Cicero, NY – Cicero-North Syracuse High School’s musical performance of "The Wiz" will not have any African American students in leading roles, which has one parent upset and wondering why.

"Are there no talented African American students at C-NS?" Letrice Titus asked. "Was there any outreach to the African American students in the school? Why didn’t the school just do The Wizard of Oz?"

These are the questions that Titus will bring to the North Syracuse Central School District Board of Education tonight. She also has the support of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Preston Fagan, local NAACP chapter president, will accompany Titus to the meeting.

Titus brought her concerns to the musical director, Caryn Patterson, and school officials last month. Titus said she felt that the North Syracuse Central School District dismissed her concerns. Titus’ daughter, Kierrah Titus, tried out for a leading role and was selected as a member of the ensemble, but dropped out of the play.

"I’m not just a parent upset that my daughter didn’t get a role," Letrice Titus said. "I think it’s wrong."

"The Wiz" is adapted from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," by L. Frank Baum and a book by William F. Brown. The Guide to Musical Theatre describes the musical as "a black version of the perennial Wizard of Oz." "The Wiz" opened on Broadway in the mid-1970s and was made into a movie starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross in 1978. IMDb describes the movie as an adaptation "of 'The Wizard of Oz' that tries to capture the essence of the African American experience."

Patterson declined to speak to The Post-Standard and a list of cast members was removed from her page on the district's website. Melissa Julian, executive principal of C-NS high school, and Dan Bowles, the district's associate superintendent for teaching and learning, said they support Patterson in her decision to perform "The Wiz."

Julian said only seven African American students tried out for the musical and only one of those students, Kierrah Titus, tried out for a leading role. Julian confirmed that no African American students were selected for leading roles, but said she wasn’t sure how many of the seven African American students are involved in the musical.

Cicero North-Syracuse High School has 93 African American students out of a total student body of about 2,200.

Bowles said Patterson was not concerned at all with the lack of African American students trying out for the musical.

“She makes it a steady point to encourage diversity for her performances,” Bowles said. “She wants as much diversity in all of her productions as possible.”

Julian said the play does have diversity, but a key group of African American students who performed two years ago in the school’s performance of “Hairspray,” have graduated.

Julian said Patterson selected to do “The Wiz” because it has a positive message, it’s easy for the students to understand, it has great music and the choreography and script are easy to perform.

In January, Titus requested that the school recast to include more African American students or to do a different musical. Now that the students have practiced for weeks, Titus wants the school to recognize her concerns.

Fagan said the entire executive committee of the local chapter for NAACP supports Titus in her quest.

“To not let a black student have an acting role in this play is appalling,” Fagan said. “It’s almost an insult.”

Other local school districts have performed “The Wiz” with no African American students. At Jordan-Elbridge, the musical was performed last year.

“We approached the musical with a 1970s flavor,” said Drew Deapo, the musical's technical director at J-E high school.

Deapo said the race or culture of the performers should not dictate what musical a school can perform.

“You don’t cast for a show based on the color of someone’s skin or someone’s sex,” he said. “You cast for who can pull off the role.”

The North Syracuse board of education meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Jerome F.

Melvin Administrative Office Building, 5355 West Taft Road, North Syracuse.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@syracuse.com or 470-2298. Follow @SarahMoses315