The Great and Powerful Oz(zie)

Dot’s life lacks… colour. With no parties, no holidays, and no revolutions to look forward to, her world seems more monochromatic by the day. But just as Dot is starting to lose hope, she meets Ozzie, the mostly good but sometimes wicked witch (of sorts). Armed with their quick wits, big hearts, and more than a little liquid courage, the two of them hit the yellow brick to refind the technicolour in life. The Great and Powerful Oz(zie) is a wickedly funny, fast-paced, music-full romp that celebrates what makes us great and reminds us that we can be powerful.

Featuring Lib Campbell as Dot and Brittanie Shipway as Ozzie, this two-hander will be directed by Miranda Middleton, with JoJo Zhou as dramaturg. The collective of fierce and fabulous women will use their Art in Isolation residency to collaboratively devise and rehearse The Great and Powerful Oz(zie), which is set to premiere in the Freshworks Femme season at the Old 505 in December.

Miranda Middleton, Brittanie Shipway, Lib Campbell and JoJo Zhou

The resident artist team comprises director/deviser Miranda Middleton, dramaturg/deviser JoJo Zhou, actor/deviser Brittanie Shipway, and actor/deviser Lib Campbell.

A proud Gumbaynggirr and Turkish woman, Brittanie Shipway is an actor, writer, composer and storyteller. Known for turning four chairs on The Voice (S3), she has gone on to graduate from NIDA and workshop many shows including Muriel’s Wedding. Pre-Covid she was touring regional Australia in The Sapphires.

Lib Campbell was last seen starring in Peppa Pig’s Big Surprise on Broadway and the subsequent international tour. Recent film credits include Los Angeles Overnight & cult classic quadrilogy The FP. A host for the Disney Channel and the Nine Network, Lib’s recent theatre credits include U.B.U, Amélie, Water, The 39 Steps.

Miranda Middleton is a director, writer, and storyteller with a Master of Fine Arts (Directing) from NIDA. She recently wrote and directed a stage adaptation of Amélie, and is one of the resident writers for Salty Theatre’s Hatch Lab, which will see her new musical Paper Stars be developed and produced at Theatre Works in 2021.

JoJo Zhou is an emerging writer, dramaturg, and collaborator who completed her Master of Fine Arts (Writing for Performance in 2020. She has worked with Shopfront Arts Co-Op, Playwriting Australia, Outpost Theatre, and ATYP, and her plays have appeared as part of Bondi Feast, Sydney Fringe Festival, and Artstate Festival.