Hello, everyone, I am Zachary Ryan Allen, and I am the webmaster here. I am a life-long
Oz fan. Many people ask me how I got into Oz. Well, I was about one or two when my mom bought the video for my
older brother and me. We sat down and watched it one afternoon and the rest is history. However, the movie wasn't
the only thing that made me an Oz fan. My grandma had an old Wizard of Oz storybook. It was the big yellow
one by Random House from the 1950s-1970s (collectors know exactly which one i'm talking about). I used to sit and look
at the pictures all day. I actually made Grandma read it to me at least every other day. As I got older and could
read on my own, I worked myself up to her copy of the original novel by L. Frank Baum. I found the World of Oz and inhabitants
to be so fascinating. I found myself wanting more and more Oz. This lead to me obtaining quite a large library
of Oz videos, books, records, tapes, CDs, etc. This is also what sparked my interest in collecting. You can read
more about my collection here.
Growing up, I loved playing make believe,
especially Oz. My friends and I would play Oz on the playground at school. Also, my 50th Anniversary Wizard of
Oz action figures were my favorite to play with. In a way, I never grew out playing make believe. I still dress
up as the Scarecrow for Oz festivals and other family events across the country. As for my friends, yep, they still
dress up as all the other characters and accompany me to such events. For more on me and my friends, please visit our
characters page.
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I was born on November 17, 1989, in Shelbyville, Indiana. I was the baby of the family,
and I won't lie, I loved it and all the attention that came with it! I have a disorder that is known as Asperger Syndrome,
which is a type of autism; however, it is the highest functioning form. In a way, having AS is a good thing as individivuals
with the syndrome tend to be very artistic and imaginative, which I am. I also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Now ADHD isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Sure it got me into trouble a little in elementary school. But as I like
to say, "i'm not talkative, i'm social."
I attended elementary school at Southwestern Elementary in
Shelbyville. My parents divorced when I was in fourth grade. Shortly after, I moved to Kokomo, Indiana, with my mom. At
the time it seemed horrible but turned out to be a great thing for me. I attended Western Middle School and High School in
Russiaville. In high school, I was president of Drama Club and Robed Choir. I also performed onstage with the Kokomo Civic
Theatre.
I currently attend Ball State University. I am majoring in
Musical Theatre and English Education. I hope to someday star on Broadway; however, if that doesn't work out, I want to teach
high school English and direct drama club.
Theatre
As
you can probably tell, I love theatre. It has sometime I have been involved with almost all of my life. Theatre gives me
a creative output. It also allows me to espcape the real world by become other characters. I guess it all kind of goes back
to the whole make believe thing. Of course, my work in the theatre has lead me into more than one Oz production. I have
played the Scarecrow numerous times. I am classically trained in both acting and singing.
I love all sorts of plays and musicals. I especially love
Broadway. My favorite shows include: Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, RENT, Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar,
and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I hope to someday be a star on Broadway.
Quick Facts
Height: 5' 11"
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brownish Auburn
Favorite Version of Oz: It's hard to choose
but i'm particularly fond of the MGM movie and the original book.
Favorite Oz Movie: The MGM musical, followed
closely by Disney's RETURN TO OZ.
Favorite Oz Book: The original, The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz, with The Marvelous Land of Oz coming in a close second.
Favorite Character: The Scarecrow
Favorite "Reimagining:" WICKED: The Untold
Story of the Witches of Oz
Favorite Roles I Have Played: The Scarecrow,
Puss in Boots, Dreyfus (The Pink Panther Strikes Again), Kharis (Monster Mania), and Hamlet.
Roles I Hope to Play in the Future: Fiyero (Wicked),
Angel (Rent), The Phantom (Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera), and i'd like to reprise the
role of the Scarecrow in a major production of The Wizard of Oz.
Pets: A cat named Sir William Shakespeare (just Shakespeare
for short).
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