South Fayette Middle School will stage the full version of "The Wizard of Oz" this spring, with 25 elementary pupils cast as munchkins.

		PG South elementary/middle school previews Here are some junior plays scheduled for South elementary and middle schools: Baldwin-Whitehall St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Elementary School, 5200 Greenridge Drive, Whitehall, will present "The Wizard of Oz," at 7:30 p.m. May 11-12 in the auditorium of Seton-La Salle High School, 1000 McNeilly Road, Mt. Lebanon. Harrison Middle School, 129 Windvale Road, Whitehall, planned to present "The Music Man Junior," but the show has been postponed because of a strike by teachers. It will be rescheduled. Bethel Park Independence Middle School, 2807 Bethel Church Road, Bethel Park, presents "The Wizard of Oz" at 7 p.m. tonight and tomorrow at the school. Canon-McMillan Canon-McMillan Middle School, 3676 Millers Run Road, McDonald, plans to present "The Music Man Junior" at 7 p.m. next Thursday at the school. Chartiers Valley Chartiers Valley Middle School, 50 Thoms Run Road, Bridgeville, will present "The Wizard of Oz" at 7 p.m. March 29-31 at the school. Ss. Simon & Jude Elementary School, 1625 Greentree Road, Scott, will present "Forever Rock 'n Roll" at 7 p.m. March 29 at the school Elizabeth Forward Elizabeth Forward Middle School, 401 Rock Run Road, Elizabeth Township, will present "Les Miserables Junior," at 7:30 p.m. May 24-25 at the school. Peters Township Peters Township Middle School, 625 E. McMurray Road, McMurray, will present "Oliver Junior" at 7:30 p.m. March 23 and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 24 at the school. South Fayette The South Fayette Middle School, 3660 Old Oakdale Road, McDonald, will present "The Wizard of Oz" at 7 p.m. May 4 and at 2 p.m. May 6 at the school. South Park St. Joan of Arc Elementary School, 6470 Library Road, South Park, will present "Enchanted Sleeping Beauty" at 7 p.m. May 4 at the auditorium of Seton-La Salle High School, 1000 McNeilly Road, Mt. Lebanon. Upper St. Clair Fort Couch Middle School, 515 Fort Couch Road, Upper St. Clair, will present "The Music Man Junior" at 7:30 p.m. May 2 in the Upper St. Clair High School auditorium.

"They'll steal the show," said Jason Iannuzzi, music teacher at the school.

High school musicals get the bigger budgets and most of the media attention, but middle school pupils across Western Pennsylvania are preparing for some ambitious productions, which include, in addition to "Oz," "The Music Man," "Annie," "Oliver" and others.

Just as young athletes refine their skills on junior varsity teams, young thespians hone their talents on casts of middle-school musicals.

"Middle school is the feeder to the high-school program," said Mike Caporizzo, band director at Canon-McMillan Middle School. "But the middle-school program never gets the sunshine."

The middle-school musical season opens today and continues through late May. [See accompanying list of some South junior musicals.]

Some music teachers trace the popularity of the middle-school musical to a time when shorter and more affordable shows became an option. "Broadway Junior" shows, as they have come to be called, are adaptations of classic and contemporary Broadway shows marketed specifically for middle-school-age performers. With licensing fees usually under $500, the junior shows are an affordable alternative for middle schools, which typically have much smaller budgets than high school productions.

Many local middle schools order their licensed shows from Music Theatre International, where they can buy the junior show packages, which include scripts, recorded music and sheet music for the show

Some directors embrace the smaller-scale versions, which include use of recorded music, while others use student orchestra pits to provide additional performance experience.

Some schools prefer to stage full versions of shows, feeling the condensed versions lack challenge. Ss. Simon & Jude Elementary School, for example, wrote its own musical in an effort to encourage creativity and limit expenses.

Funding arrangements for the musicals vary by district.

Mr. Caporizzo likes the "Broadway Junior" shows because they allow a lot of youth involvement. Canon-McMillan Middle School will use an orchestra pit for its rendition of "The Music Man Junior" this year.

"All the kids involved are middle-school kids, from the pit to the crew to the kids on stage," Mr. Caporizzo said.

He said the music for full versions often was too advanced for young musicians. Finances are also a factor. "We don't have the budget," Mr. Caporizzo said.

Findlay Middle School in the Ringgold School District produces "Broadway Junior" shows. Melanie Sandrock, choir teacher, said the musical was central to the eighth grade choir curriculum.

"It's a student-run show from beginning to end," Ms. Sandrock said. There is no district budget for the musical at Ringgold, where they're staging a junior "Annie" this year. "Our three sources for the funds are ads in our playbill, admission and fund-raisers," Ms. Sandrock said.

"Part of the education is being able to afford the show and make it happen," she said.

Ms. Sandrock said the show typically raises enough to buy the next year's license, along with additional cordless microphones, which will be used for other performances.

Picking the right show each year can be a challenge. Fran Kayatin, music teacher at Fort Couch Middle School in the Upper St. Clair School District, lets talent guide her.

"If I have a lot of good boys, I think about doing "Music Man." If I have a lot of good girls, I think about doing "Annie," she said.

About 100 kids are participating in their version of "The Music Man Junior" this year.

"We have a lot of talent in this school district, and it's nice to get the kids started early," Ms. Kayatin said about the middle-school program.

Mr. Iannuzzi is looking forward to South Fayette's first full-scale middle-school musical. "I'm a real proponent of doing the full versions," he said.

"I've found that middle-schoolers are up to the challenge."

Under his direction, they will perform the Royal Shakespeare Co. version of "The Wizard of Oz."

"This version is challenging because it includes some special effects, as were in the movie," Mr. Iannuzzi said,

"It's an homage to the film that we all grew up with."

Ss. Simon & Jude Elementary School will perform "Forever Rock 'n Roll," a musical focusing on the music of the 1950s and 1960s, written by the students and music teacher, Lori Rathbone.

"We relied on our own creativity. It's not taken from a script that's ... bought," she said.

Some schools use double-casting, the practice of having pupils share lead roles. They take turns on different performance dates. Many directors feel it's important to provide numerous opportunities to experience a lead role.

Findlay Middle School double-casts its lead roles, and equality is paramount for music director, Ms. Sandrock said.

"We don't have one strong cast," she said. "We share the wealth." The two casts are referred to as Cast One and Cast A, continuing the equality theme.

Most teachers agree that parent involvement is central to the success of any program. "It really does take a village," Mr. Iannuzzi said.

Each school offering a middle-school musical provides a creative outlet to pupils and a feeder program for a high school program. Their teachers hope to provide a musical foundation that enriches student lives.

"Not everyone will go on to Broadway, but they can be part of a great experience here," Ms. Sandrock said.

"It exposes them to it and makes them good audience members in the future."