Special Guests 2017 - oz-stravaganza2017

Special Guests for 2017 Oz-Stravaganza!

Jane Lahr

Jane Lahr is the only daughter of Bert Lahr, the legendary "Cowardly Lion" of the classic 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie musical, THE WIZARD OF OZ. As such, she is both an ebullient exponent of “the second generation of Oz" and -- in her own right -- a highly successful author, editor, and anthologist. Her thirty-five years of experience in publishing encompasses work as a founding partner of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, as Associate Publisher of Greenwich Workshop Press, as Director of Advertising, Publicity and Promotion at Harry N. Abrams, and as Director of Special Sale for Abbeville Press.

She comes to Chittenango to celebrate her father, whose career spanned six decades and included triumphs in the theater, in motion pictures, and on television. Lahr played everything from burlesque to Shakespeare, from vaudeville to Aristophanes, from Broadway musicals to WAITING FOR GODOT. Most memorably – and incomparably -- he companioned Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley (and Toto, too…) on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz in the best-known, best-loved motion picture of all-time. When Lahr, pun-in-cheek, sighed “If I Only Had the Nerve” -- or forever devastated the vibrato/bravado posturings of classical baritones in “If Were King of the Forest” – he achieved a never-surpassed combination of comedic and heart-rending artistry.

Jane began her career at Harry N. Abrams, Inc., where she pioneered the area of Special Sales and became Director of Advertising, Publicity, and Promotion. She left Abrams to help co-found Stewart, Tabori & Chang, where she was pivotal in the packaging and marketing of GRAND MOTHER REMEMBERS. With Lena Tabori, she co-edited LOVE/A CELEBRATION IN ART & LITERATURE, which is now in its twenty-fourth year of publication.

She has packaged such books as JEAN HOWARD'S HOLLYWOOD and ONLY THE BEST and edited THE CELTIC QUEST, a selection of both the Book of the Month Club and the Literary Guild. In May 2006, Welcome Books (distributed by Random House) published Lahr's SEARCHING FOR MARY MAGDALENE: A JOURNEY IN ART & LITERATURE, which won an Independent Book Publisher Award in the category of religion in 2007. That same year, Jane co-edited Joan Grant's SPEAKING FROM THE HEART: REINCARNATION & WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. She is partner in the book packaging/agenting company, Lahr & Partners LLC. In addition to developing and promoting traveling exhibitions, Jane includes such artists as Maurice Sendak, Milton Glaser, Paul Jenkins, Robert Rahway Zakanitch, Joseph Raffael among her clients.

The sister of THE NEW YORKER drama critic John Lahr, Jane was married to theater critic Martin Gottfried. She is now married to Sherman E. Crites of Stonington, CT, and Columbia, MO. Her daughter is writer Maya Gottfried.

Jane is on the Board of Directors of The Abby Whiteside Foundation and The School of Images, both in New York City; the latter establishment was founded by Dr. Catherine Shainberg in 1982.

Roger Staton Baum(Great-Grandson)

Roger Stanton Baum is a best-selling children's book author and the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, creator of the original Oz book series. He has appeared as a guest on Today on NBC as well as Showbiz Today on CNN. Roger has followed in the hallowed footsteps of his ancestor by creating fourteen books to date about the magical Land of Oz. One of his titles, “Lion of Oz and The Badge of Courage,” was made into an animated movie by Sony Wonder featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Dom DeLuise, Jason Priestly and Lynn Redgrave. Another title, “Dorothy of Oz,” is scheduled to be released by Summertime Entertainment as a 3D animated musical, featuring the voices of Lea Michele, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Belushi, Megan Hilty, Hugh Dancy, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart and Bernadette Peters.

Roger continues to speak at schools to encourage children, of all ages, the young at heart, to use their imagination and think outside the box. Roger and his wife along with their three Cairn Terriers reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.

