The Santa Clarita Regional Theatre Company is giving the SCV community a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the actors of “The Wizard of Oz” musical, which opens at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center on July 23.

Originally a 1939 MGM film, SCRTC officials called the story of Dorothy, a Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, cyclone and Wicked Witch “as evergreen as the Emerald City itself.”

Bottom Row, left to right, the Leads: Sarah Ryan Holzer, Glinda; Gin Treadwell Eng, Witch; George Chavez, Lion; Adrianna Eldridge, Dorothy; Craig Sherman, Tinman; Steve Rizzo, Scarecrow. Top Row, left to right, the Understudies: Amy Grace Semeisberger, Glinda; Rosemary Moffat, Wicked Witch; John Joseph Krukowski, Lion; Michael Smith, Tinman; and Blake Yanez, Tinman. Photo by Heather Madison.

Composed of a diverse group of actors who also work as teachers, stunt artists, voice-over artists, students, interior decorators and salespeople, the cast considers the show to be a “timeless and iconic” tale for all audiences.

“We love it because we all carry a little bit of each character inside us,” said Steve Rizzo, who plays the Scarecrow.

Craig Sherman, cast as the Tinman, added that “The Wizard of Oz” shares the message “that we are more than we think we are” with both audiences and actors alike; while George Chavez, the Lion, said the message he takes away from the show is to have courage.

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Adrianna Eldridge, who plays the lead role of Dorothy, noted that the story “creates a place for a cast to come together and bond tightly.”

After watching the movie year after year as kids, the majority of the cast said they felt “a special affinity” with the character they were chosen to play.

Sarah Ryan Holzer, who plays Glinda, said she has always “loved the way (my) parents loved watching (me) love the show as a child.”

“The Wizard of Oz” is set to run Saturdays and Sundays from July 23 through August 14 at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center, with tickets available at the Canyon Theatre Guild box office at 661-799-2702.