Samantha Leigh Dodemaide to play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Producers John Frost and Suzanne Jones announced Yesterday that Samantha Leigh Dodemaide would take coveted lead role of Dorothy in the upcoming Australian tour of The Wizard of Oz.

Beating out of 400 actresses for the role, Dodemaide took to Facebook to share her excitement. “I am so honoured and incredibly excited to be playing this iconic, inquisitive, strong and aspiring young lady! Putting on these ruby slippers really is a dream come true…”, she wrote.

A winner of the 2013 Rob Guest Endowment, Dodemaide has previously featured in the ensembles of Singin’ in the Rain, Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, A Chorus Line and King Kong amongst others. While she has understudied and performed leading roles in the past, Dorothy marks her first principal casting in a major musical.

This is the fourth role to be cast in the production, which is set to begin rehearsals in October. Dodemaide will join previously announced musical theatre stars Anthony Warlow as The Wizard and Professor Marvel, Lucy Durack as Glinda the Good Witch and Jemma Rix as The Wicked Witch of the West.

The Wizard of Oz begins performances in Brisbane in November before continuing on to the Capitol Theatre, Sydney in December. Tickets and more information are available at Wizardofozthemusical.com.