On the heels of casting a local dog as Toto in the upcoming stage musical “The Wizard of Oz,” Studio East has acquired a host of local youths to play the parts of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the full cast this summer (58 students in all).

“The Wizard of Oz” is the 14th annual summer teen musical produced by Studio East, which has been creating opportunities in the performing arts for young people in the community for nearly two decades.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘The Wizard of Oz’ home to Kirkland and are very thankful to have the support of the city as well as the entire community,” said Lani Brockman, founding artistic director. “This production is not only a culmination of hard work and dedication by our young actors, but is also the biggest show our studio has ever produced.”

Playing the part of Dorothy is young local actress Sean Ben-Zvi, a 2010 graduate of Studio East’s “Young Actors Professional Intensive.”

“We love to surprise people by showing them just how much young people can do,” said Ben-Zvi, “It takes dedication, teamwork, discipline and a lot of hard work, but the values and experiences we’re getting from being involved in this show will stay with us throughout our lives, no matter what we do.”

The City of Kirkland along with Bill and Lyn Thomas are presenting the show, which runs during weekends from July 30 to Aug. 7 at the Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland. Performances begin at 2:30 p.m. July 30-31 and Aug. 6-7; and 7:30 p.m. July 30 and Aug. 5-6.

All tickets $15, reserved seating. To purchase tickets: www.kpcenter.org or call 425-893-9900.