LOUISVILLE, Ky. — One of the first shows at the Iroquois Amphitheater this summer will be The Wizard of Oz.

The production, put on by ACT Louisville Production, stars Dupont Manual High School students Olivia Manning and Audrey Lucas as Dorothy. Both are eager to get back in front of a full audience.  

“It was really difficult doing online school and singing to a screen, it’s not the same as feeding off the live energy that an audience has," Lucas said.

Manning said the past year was, “like losing a limb.”

“It’s sort of like this weird cutoff of like, I’m still doing what I love, but it’s virtual and behind all these screens,” she said. “I was able to refine my craft but it also just felt like something was missing the entire time.”

They’ve each had recitals in front of smaller groups, but they were strange.  

“It just doesn’t feel as good, you know, like when you’re singing in a forest and nobody’s around,” Manning said. “There’s just like, no energy. You can hear clapping but for the most part, it’s just like this black ocean that’s just terrifying.”

Iroquois Amphitheater shut down when the COVID-19 pandemic started and hasn’t had a concert in almost two years, but now that capacity restrictions are gone, organizers are hoping to fill every seat in the house with events this summer and fall.

The first event is a boxing match on July 2 featuring WBC Junior World Super Featherweight Champion Carlos Dixon, who’s from Louisville.

The pandemic, he said, was a blessing in disguise for him.

“It was a good time to take a mental break and just a body rest,” Dixon said. “And we’re back at it again, foot right back down on the gas pedal.”

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said live events at Iroquois Amphitheater have been a long time coming.

“Another piece of evidence that our city is opening back up and that vaccines work,” Fischer said.

The pandemic isn’t over, but Fischer said widespread adoption of the vaccine allowed Louisville to reopen. Now, the city is focusing vaccination efforts on people 40 and under.

“We’re literally going door to door to try to get people vaccinated,” Fischer said.

The efforts also include access to vaccines at concert venues and rapid testing for those who are still hesitant about getting one.

Joe Argabrite, co-owner of Headliners Music Hall, said getting your shots should be a no-brainer.

“This would be a good time to interject that vaccines are a gateway drug to concerts, so you should get one,” he said.

Either way, event planners in Louisville are booking as many shows as possible this summer. The full list of concerts at Iroquois Amphitheater is available here.