Shanice Williams stars in the lead role of Dorothy in NBC's holiday production of "The Wiz Live!"

An 18-year-old New Jersey native, Williams was raised and trained in musical theater. She was selected out of hundreds of applicants nationwide who 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 including 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."

In 2014, Williams was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse's annual Rising Star Awards.