Shanice Williams Cast as Dorothy in NBC's 'The Wiz Live!'

Shanice Williams as Dorothy -- Photo by: Jeff Riedel/NBC

Rising star Shanice Williams, an 18-year-old New Jersey native who has been raised and trained in musical theater, is the new Dorothy in NBC’s upcoming holiday production of “The Wiz Live!,” set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

Williams was selected out of hundreds of applicants nationwide who had auditioned to portray the iconic role of a Kansas farm girl who gets swept up in a tornado and is sent to the mysterious land of Oz.

With five years of musical training that also includes extensive dance and piano, Williams has co-starred in several local productions, including “West Side Story,” “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “42nd Street,” “Seussical” and “Pippin.”

Last year Williams was nominated for best leading actress in a musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse’s annual Rising Star Awards.

NBC recently raised the project’s star quotient in a big way by adding multi-award winners and A-list stars Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige to the telecast.

Fatima Robinson, Harvey Mason Jr. and Stephen Oremus Join NBC's ‘The Wiz Live!’

Acclaimed choreographer Fatima Robinson, and two of the most accomplished and influential music professionals from popular music and Broadway — Harvey Mason Jr. and Stephen Oremus — have joined the creative team of NBC’s holiday production of “The Wiz Live!,” set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

Fatima Robinson, who will choreograph “The Wiz Live!,” is widely recognized as one of the most innovative choreographers working in film and TV today. She choreographed the acclaimed film “Dreamgirls” as well as “Ali,” “Collateral,” “Miami Vice” and “Public Enemies.” She is also one of the top performance producers for NBC’s Emmy-winning musical reality-competition series “The Voice.” Her TV work has been featured on several Oscar telecasts, the Super Bowl, Grammys and “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.” She also has many commercials and videos to her credit as both director and choreographer and has worked with most of the top performers in popular music, including Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, Sade, Brittany Spears, and many other top artists.