{"id":230985,"date":"2026-05-14T03:44:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T03:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230985\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T03:44:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T03:44:46","slug":"francis-lewis-high-school-brings-the-magic-of-the-wizard-of-oz-to-queens-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230985\/","title":{"rendered":"Francis Lewis High School Brings the Magic of\u00a0\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019\u00a0to Queens Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

FRESH MEADOWS, NY \u2013 Francis Lewis High School transported audiences somewhere over the rainbow with its dazzling production of\u00a0\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019, presented May 8-9. The Queens-based high school drew strong attendance as students, families, and community members filled the auditorium to experience the beloved classic brought to life by the talented cast and crew under the leadership of Principal Nidhi Babbar.<\/p>\n

A standout performance came from Greek-American student Kristina Boumakis, who made her acting debut in the lead role of Dorothy. Boumakis captivated audiences with her charming portrayal, confidently guiding viewers through Dorothy\u2019s unforgettable journey from Kansas to the magical Land of Oz.<\/p>\n

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A scene from \u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 with Kristina Boumakis as Dorothy. Photo: Courtesy of Angie Xidias<\/p>\n

What made this production especially creative was its unique opening sequence. The performance began with a black-and-white film presentation of Kansas scenes, filmed at the historic Queens County Farm Museum. As the story transitioned into Oz, the theater curtains opened dramatically to reveal a colorful Munchkinland set, earning enthusiastic applause from the audience. The production\u2019s detailed set design, costumes, and staging showcased the remarkable dedication and creativity of the students and staff involved.<\/p>\n

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A scene from \u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 with Kristina Boumakis as Dorothy. Photo: Courtesy of Angie Xidias<\/p>\n

Directed by Marci Contino and Devin Green, with assistant directors Madison Ha and Amber Lai, the production blended classic storytelling with innovative theatrical elements. Choreography was led by Marci Contino and Christina O\u2019Connell, helping bring the timeless musical numbers to life.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 was performed at Francis Lewis High School in Queens, NY, May 8-9. Photo: Courtesy of Angie Xidias<\/p>\n

Based on the classic motion picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co.,\u00a0\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019\u00a0was presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.<\/p>\n

Francis Lewis High School, one of Queens\u2019 most diverse and academically respected schools, once again demonstrated the strength of its performing arts program with a production that celebrated student talent and creativity and brought it to the community for all to enjoy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESH MEADOWS, NY \u2013 Francis Lewis High School transported audiences somewhere over the rainbow with its dazzling production…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-230985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}