Want to Go Over the Rainbow with the BBC???

Could you be the next Connie Fisher or Jodie Prenger? BBC One is now accepting applications for actresses who want to find West End stardom via the latest in its series of musical theatre casting programmes, now titled Over the Rainbow, which will cast a Dorothy – as well as a Toto – for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s upcoming revival of The Wizard of Oz (See News, 11 Sep 2009).

According to organisers, “auditions are open to everyone” – although you must be 16 or older (as of 26 June 2009) – “no matter how much or how little experience you have. What we’re looking for is the potential to make the part of Dorothy your own.” Applications can be submitted online at www.bbc.co.uk/dorothy/. Auditions begin nationwide – in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London – in January.

A spokesperson from Talkback Thames, the TV production company behind Over the Rainbow, told Whatsonstage.com that they expect a record number of applicants for the role of Dorothy. He attributes this to the momentum gained year on year for the various series, the enduring appeal and accessibility of The Wizard of Oz, and the fact that Jodie Prenger’s triumph on the last offering, I’d Do Anything, proved that you don’t have to be professionally trained to win.

Over the Rainbow will reunite Lloyd Webber with Graham Norton, who also hosted the previous series of I’d Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?. Judges and exact broadcast dates have yet to be announced, though the series is expected to begin airing in late March 2010.