Charleswood dancer is over the rainbow at TV chance

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This article was published 25/07/2012 (5133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Colleen Furlan nearly spun the VHS tape dead.

For the 19-year-old Charleswood resident, The Wizard of Oz wasn’t just a weekly viewing ritual, it also dictated her dressing as Dorothy for Halloween when she was in kindergarten.

Now, Furlan is one of 20 women across Canada selected as finalists to play the iconic role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Canadian production of the famous story.

“It’s really a story of friendship,” she said in a phone interview from Edmonton.
“I was very close with my friends and still am.”

The search for Dorothy is part of a live competition series, Over The Rainbow, which will air on CBC later this fall.

With a background in dance since she was three years old, and pursuing vocal performance at the faculty of music at the University of Manitoba, Furlan dove into the competition after spotting an audition on Facebook.

She quickly whittled herself down from hundreds, to the top 100, and now to the final 20, at the most recent round of auditions in Toronto in mid-June.

Furlan has been prepping with vocal coaches and keeping her feet moving swiftly to put herself above the rest of the competition.

“One thing they suggested we start doing is making sure our stamina is where it needs to be,” she said.

“We’re going to be worked 16 hours a day, constantly being filmed.”

In August, the remaining 20 will be sent to “Dorothy Farm,” said Lesley Birchard, executive in charge of programming at CBC.

“You could call it a Dorothy boot camp, where our vocal, dance and acting coaches will put them through their paces,” she said.

“It’s going to be a crazy week with a lot of showtunes sung.”

The opportunity to work with Lloyd Webber is one of the biggest things the winner can do in Canadian theatre, Birchard said.

“Roles like these don’t come along very often,” she said.

“This will open up a new world to our Dorothy, and hopefully other opportunities will come out of this.”

Furlan hopes so. She’s looking to land on Broadway one day.

“To get your face out there and be able to show viewers your talent . . . there’s always one person watching,” she said.

“The different connections you can make through all of this. We’re going to be working with great performers and instructors. Having to work with them and see me dance, it’s a dream that not many people get to fulfil.”

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