Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Wizard of Oz’ Tours North America Fall 2013

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” will embark on a North American tour next tall. The lead role of Dorothy will be played by Danielle Wade, as she was named winner of the Canadian reality competition “Over the Rainbow” last night.

In fact, the cast of production will feature only Canadian actors, announced Mirvish Productions. The tour will open at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto in December, though exact dates and a further schedule will be announced at a later time. Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reports that the tour plans to visit more cities in Canada before crossing into the United States later in 2013. Producers say they hope to hit major U.S. cities including Chicago and Los Angeles.

The television show “Over the Rainbow” was designed to cast Dorothy for the production, and Wade was announced as the winner last night (Monday, November 5).

“This is incredible,” said Wade in an interview after the win, according to NowToronto.com. “I don’t know how to explain how amazing this is. I don’t think it’ll sink in until we open previews. The fact that I get to say that sentence is unbelievable.”

The show lasted eight-weeks, and Wade was a favorite from early on.

“Every week [I went] into the eliminations with the mentality that I could go home and I needed to sing for my life,” she said. “And the fact that Canada never put me in the bottom two is incredible. I can’t thank them enough.”

Wade will have little time to celebrate, as rehearsals for the show begin this week.

“I’m beyond ready for this,” she continued. “I have been waiting 20 years to get the chance to do this. That sounds ridiculous, but I can’t wait to start working.”

Until this point, Wade’s only stage experience had been community theater.