director was laughing so hard she could barely speak.

“That was hilarious” she said, attempting to regain her composure. “That’s it for the trees,” she insisted, still giggling, but relented when the cast begged for an encore. The results were almost identical as Thomas and Fleisher joined Czelusta and the cast in a mutual breakdown. Fleming capped it off by strutting across the stage in her foliage hat, stating “I feel just like Chiquita Banana.”

“It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Ms. Czelusta said with masterful control of the understatement. “We’re very excited.”

Performing the full Broadway version of the musical, consisting of only two acts but a prodigious 27 scenes, with 80 virtually untrained actor/singers from three separate schools, being trained by separate tutors (They won’t even come together as a full cast until sometime in April) will be a true piece of wizardry.

“But we’re getting such great help from Melissa Mills at the middle school and Inez Williams and Anne Vardell have done such a fabulous job on the costumes, they’ve just bent over backwards,” said Czelusta. “And all the wonderful parents volunteering and wait till you see what Matt LaMotte is doing with the technical stuff and the graphics; falling houses, flying witches and …. Ashley, could you come in again? Keep the same evilness you had before. We need a Lion. Anybody seen Dominic?”

“I’ll get him,” Thomas promised. “He’s such a Dandy Lion,” a tree quipped.

“Step, skip, kick,” recited Dorothy as she practiced the Yellow Brick Road dance. “You’re responsible for your own blocking, so stay out of each others’ way,” instructed the director.

And then, from off stage somewhere: “How ‘bout them apples?”