Pupils and staff at Matravers School took to the yellow brick road this week, putting on a production of L Frank Baum’s classic children’s book The Wizard of Oz.

The production, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday, featured pupils from Year 7 up to the sixth form, with preparation for the show starting before Christmas.

Choreography was done by sixth form students Harriet Long and Joe Larcombe, while head of music Bill Badley worked on the orchestration and adapting the music for the school band.

The costumes for the show were made by parent Sharon Jones and DT teacher Ceri Byrne, who were ably assisted by pupils Abbie and Georgia Brewer.

Drama teacher Rebecca Walker and head of communication Gary Anderson took charge of rehearsals, with about 50 pupils and members of staff involved in the production.

Heather Leach, who also worked on the show, said: “They have all been working hard on the production since Christmas and the pupils have been rehearsing most nights.

“The production looked great and it followed the traditional story of Dorothy. A huge amount of work went into every aspect of it, including pupils coming in on a Sunday, and I think the end result demonstrated that.

“The costumes were amazing and a lot of work went into the music and the lighting, which was done by technician Mark Wakefield and sixth former Lewis Johnson.

“The school is very proud of the production. I also want to say a special thanks to Ashley Jones, who has done the refreshments for the past 16 years.” The show starred Millie Gmaj (Aunty Em), Ryan Heritage (Scarecrow), Ben Pictor (Tin Man), Hannah Ralph (Dorothy), Emma Bishop (Lion), Daisy Fullegar (Toto) and Yasmin Waugh (Wicked Witch).