Before she landed in the national touring company of "The Wizard of Oz," Cassie Okenka hadn't sung "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

"Not even in a talent show," the actress says by phone from the road. "I never felt it was my place. It was done so well, I didn't think I could compare to Judy Garland."

Now, Okenka's walking in those ruby slippers as the stage Dorothy -- a role even she can't believe she's playing.

"There are times at night when I'll get a reflection of myself in a mirror and I'll think, 'That's me? Wearing THE shoes?' We're not even allowed to take them out of the theater."

Covered in Swarovski crystals, the coveted pumps are just part of the exacting detail producers have added to the stage show. Created for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Great Britain, the current production has all the hallmarks (from Munchkins to the Wicked Witch), the songs and the special effects of the film original.

Even better? The stage turns from sepia-toned to full color when Dorothy passes from Kansas into Oz. "It's all done with lights, costumes and projections," Okenka says. "It's spectacular." And pretty breathtaking for the actress, who occasionally gets to see what the audience sees as she makes the transition.

A graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music, Okenka used to watch "The Wizard of Oz" once a year with her family. "We'd gather in one room and, gradually, it became part of our vocabulary. Dad would always talk about being a 'good-deed doer.'"

Eager to help their daughter pursue her dreams, Okenka's parents never pushed her but made sure she got to every dance and music class. "They bought a plethora of shoes for me. They wanted me to find what I loved to do, then do it wholeheartedly."

At school, Okenka learned how difficult the business could be. "They prepared us, realistically, for the world we were going to enter." When she finally got to New York, the actress realized she was able to compete with the business' best. "All those Saturday mornings in the choir room paid off. I felt confident."

She didn't realize, though, how many people would be vying for the same job. "I went at 7 a.m. for a 'Mamma Mia' call and I was there until 6 p.m."

During the wait, those hopefuls catch up with friends, return calls and check on other auditions. "You just hope you're what the casting directors are looking for. You're not competing with the other actors. You're just trying to be what the producers want." Professional competition isn't cutthroat, she says. "You can't hit someone on the knee and hope that's going to give you the edge. You just do your best."

Before she landed the "Oz" gig, Okenka auditioned for "Legally Blonde" as part of the MTV competition, "The Search for Elle Woods."

"It was an odd experience for me because I did it my last semester in college. It was an interesting experience but it wasn't like a real casting call. Thankfully, all of the girls involved had paid their dues."

The real process happens more quickly, Okenka says. "You might go to five auditions in a day. They say one in every 25 callbacks you book the job."

After she went in for the initial "Oz" interview (where she did sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"), Okenka was told she'd get a call within a month. At the second audition, she did a monologue from the show and was told to return in the afternoon. She auditioned with potential Tin Man and Scarecrow actors, then was asked to return the next day.

"I told them, 'I've got to worry about losing my survival job. I'm a hostess at a diner and if I'm gone I could be fired.'"

Good news landed like Glinda -- Okenka didn't need the survival job. She was cast as Dorothy.

Now, she's having a great time crossing the country in a show that already has a built-in fan base. Dusty, the dog who plays Toto, often spends nights with her so they can bond and the cast members are so close they feel like they are home when they're on the road.

When the tour ends, Okenka says she'll go back to New York and continue to audition.

A role in "Wicked"? "I would love that," she says with a laugh. Both "Oz" and "Wicked" are "simple stories about good and evil and Dorothy is such a great person to play. She's so nonjudgmental. When she meets the witch, she apologizes for having the house fall on her sister. 'Wicked' reminds us of all the good in the world."