Will Dorothy return home?

Can the Lion get some courage?

How about the Tin Man, will he find a heart?

And the Scarecrow, will he finally receive a brain?

Make no mistake, all these questions will be answered during the Coeur d'Alene High drama department's production of the “Wizard of Oz,” which opened Thursday in the school's auditorium.

“I've never directed the Wizard before,” said Coeur d'Alene High theater director Jared Helm, who is in his ninth year with the school. “I try to do both my plays new each year. We did ‘Cinderella' last year and ‘Peter Pan' in the fall, and there's a bit of a family theme to these things. We started to get a lot more kids out to the productions with their families and they started having these meaningful, impactful experiences, so we wanted to continue to do something like that.”

The performance runs today and Saturday, and again next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Performances are at 7 p.m. at CHS, 5530 N. Fourth St., Coeur d'Alene.

Thus far, the department has pre-sold more than 900 tickets for the performances.

“My other highest production was ‘Les Miserables,' which sold over 2,200 tickets and we'd pre-sold 500,” Helm said. “It's definitely one of those plays where you want to get your tickets now instead of waiting. I think the second weekend is going to be exceptionally rough. The sense of family that comes with the play, the sense of discovering home are such universal ideas and themes, that this is an amazing family show. It's the version closest to the film and it's about 90 percent the same as the film, so audiences can recognize the songs, tap their toes and sing along with the show.”

Hannah Verdi, a junior at Coeur d'Alene High plays Dorothy.

“It was a childhood favorite to me,” Verdi said. “My grandmother and I would watch it when I'd get home from school. She, and a lot of this part of my life, it's definitely because of her.”

Verdi has acted in five different shows at Coeur d'Alene High.

“I got into doing choir as a freshman and a friend of mine said that you've got to join drama,” Verdi said. “I wanted to, but was iffy about it because of the elective classes involved in it. And I learned I wasn't too bad at it and now it's a passion of mine and a career goal.”

And Verdi, who holds big goals, isn't afraid of such a large role.

“It's really heavy,” Verdi said. “It's heavy, and a lot of work. There's a lot of pressure put on you, but it's one of the biggest learning experiences of my life.”

Blake Presnell, a sophomore, will play the Cowardly Lion. “I was always really into acting and did some camps when I was younger,” Presnell said.

It will be Presnell's first lead role at the school.

“I've been in the past three shows and I've been in good roles in all of them,” Presnell said. “And I've enjoyed every single one them. I'm really hoping to get across Coeur d'Alene High's professionalism. We all work really hard on these shows and are trying to show that theater isn't dying. It's coming back, and it's strong and all of that.”

Freshman Taylor Wenglickowski will step into the role of the Scarecrow.

“I personally am honored to be a part of this show,” Wenglickowski said. “Personally, it's a way to express a lot of different things that go into the show. We've all worked super hard on it and really want to show that to the rest of Coeur d'Alene.”

Wenglickowski had only a minor role in the fall production, so stepping into a bigger role is something she's looking forward to.

“I like the people,” Wenglickowski said. “The people here are really fun to be around and you can be yourself without being judged. Growing up, I was always kind of an athlete, but only recently got into theater, acting and music.”

And then there's the Tin Man, played by junior Andy Johnson.

“My freshman year, I didn't want to be in drama and was placed into drama accidently to fill a hole in my schedule,” Johnson said. “I didn't want to be in it, but quickly made some friends and joined the competitive drama team. Afterward, I realized it was pretty amazing and ... something I wanted to keep going. At first, I took it as a curse, but now, I'm really glad I stuck with it.”

Though he hasn't seen the movie in a few years, Johnson is excited to bring his character to life.

“When I was a kid, my sisters and I used to sit around and watch the movie all the time,” Johnson said. “It has been a while since I've seen the movie, but not a long time.”

Helm added this performance will leave an impression on those coming to see it.

“It's definitely an experience that they're going to remember,” Helm said. “I've been doing theater for 26 years, and active in 160 plays and it's up there. I am telling my friends, my family that this is the one to see. It's a special cast with over 56 students from the school district involved, another 10 in the pit and others backstage. We've got 75 kids involved, which helps the audience as well.”

Tickets are available at www.chstheater.org.