NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University theatre alum Cal Mitchell has loved singing and theatre since he was a teenager. He grew up watching “The Wiz” with his family, not knowing he would one day star in the Tony Award-winning musical as the Lion and perform at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

The musical, which is described as a groundbreaking twist on “The Wizard of Oz” — with an iconic score that’s packed with soul, gospel, rock and 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world — is Mitchell’s national tour debut. The musical makes a stop at TPAC in Nashville Sept. 23-28.

“I used to watch ‘The Wiz’ growing up all the time, and now it’s such a huge part of my career,” said Mitchell, referring to the iconic, late 1970s cinematic version of the reimagined 1974 Broadway musical, starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Ted Ross (Lion), among others in the all Black cast.

When Mitchell arrived at MTSU in 2017 after graduating from Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, that’s when he really jumped headfirst into theatre. The theatre major in MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts also minored in musical theatre performance.

“My first show at MTSU was Joseph (‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’). I played Joseph, which was a bit of a crazy experience getting into college that first year and doing that show. I was also in ‘Nine to Five;’ we did a production of ‘Spring Awakening,’ and my last show with the theatre department was ‘Godspell,’” he said.  

Mitchell said his experiences at MTSU really helped set him up for success when it came time to audition for shows, and it is the place that helped him figure out why he got “so attached to theatre and acting itself.”

“The time I was at MTSU, I was exactly where I needed to be as far as understanding what being an actor was, or understanding what I bring to the table and also understanding that I am not just a simple product; I am a human being too, and that’s as much a part of it as anything else.”

He added, “Doing all of those shows back-to-back like that at MTSU really prepped me for what would be required of me once I was actually working, so it set me up really well.”

When Mitchell first booked a role in ‘The Wiz,’ he was part of the show’s ensemble and was the Lion’s understudy before being promoted to the role full-time about halfway through the run of the production.

“Jumping into the role was a little bit scary, but I am so glad I said yes, and I’m going to continue to say yes to doing this show every single day because every time I play Lion, it feels like I am unlocking another piece to get me where I need to go next.”

“Getting to play him is really interesting because I feel like Lion and I are one and the same person,” Mitchell said. “Getting to play him is cathartic.”

Mitchell said his favorite part of the show is the final sequence at the end, where Glinda comes on stage and sings “Believe in Yourself” before Dorothy sings “Home.”

“That part means so much to me. I grew up listening to these songs, and I think it is really poignant, especially for Black kids, to see someone who looks ethereal and like a goddess telling you that you can be whoever you want to be, despite what anyone else says.”

Mitchell said those two songs have a special place in his heart because they make him reflect on where he’s been in life and where he’s going.

“Getting to listen to ‘Home’ every night, I sometimes stop and really think back to a few years ago when I moved to the city, or five years ago when I started doing shows at MTSU and before that in high school. It’s hard not to listen to or hear those songs back-to-back and not think about where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. Those two songs mean the absolute most to me,” he said.

Mitchell continues as Lion through the end of the national tour, which wraps up in Ohio in May 2026. For ticket information, including the TPAC performances, visit https://wizmusical.com/tour-dates/.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)