John Fricke

John Fricke is widely regarded as the world's preeminent Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland historian and author; a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer/writer; a Grammy Award nominee; and the annual host/emcee of nation-wide Oz and Garland festivals for the last twenty-seven years. His latest book, The Wonderful World of Oz, traces the history of the L. Frank Baum-founded phenomenon from 1900 to 2013 in text and over 300 color illustrations. John can regularly be seen on the Turner Classic Movies channel in their "Word of Mouth" preview segments. Four years ago, he cohosted (with Robert Osborne) Judy Garland's 90th birthday celebration on that network, and in 2014, he was a special guest presenter at their Los Angeles film festival. In 2013 and 2014, he served as Warner Bros.' media spokesman for the 75th anniversary of Judy's Wizard of Oz motion picture, and he was their emcee at the 3D/IMAX re-premiere of the film at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre. John is the only Oz historian featured in the new "making of" Oz documentary on the current Warner Home Video DVD re-mastering of the film and delivers the commentary track accompanying the movie itself. He offers similar tracks on the DVDs of Meet Me in St. Louis, Easter Parade, For Me and My Gal, The Pirate, Babes in Arms, and Girl Crazy. John has spoken about Oz and Garland everywhere from "The Today Show" (four appearances), to CNN, National Public Radio, Sirius Radio,The Museum of Modern Art, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, and The Paley Center — all in New York -- as well as at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles and the Deauville Film Festival in France. Currently, he is working with Aaron Harburg and Ryan Jay on The Sound of Oz documentary about songwriters E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and Harold Arlen. John is the historian and creative consultant for the new Judy Garland stage musical, Chasing Rainbows, which opens a three-month engagement in September at the famed Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. That show traces Judy's life and career from age five to sixteen and concludes with the early production days on the set of The Wizard of Oz. In June 2014, John co-wrote the all-star stage celebration of classic pop singer Margaret Whiting and then sang during that show at Carnegie Hall in New York. This year, he'll host all four of the major Oz festivals; after Chittenango, he heads to Grand Rapids, MN (Garland's birthplace, June 9th-11th), the new Midwest event in Tinley Park, IL (suburban Chicago, Sept. 9th-11th), and Wamego, KS (Sept. 23rd-25th). He will also appear at both International Wizard of Oz Club conventions in Portland, OR (July 15th-17th) and Philadelphia, PA (August 5th-7th); Fricke is past president of that organization (ozclub.org).

Ryan Jay

Ryan Jay is a popular TV and radio film critic, appearing weekly on NBC-TV in Milwaukee, WI and nationally syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks on FM stations across America. He is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association which annually awards excellence in film at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

   Most passionate about movies and pop culture, Ryan has cultivated a career celebrating entertainment and sharing his unique perspective with audiences. Often on the red carpet at movie premieres and events, he has interviewed many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities; most notably, working with the cast and filmmakers of Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful and filmmakers of Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return during their respective press weeks for their world premieres; marking professional and personal highlights for him, a self-proclaimed “diehard, lifelong Oz fan” and collector.
   Ryan can be found every other week in the pages of Us Weekly magazine as Fashion Police. Prior to his career as an entertainment journalist, he worked as a television producer of major pop culture programming for networks such as Bravo, Showtime, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, TLC, and even The Jerry Springer Show.
   For more info, including his movie reviews, visit his website, www.RyanJayReviews.com.

Tina Marie Casamento Libby

Tina Marie Casamento Libby (Conceiving Producer/ Additional Lyrics) is a producer, director, teacher, and actress with over thirty years experience in the industry. After successfully pitching her concept for Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz to EMI Music Publishing (thereby securing the rights to the MGM/Feist Robbins music catalog), she has spearheaded this new musical through numerous workshops, readings and two developmental productions. Tina Marie served as Chair and National Theatre/Musical Theatre Panelist of YoungArts for 4 years, and was presented the Teacher Recognition Award by the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. She has directed productions at Infinity Theatre Company, Gallery Players, and Village Light Opera Group. She attended Carnegie Mellon University (acting), as well as the University of Maryland (recipient, full scholarship in Creative and Performing Arts). She performed in the First National tours of Kiss Me Kate (2000 revival, Kate/Hattie u/s) and Victor Victoria (Street Singer), the Fulton Theatre production of Into The Woods (Baker's Wife), and Submissions Only (Poppy Cosgrove). She also brings her twelve-plus years as a casting associate for NETworks tours and Bob Cline casting to university masterclasses and workshops throughout the country.

GABRIEL GALE

Gabriel Gale is a science and history buff and a thrill-seeking adventurer, attributes that serve him well as a royal historian of Oz. He lives in the borough of Brooklyn, New York, where he tries to stay out of trouble – although he claims (like a certain noteworthy ancestor of his) to have been transported to the magical Land of Oz on several occasions. When he isn’t fighting rogue Sorcerers, Wizards, and Witches, Gabe is a writer, an artist, an explorer, and above all, a relentless defender of the Good.

Lisa Fiedler is the author of many novels for children and young adults. She currently divides her time between Connecticut and the Rhode Island seashore, where she lives happily with her very patient husband, her brilliant and beloved daughter, and their two incredibly spoiled golden retrievers.