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WALNUT CREEK — It’s a swirl of activity at Assistance League of Diablo Valley headquarters in Walnut Creek, as actors rehearse the new original play “Dorothy Revisits the Land of Oz.”
It’s a fun update on the familiar “Wizard of Oz” storyline, once again whisking Dorothy and Toto away from Kansas for a reunion with their old pals in Oz. And it quickly becomes apparent that a lot has happened since their last visit.
For one thing, the Tin Man has opened a recycling business. And the once Cowardly Lion is just content to sleep now that he doesn’t have to be afraid all the time. Then there’s the Scarecrow, who is looking to get hitched.
“Now that he’s got his brain, he wants someone to walk down the Yellow Brick Road with,” says the show’s director and co-writer, Virginia Cowden.
After six weeks of rehearsals, the troupe brings the roughly 30-minute “Dorothy Revisits the Lands of Oz” production into 14 assisted living facilities throughout Contra Costa County, including Walnut Creek, Moraga, Concord, San Ramon, Clayton and Pleasant Hill, delighting hundreds of these facilities’ residents along the way.
“Dorothy Revisits the Land of Oz” is the latest production in Show on the Road, one of the many programs that the agency runs. These shows’ purpose is to entertain and stimulate residents and offer them a break from routine. Last year, the volunteer troupes performed musical revues for 800-plus residents at the centers.
“It’s amazing,” Assistance League of Diablo Valley president Lyn Smith says of the popularity of these productions. “We have places that are kind of on our waiting list.”
The Assistance League of Diablo Valley has received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves disadvantaged residents in the East Bay. Donations help support 49 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
The organization operates 10 major programs, divided up into three focus areas – Operation School Bell (providing clothing to thousands of students in need), Scholarships ($185,000 given out last school year) and Community Needs (such as the Show on the Road program). The main source of funding comes from the operation of a thrift store, but grants from organizations like Share the Spirit are also crucial to the success of these programs. This year the grant will be used to help buy clothing for homeless students in four school districts.
This volunteer-run nonprofit agency is one of 120-plus chapters of the overall Assistance League, an organization that got its start in Southern California in 1919. The Diablo Valley chapter was organized in 1967 and focuses on serving all age groups – from babies to seniors.
It currently has about 450 members, all women. That’s not by design, but rather just how things worked out. A few men have joined over the years, but reportedly didn’t stick around long. It’s quite a different story when it comes to the women.
“We have ladies who have been involved for over 50 years,” Smith says. “And these ladies are still active.”
Smith signed on in 2006 with the Assistance League, an organization she says she found appealing “because you really meet wonderful people who are interested in giving back to the community.”
Before she took over as president in June, she was at the helm of Show on the Road, directing a number of the plays.
“I love going into the assisted living facilities,” she says. “People there are so very appreciative and have such wonderful stories to tell.”
Past Show on the Road productions have included “Curl Up and Dry” (set in a beauty salon), “High School Reunion” (set to ‘50s music) and “California Dreaming” (with a baseball theme), all filled with reworked golden oldies that helped carry the storylines.
“These women are very clever,” says Assistance League volunteer Ann Livingston. “They take very well-known songs and they just tweak the words a little bit to fit into the story.”
Cowden says she finds inspiration for these productions by listening to oldies music on satellite radio.
“I’ll hear a song and go, ‘Oh, that would be a nice song to sing,” she says.
Share the Spirit
The Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, funds nonprofit holiday and outreach programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying the print version of this story or go to www.sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate. Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making large contributions, may contact the Share the Spirit program at 925-472-5760 or sharethespirit@crisis-center.org.