Everyone loves to kick up their feet and watch a good movie. However, wouldn’t it be even better if you could see the characters live? Face to face? Well, you can! Blue Springs City Theatre (BSCT), the place that believes in, “Creating Magic, Enriching Lives” is now presenting a terrific production of: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”.
Hey, is this a movie? No, it is a play!
Starting July 12th, the musical “Willy Wonka” is coming to breathtaking life at Blue Springs City Theatre.
Blue Springs City Theatre production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”
When: July 12th-14th, July 19th-21st at 7:30 pm, and July 15th and 22nd at 2:00 pm.
Where: All performances are at Blue Springs High School Auditorium (2000 NW Ashton Dr., Blue Springs, MO).
Tickets: Seniors (65+) and children, $7 admission fee. Adults $8. You can also purchase online tickets for "Willy Wonka".
About the Show
Directed by Aaron Stokes, “Willy Wonka” is the story about a young poverty-stricken boy--named Charlie Bucket--(played by Sam Aubuchon) who longs for a life of comfort.
When he finds out that the mysterious candyman Willy Wonka (played by Kitten Boggs)--the greatest chocolate maker of all times--is letting five children into his factory for a grand tour, Charlie is thrilled! Not only will he get to tour the factory, he will also win a lifetime supply of chocolate!
To get in, he must find a Golden Ticket. These five Golden Tickets could be anywhere in the world in a Wonka Chocolate Bar.
Immediately, the sales of Wonka Bars hurtle to the sky all over the world. Does Charlie have a chance, when his family can barely scrape up enough money for their cabbage soup?
Aaron Stokes, along with his fantastic cast and crew, is busy at this very second enhancing the play to excellence. Aaron has a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.
Aaron scrutinizes every detail, then polishes it to perfection, creating a masterpiece. When asked to share how he feels about this program, Aaron replies, “I think the production is stellar. I couldn’t ask for a better production team or company.”
The whole group has truly worked hard to make this play astounding.
The band is fantastic! Instead of traditional band music for the “Willy Wonka” play, the group is using more modern, pop and rock kind of music, making the play spark with energy.
Special effects are also involved, such as people disappearing, and reappearing on a real TV.
Cool sound effects are used, too. Some of these sound effects include the mooing of a cow, a cannon explosion, and probably some static/ electronic/ funk sounds. My personal favorite sound effect in this play, though, can be found in the piece: “Burping Song”!
I’m sure that by now you’re anxious for me to tell you the “inside scoop” on this show; ready for me to hint on some of the special little surprises in the production. Being a writer, I cannot do that. Instead, I want to focus on the other side of a production: the performers. What would you think if I told you that you can also perform onstage?
Go to Blue Spring’s City Theatre’s website, and you will find out about the other plays they’re doing this year!
For tips on how to audition for a play, check out what our cast says:
You have to sing a song at tryouts. (Usually musical theatre)
You might do a “cold reading”, reading right from the script
You have to practice, practice, practice your songs before the audition
And what is the best way to try out for a play? A fellow actor who plays James, a candyman kid, has a great answer for this: “Show your real singing voice, because you never want to be a fake.”
Also, a tip from me is this: If you get a callback, either viewed on-line or a phone call from the director, it means that he or she wants to see more from you. At callbacks, you will most likely be asked to read from the script and sing a song from the show. (It helps to know the songs from the show ahead of time.)
You very well may love being in the theatre! I encourage you to give it a try.
Here, I am going to break my promise a bit. I am going to tell you a tad of info about a few of the characters, just to silhouette your suspense: Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and Grandpa Joe.
Kitten Boggs, the actor that plays the inexplicable Willy Wonka, is doing an excellent job onstage. He is quite like his character in two ways: witty and clever. Kitten is also very talented at representing Wonka‘s trademark whimsicality for the show.
Also appearing in the production is Grandpa Joe, Charlie’s bedridden, yet energetic, grandfather. Played by Kemp Strickler, Grandpa Joe has secret hopes that Charlie can find a Golden Ticket. It isn’t easy playing a cranky, bedridden, grandfather. Nevertheless, Kemp accomplishes this challenge easily.
Finally, there is Charlie Bucket. Honest and true, this character matches Sam Aubuchon’s real personality completely. Sam, who has also stared in “Oliver”, handles his many songs with ease. Because of his persistence for this show, Sam’s part shines.
However, it is not only Sam that is persistent; it is the whole cast. We all worked very hard to make this play a success.
Being in this play myself, I would like to share what I have learned. I’ve learned what it is like to help things come together, how to be part of a team, and most importantly, how to make my confidence shine.
In conclusion, I hope that not only you will consider trying out for a play in the future, but also that you will come see “Willy Wonka”. I guarantee it will be the best play you have ever seen. And that is absolutely NOT an exaggeration!
Anny Hiestand, Teen Blogger