We visited Mesa back in 2010 and saw an excellent performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse theater located in the stunning Mesa Arts Center complex. The play was performed by the East Valley Children's Theatre group. So for our return trip to Arizona this vacation, I looked up the Mesa Arts Center and was happy to learn that the EVCT group would be performing the Wizard of Oz-based play entitled Oz!...and due to the timing of our vacation, we were lucky to catch the final show of the run. As was the case back in 2010, the play itself was excellent. The youngest performers were 4th graders if I recall correctly, and many of the older members of the cast were in their mid-teen (early high school). I took some pictures of the cast after the show (no pics were permitted during the play) and complimented many of the young actors. So many cast members did an excellent job, but I was particularly impressed with the performances of Elizabeth Schaible (as the Scarecrow) and Christian Armanti (Toto). The other lead characters (Annie Potts as Dorothy, Mikey Cornejo as the Cowardly Lion, L J Deacon as the Tin Woodsman and McKenzie Elias as the Wicked Witch of the West) also gave very impressive performances. For anyone vacationing in the Phoenix area, I highly suggest you look up the Mesa Arts Center and, more specifically, the East Valley Children's Theatre group to see when they're performing. The tickets were very reasonably-priced and the theater in which they perform (the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse in the Mesa Arts Center complex) is very nice-looking and intimate as there are only about 200 seats...so really not a bad seat. Highly recommended.

What a fun show! I took my two neighbors that are little girls and they absolutely loved the show. The children performing were professional and phenomenal... I forgot I was watching a play and felt like I was in the middle of the story! I love that it was an original play... it kept the show that much more interesting. Before hand a costume contest encouraged kids to get in the spirit of the video game-themed play. My neighbors wished they would have dressed up! All seats in the venue at the Mesa Arts Center were good seats, even little ones could clearly see the stage. The kids especially loved that the actors came out for photographs and autographs afterwards. They felt like they were meeting celebrities, and each actor was incredibly kind and gracious. Such a great experience! Can't wait to see the next show.