John Dias to Direct "WAS"

John Dias, artistic director of Two River Theater, will direct the Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival's production of WAS on August 9 at Notre Dame High School.

Based on Geoff Ryman's celebrated cult novel, WAS uses the tools of modern musical theater to tell the story of young Dorothy Gael, the central character in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz and the classic 1939 film of the same name. Two story lines, taking place one hundred years apart, are interwoven throughout the evening. WAS explores the human need for fantasy to cope with reality, a timeless theme with universal appeal.

Mr. Dias joined Two River Theater in 2010 after working as a producer and dramaturg in New York for 20 years. Throughout his career, he has been a leading advocate for stimulating productions of the classics and bold new American plays, including the Broadway productions of Shakespeare's The Tempest and Lisa Kron's Well. For 12 seasons, he worked in a variety of capacities at The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, including Associate Producer and Associate Artistic Director.

John Dias

New Works Production: WAS
Book and Lyrics: Barry Kleinbort
Music: Joseph Thalken
Saturday, August 9
Notre Dame High School
Performance: 7:30
Talkback: 9:00

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