In just a few weeks, Dorothy's house will come crashing down — not in the Land of Oz — but in Wareham, Massachusetts. 

The students with the Wareham Viking Theater Company are working hard to get their production of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" off the ground. The production is entering its final stretch, with shows starting on Friday, Dec. 15. 

The students in the company meet twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, to practice their parts and to put the production together. 

Daniella "Trivia" Amezian, who plays Dorothy, said the part is "a lot different from the past roles that I've played."

Roles like Dorothy and like Alice in Wonderland, "girls that almost anybody can relate to," are hard to figure out how to inhabit, said Amezian. "We've done a little bit of character work in order to help everybody fall into their roles a little easier, and that definitely helped."

Nirvana Lake, who plays Glinda, said she wanted to play the role since she found out they were doing the production. 

"I just feel a real personal connection with her, with her kindness and her willingness to help someone even if she knows them not at all," said Lake. "She's always someone who wants to lift people up and guide Dorothy to the end, no matter how she has to do it, and I really am inspired by that."

Amber Roberts also felt their role suited them well — that of the Cowardly Lion. 

"In middle school, I got cast as a poppy," Roberts reminisced. "This is kind of my redemption."

Roberts added they liked getting closer to the production's main cast. 

This year's production also features middle school students in key supporting roles. The middle school's drama club is working on its own production, that of "Willy Wonka," but students from the club were eager to join the high school's play as well, they said. 

"They make perfect winkies and munchkins," said Candy Johansen, the club's academic advisor. She added it helps them get used to the high school drama program before they come up and join it themselves. 

The students aren't just the on-stage talent for the show. They also run the production's back-end, building the set, stage-managing the production and more. 

Aidan Dillen, the student directing "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", said his decision to direct was "kind of a spur of the moment thing." 

The upcoming seniors in the program get together at the end of the year and choose the next year's shows, and while he pushed for Midsummer Night's Dream, he realized he was still excited about directing "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" when the group chose to move in that direction, he said. 

"It was such a fun time casting the show and seeing all of the great talent we have, and just seeing how perfectly everything fit and aligned," said Dillen. 

"I think this is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done," he added. 

Performances will take place on Friday, Dec. 15 and Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Wareham High School auditorium. For tickets, visit https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/78995.