Blake McIver Ewing and Marcia Mitzman Gaven to star in THE BOY FROM OZ at OFC Creations Theater Center

OFC Creations Theater Center has revealed that Blake McIver Ewing, well known for playing Waldo in The Little Rascals and as Derek in ABC’s Full House, will play the role of Peter Allen in the 2024-2025 season opener of the OFC, The Boy From Oz.

Starring as Judy Garland, alongside Ewing, in The Boy From Oz is Tony Award nominee Marcia Mitzman Gaven, a well-known Broadway actress who starred in the original Broadway casts of The Who’s Tommy in the role of Mrs. Walker and Chess as Svetlana.

Ewing and Gaven will reunite on stage after performing together nearly 30 years ago in the 1997 world premiere of Ragtime in Los Angeles. Gaven played the role of Mother and Ewing played the role of her son, Edgar. In OFC’s The Boy From Oz, Ewing and Gavin will once again play mother and son. Both Ewing and Gaven will make their Rochester, New York debut at OFC Creations Theater Center

After humble beginnings growing up and singing in country pubs across the Australian outback, Peter Allen’s career took off without warning after being discovered and followed under the mentorship of Judy Garland. In the first part, Peter moved to New York and was introduced to Judy’s daughter, his future wife, Liza Minnelli.

Peter Allen became an international celebrity in the 1980s, best known for hits such as “I Honestly Love You”, “Best That You Can Do”, “Not The Boy Next Door”, “Everything Old Is New Again” and the series ending, “I’m going to Rio”. From winning an Academy Award to performing at a sold-out Radio City Music Hall to being lionized upon his return to Australia, Peter has battled divorce, heartbreak, failure, and challenges. unknowns of the AIDS epidemic.

Under the direction of OFC Owner and Artistic Director Eric Vaughn Johnson, The Boy From Oz will be performed for the first time in New York State at OFC Creations Theater Center, since the award-winning Broadway production Tony Award in 2003, which starred Hugh Jackman as Pierre Allen. Ewing and Gaven will lead OFC Creations’ professional cast, comprised of actors from New York, Los Angeles and across the country, assembled under Johnson’s direction.

“The success of last year’s season was a resounding message that OFC’s Broadway in Brighton series met a need in our community and beyond,” shared Johnson. “Last season, when we brought Garrett Clayton (Disney’s Teen Beach Movie, Hairspray LIVE) to headline, our audience was thrilled with the uniqueness of OFC, which brings national artists to our region to lead high caliber productions We are fortunate to share the incredible talent of Blake and Marcia with Rochester, and there is much more to come!”

The Boy From Oz will launch OFC’s 2024-2025 Broadway In Brighton series with a focus on bringing beloved shows and generational hero stories to the stage, many of which are not typically performed in Rochester .

OFC Creations has been an integral part of the Rochester, NY performing arts scene since 2005. After opening the 260-seat OFC Creations Theater Center in 2020, OFC has continued to expand with New York State’s largest educational theater program for young actors, opening an immersive theatrical restaurant and cabaret performance venue in 2022.

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