Special Guests for 2019 Oz-Stravaganza! ![]() John Fricke ![]() Steve Margoshes ![]() He has orchestrated many Broadway musicals, including Big River (Drama Desk Award), The Who’s Tommy (Drama Desk Award), Aida (by Elton John & Tim Rice), Smokey Joe’s Café, and Soul Doctor (Drama Desk nomination). He has contributed to many Jim Steinman recordings (including Bat Out of Hell), orchestrated Steinman’s musical Tanz der Vampire (directed by Roman Polanski and still running in Germany and Austria after 20 years), and has written special symphonic arrangements for Andrew Lloyd Webber. With Hair authors James Rado & Gerome Ragni he composed the musicals Sun and Jack Sound. Steve has composed for symphony, ballet, rock recordings, and songs in various styles in addition to his many-faceted shows. An extensive body of his “pops” pieces for orchestra was recorded by the Budapest Symphony on Hungaraton & Albany Records. This Is Forever, an after-life piano rhapsody, featured Steve at the piano with the orchestra. The solo piano version (also with Steve performing) was choreographed by Jacqulyn Buglisi & presented at the Joyce Theater NYC as part of the 20th anniversary of Buglisi Dance Theatre. Also among the body of work recorded in Budapest is American Parade, which was performed by the West Point Army Band and became the subject of a documentary (of the same name) by filmmaker Frank Basile. Steve is now writing original OZ themed songs, and as such, is indeed the Songsmith of Oz! He will be introducing a new song "Tin Man" this year at the festival. Ruby Rakos ![]() Shawn Ryan ![]() Currently, Shawn works out of his studio in Palm Harbor, FL. Among his theater credits are Chicago at the St. Pete Little Theatre and The Producers at the Largo Cultural Center. He also did original costume design for Largo’s Lost at Sea. Shawn interned with Susan Hilferty on the workshop of Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure. (Hilferty is the Tony and Drama Desk Award winner for Best/Outstanding Costume Design for Broadway’s Wicked.) His costume recreations include such iconic fictional characters as Elphaba and Glinda (Wicked), Ozma (Return to Oz), Winifred Sanderson (Hocus Pocus), Rose (Titanic), and Cinderella. For exhibition at 2017's International Wizard of Oz Club national convention, Shawn duplicated eleven classic Dorothy Gale costumes, ranging from that worn in the 1903 Broadway musical to Judy Garland’s iconic MGM garb and those dresses seen in The Wiz, Return to Oz, and etc. The All Things Oz Museum is the permanent home for some of Shawn's remarkable replicas, including the Dorothy Dresses from The Wiz, Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical version of The Wizard of Oz, and the 1903 Broadway Music The Wizard of Oz. This year, he’ll present a new Oz costume recreation at OZ-Stravaganza! 2019, which will thereafter become a permanent part of the All Things Oz Museum collection. This year's dress is Glinda based on the famous 1939 MGM film. Copyright ©2019 Oz-Stravaganza! is part of the THE INTERNATIONAL L. FRANK BAUM AND ALL THINGS OZ HISTORICAL FOUNDATION. All rights reserved. |