From community theater to Broadway, UNCG’s Avilon Tate reflects on his time in Oz 

Featured photo: UNCG senior Avilon Tate was cast as the understudy for the Tin Man role and as an ensemble member in The Wiz, which ran at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theater until Feb. 11. He will reprise his roles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles from Feb. 13-March 3. Then it hits the big time: in New York City on Broadway at the Marquis Theater, March 29. (courtesy photo)

Avilon Tate is easing on down the Broadway-studded road.

The senior UNCG drama student was cast as the understudy for the Tin Man role and as an ensemble member in The Wiz, which ran at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theater until Feb. 11. He will reprise his roles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles from Feb. 13-March 3. Then it hits the big time: in New York City on Broadway at the Marquis Theater, March 29.

During his sophomore year at UNCG, Tate participated in the LINK Program, a non-profit organization that introduces performing arts students to industry professionals and enhances performance skills. This led to a New York City audition and him being cast in the national tour of Mean Girls in 2021 in which he was an ensemble member and understudy for Principal Duvall.

Tate began performing at 5 years old when he was cast as a Munchkin and a flying monkey in a Community Theater of Greensboro production of The Wizard of Oz. In his adolescence, he spent time at his mom’s studio, the Pointe Studio of Dance in Greensboro, gracing the stage in dance adaptations of The Wiz, The Lion King and Annie.

“I knew the performer in me was born because it was super fun and that was really what I enjoyed doing,” he says.

Despite common belief that it’s a remake of 1939 film The Wiz is actually a 1978 film adaptation of the seven-time Tony Award-winning 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical, featuring an all-Black cast. As a child, Tate wasn’t aware of either of them, even though the film featured a star-studded cast including  Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and comedian Nipsey Russell. A visit from his sister one afternoon would change that.

“I was floored. When it ended, I was like, ‘That’s it? There’s not a part two? There’s no more?’” he says.

He gravitated towards the funky disco and soul soundtrack, bright yet eerily-decorated sets and jazzy choreography. Plus, it was impactful to see Black faces on the big screen.

“To hear the music from The Wiz and to get that feel and that sound that sounds very familiar, especially to Black people, it was really nice,” he says.

To go from falling in love with the film as a child to being in the Broadway production as an adult, the feat seems predestined, according to Tate.

“It’s a very full-circle moment,” he says.

Rehearsals were full of trial and error as this production is the first Broadway revival since 1984. Actor’s formations on stage were changed, essential elements were reworked. Despite the uncertainty and last-minute alterations, Tate loves rehearsal and the learning opportunities for adapting it provides.

“All of our creative team, when they kind of see what might not have gone the right way or how they might have imagined, then things have to change,” he says.

Tate continues, “But I love rehearsal just because I get to be around my fellow actors and actresses and dancers. It is the time to just get a feel for the energy of the space.”

He’s also found pleasure in collaborating with other actors from similar backgrounds.

“The Wiz is an all-Black cast and it feels great because it’s super rare to be able to do that, especially in the Broadway world,” he says.

In the productions he’s done, Tate says he’s typically the youngest in the room. He used The Wiz as an opportunity to gain knowledge from more experienced performers, letting them adjust his execution where they saw fit.

“You can use that for yourself for your next job. It’s been wonderful to just learn from everyone,” he says.

With rehearsals half the week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with assignments due at 11:59 p.m., completing his last semester of college while preparing for the show has been challenging for Tate. Luckily, he has a supportive group of family and friends who encourage him to persevere.

“It’s simply been hard work, but I’m very happy to be close to the finish line,” he says.

Mean Girls and The Wiz are just the beginning of Tate’s professional career, and there is one production at the top of his bucket list.

“​​A show that I must and will do is Wicked. There’s something about the Land of Oz,” he says.

However, Tate is ultimately leaving his next role to be decided by a higher power.

“Wherever God takes me is where I’m going to go for sure,” he says. “I just want to have longevity and give quality.”

Learn more about Avilon Tate on Instagram @avilon.tate. Purchase tickets to The Wiz at wizmusical.com.