‘The Wiz’ revival director is making her Fort Worth debut with Bass Hall run

Schele Williams has never directed a show at Bass Hall, but she’s going to become very familiar with the venue over the next year. She is the director of two shows that will be coming to Bass Hall as part of Performing Arts Fort Worth’s Broadway at the Bass Series Presented by PNC Bank.

Her first show, a revival of “The Wiz,” will be in town July 15-20. Then, next June, “The Notebook” will make its way onto the Bass stage.

“Sometimes you just got to look up and count your blessings. It’s the most incredible feeling in the world to see that two of your shows are coming to the same theater that close together,” she said, noting the feeling she got after seeing a billboard outside a theater in Philadelphia.

This will also be the first time ever for “The Wiz” to be performed at Bass. It was revived in the fall of 2023 with a national tour, then went to Broadway for a short run from April to August 2024 before returning to its current national tour in February.

The tour also includes a stop at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas Sept 19-21.

“The success on Broadway has buoyed the tour,” said Williams, who was listed in 2020 as a Top 10 Broadway to Watch talent by “Variety” magazine.

About ‘The Wiz’

“The Wiz” is a version of “The Wizard of Oz” featuring black performers. When it debuted on Broadway in 1975 it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 1978 it was released as a movie starring Diana Ross as Dorothy.

“One of the biggest differences is the original was deeply entrenched in the 1970s and what we wanted to do was make it timeless,” Williams said. “We kept the heart of the show without tying it to any time period.”

Williams said, for example, you’ll hear jazz music and humor that hits for multiple generations.

“We consciously did a nod to every production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ there’s ever been, even back to the (L. Frank) Baum book,” Williams said.

The revival also features new material from comedian, writer and actress Amber Ruffin.

“Amber’s the best. She’s updated the humor immensely. There’s a laugh a minute,” Williams said. “I really learned the analogy of humor working with her.”

Williams said when was first approached about directing the revival in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she had plenty of time on her hands. This gave her more time to dive into the story and where she wanted to take it.

“I was thinking of my daughters — at that time they were 10 and 11 — and I was thinking about how they’ll navigate the world,” she said. “The theme of the show is belonging and we all have a need to belong.

“Dorothy finds quirky characters in a world that is strange to her. However, through their friendship and bravery they navigate the impossible.”

Black Theatre United

Williams is also a founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization committed to dismantling systemic racism on our streets and stages. She said “The Wiz” certainly qualifies as a show that’s true to this cause.

“BTU came out of George Floyd’s death,” she said. “We all just needed to connect and start systemizing black bodies onstage and off. When we’re doing stories about us, they should include us.

“I wouldn’t think about doing a story about LGBTQ without having someone from that community involved.”

In addition, she has been a member of Broadway Inspirational Voices for over two decades and serves as chairperson of the board, and also serves on the board of Broadway Care Equity Fights AIDS. She is also the author of the children’s book “Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History,” recipient of a 2022 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

There’s also something special about the challenge of creating a revival that Williams said she loves. There’s a fine line involved in taking a story people love, bringing it to the stage and presenting something new while remaining true to the original story.

“It’s a delicate balance. I call it a gentle calibration of new and old,” she said.

Williams said the message of the show is to believe in yourself. In absorbing the message, however, she encourages the audience to let loose and have fun, something she said a theater loving city like Fort Worth knows how to do.

“I have cast a lot of people from Fort Worth in my shows. You can always tell cities that have a strong theater appreciation because they have a certain sense of community,” she said. “I couldn’t be happier to bring this show to Fort Worth and I can’t wait for them to feel the joy.

“I love to see an audience getting up, clapping and dancing together. In our show we don’t want people to feel restricted to their seats. This is a musical for everybody.”