There’s no place like home school for “The Wizard of Oz.”

That’s the theme Northshore Networks Youth Theater students will work with as they perform their musical at the Northshore Performing Arts Center from June 18 through 21.

Shows take place at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on June 20 and 21 at 2:30 p.m.

There’s something other than home schooling that separates this group from other acting troupes: this one includes students of all ages, whether they’re learning to read and write or taking drivers ed.

Ages for the 38 actors range from 6 to 18, and everyone who tries out for the show gets a part.

“This is a lighthouse program,” said Northshore Networks Drama Director Eve Hammond. “People look at it as exemplary for inclusion. There’s a lot of mentoring that goes on between the older and younger kids.

“You don’t get that in regular school theater because you’re working with your peers all the time.”

Benefits of the program go up and down the ranks.

“We learn just as much from the younger kids as they do from us,” said 16-year-old Avalyn Shulz, who plays Dorothy. “They just act natural, and we get that whole innocence from them. They keep you upbeat and positive throughout the year.”

Hammond says another advantage is that she gets to work closely with students throughout every stage of their development. Many of her actors have been with the program since kindergarten.

The Northshore Networks program also serves as an outlet for social interaction – something that’s not exactly built into the home-school experience.

“The one thing our parents sometimes feel like they can’t provide is a communal experience, ” Hammond said. “Theater is a communal experience.”

Northshore Networks began in 1997 with support from former Northshore School District Superintendent Karen Forys.

The program teaches all aspects of theater, with directing apprenticeships for kids as young as 13, and opportunities to learn set design, choreography, and costume making.

Seventeen-year-old Kenmore resident Malyssa Combs is co-stage manager for the “Wizard of Oz.”

The Northshore Networks group does roughly three productions a year, and consistently earns “Excellent” and “Superior” marks at the annual Washington State Thespian Society conferences.

Participants work on their shows through classes at Leota Junior High.

The home-school theater program nearly took a hit when the Northshore School District made budget cuts this year, but it survived the process intact.

“This has been an especially challenging year with the uncertainty of the future,” Hammond said. “The students have really stepped up and created a show they are proud of.”

Hammond says “The Wizard of Oz” has special meaning for her actors – one that resonates with their own experiences finding a place in the educational system.

“It illustrates the best in everyone,” she said. “It shows that everyone needs everyone else, and home can be found anywhere you go.”

A portion of the proceeds from the June 21 shows will benefit the family of Kelly Clark, who was critically injured in a May 19 automobile accident.

The 48-year-old Bothell resident remains hospitalized in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Clark is a Girl Scout leader and a member of the Home School Networks advisory committee.

“She was kind of like the glue that held everyone together,” said 16-year-old Cara Loarie, who plays the Wicked Witch. “She helped everybody. Nothing negative ever came out of her mouth.”