Colleges, professors and more explained

Evil has been one of Broadway’s most popular productions for many years, and John M. Chu’s film adaptation brings this pulpy, flashy world to life with excess style. The narrative of Evil follows two witches, Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who come together despite their differences at Shiz University in the mysterious land of Oz. However, when the elusive Sorcerer requests his presence in the Emerald City in EvilBy the end of, the pair uncover a widespread conspiracy that threatens to tear them apart forever.

One of the many reasons that Evil has become so respected over the years thanks to its expansive world-building and character development, that does a great job of expanding the world created in The Wizard of Oz without changing any of the important details. The story takes all the ideas and locations from the original film, fleshing them out even further to make them truly real and authentic, with characters whose lives are complex and engaging. The film adaptation of Evil is split into two parts, with the first devoting a lot of time to introducing these iconic locations.

Shiz University is a college in Oz

The school is where Elphaba and Glinda meet for the first time

One of the most important places in the whole Evil (but particularly in the first half) is Shiz University, the college where Glinda and Elphaba first met. The school is situated in the magical land of Ozmuch of which was explored in 1939 The Wizard of Oz – but Evil gives more details and backstory to this realm, explaining exactly how it differs from the world we live in. The actual structure of the university differs between the Broadway production and Gregory Maguire’s original novel, but is always depicted as a university school with confusing architecture.

In both the Broadway production and the film adaptation Shiz University is a huge campus where all faculties surround each other nearby. This explains how students like Glinda and Elphaba, who attend an all-girls college, interact so easily with characters like Fiyero and Boq. Gender segregation is an important feature of Shiz University as it allows Evil comment and satirize the stereotypes imposed on Elphaba and Glinda.

Each college at Shiz University and which characters go to them

Wicked’s main cast attends several different schools

Just like in the Broadway show, several of the main characters in Evil attend different colleges and study different subjects at Shiz University. The most frequently mentioned college is Crage Hallwhich is where Elphaba and Glinda first meet. Described as a school of general studies, Crage Hall is apparently one of the university’s lowest-ranked colleges. It is headed by Madame Morrible, the ambitious headmistress who accompanies Elphaba and Glinda on their journey to the Emerald City.

Shiz University’s other main colleges are Briscoe College and Ozma Towerswith the presence of Boq and Fiyero respectively. The first is described as an agricultural college, where Boq studies to improve his farming skills. It is famous for having the largest library on campus. Ozma Towers is believed to be a primarily political school, which is tied to Fiyero’s high status and politically important family in the original novel.

The remaining colleges are Three Queens, Deckens College and St. John’s College.. Not much is known about these schools except that St. Prowd’s is an academy for younger students with a more general curriculum. Three Queens is one of the few all-male colleges in Shiz, apparently focusing on theater and performance. Although the Evil film makes several changes from the Broadway show (i.e., focusing more exclusively on Elphaba and Glinda), these fundamental faculties are largely the same.

All teachers at Shiz University

Each subject has a different teacher

As with any school, Shiz University also has several teachers and staff who are in charge of different aspects of the academy. The most notorious is Madame Morrible, headmistress of the school and leader of Crage Hall College. She is the teacher that Glinda and Elphaba are attracted to during their first term at Shiz, and her role in the first film is mainly as a mentor to the girls. Important, Morrible also serves as the newly appointed press secretary for The Wizard of Ozfunction that is exploited by the Wizard to get closer to Elphaba.

Doctor Dillamond, played by Peter Dinklage, is Professor of Life Sciences at Crage Hall and is an extremely important figure in Evil. The character is a walking, talking goat – but is often ridiculed by both students and staff because of his species. EvilThe treatment of animals and their respective rights in Oz is a large part of the story, furthering the play’s main themes of discrimination and acceptance. Elphaba is one of the only people who truly accepts Dillamondbonding with him because of their common status as social outcasts.

Although the film primarily focuses on Morrible and Dillamond, there are many other members of the Shiz University staff who were mentioned in both the novels and the Broadway production. These include Doctor Nikidk, who replaces Dr. Dillamond as Crage Hall’s Life Sciences professor, Grayce Greyling, Mister Mikko, Professor Lenx, and an unnamed rhinoceros who serves as the librarian at Three Queens.

Where is Shiz University located in Oz

The university is in the most industrial province of Oz

Although Oz is not fully mapped out in the film, Shiz University is described as being situated in the Gillikin region, which is the northernmost province of Oz. As explained in Maguire’s novel, Gillikin is known for her sense of industry and technologyallowing it to develop a reputation as one of the most advanced and profitable regions in Oz. With Shiz as the region’s capital, Gillikin is ruled by the Lord Mayor of Shiz and heavily influenced by the Ozma family.

The city of Shiz is one of the richest and most respected in all of Oz.second only to the Emerald City of the Wizard. It is known for its sense of academics and knowledge, which is why it was chosen to house the most popular university in Oz. Known residents of Gillikin in Evil include Glinda, Madame Morrible and Avaric Tenmeadows.