She's one of the most beloved characters in film. How many Dorothys from “The Wizard of Oz” did you see this year at Halloween?

So imagine the thrill and weight of responsibility a young woman feels when she's chosen to play Dorothy in the Broadway version of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Cassie Okenka doesn't have to imagine. She's been playing Dorothy for more than a year now on a national Broadway tour of the musical, which stops in Fort Wayne for one performance Monday.

She said it is a “blessing to do this day after day after day,” speaking via telephone from a show stop in Hershey, Pa.

Although it was “definitely” intimidating to step into the role Judy Garland immortalized on film, Okenka said she had the freedom to play around with the character a bit and not strictly mimic Garland's interpretation of Dorothy.

The show is a celebration of the movie, Okenka said, not a perfect reproduction of it. Her favorite number right now is a jitterbug with the whole ensemble that was cut out of the original movie.

Okenka, who is from Toledo, Ohio, graduated from Baldwin Wallace-Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio. She previously was seen on MTV's “Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods.”

As a kid in Toledo, it was Okenka's sister who got to be Dorothy one year for Halloween. She said the red marks are still in the basement where her sister spray-painted her shoes.

“It's definitely something that's always been in my life in some way,” she said of “The Wizard of Oz.”

A year ago last summer, she auditioned for “The Wizard of Oz,” singing “Over the Rainbow.” She was asked to come back the next day, and landed the role. She said it took “lots of hard work” to get where she is, but also acknowledged “I'm very, very lucky to be where I am.”

Okenka performs eight shows a week and is onstage most of the time. Asked where she gets the energy, she said, “your guess is as good as mine.” She credited eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep as contributing to her stamina.

The cast and crew travel by bus and stay in hotels. “It's definitely not for everybody, but I honestly enjoy it,” she said.

Sometimes she even has sleepovers on the road, but it's not the kind of sleepover that makes for good gossip. She gets to have Dusty, who plays Toto, and Loki, the understudy, stay in her room to help them bond with her.

She doesn't usually have to worry about them getting her up in the middle of the night to relieve themselves. The cairn terriers (same breed as the Toto used in the movie) usually go right before bedtime, and, in the morning, she calls their handler to take them out.