From oompa loompas to giant blueberries, middle school performers filled the Blackbox May 16-18, creating a world of “Pure Imagination” for the audience.
“Willy Wonka Jr.” is a musical spinoff of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and tells the story of a young, poor Charlie Bucket who finds a golden ticket in a chocolate bar. The ticket grants him and his grandfather a visit to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, along with four other children and their parents from all over the world.
When the show’s original director Samara Kelly went on leave, students and new directors, Ashley Fisher and Reed Farley, had to adjust. Stage manager Lena Sakhnini (’27) said the cast and crew often expected the show to run how Kelly originally planned it, yet that was not always the case.
“The difference in style of Mr. Farley versus Ms. Kelly has shifted the cast,” Sakhnini said. “We’re expecting more Ms. Kelly, but their styles are different, and [the cast] has adapted to that.”
Natalie Subotky (’28) and Hollyn Alpert (’28) both played the lead role of Willy Wonka, alternating who performed every other show. This show was the second time this year that middle school theatre changed directors and had to acclimate to new theatrical visions for their performances. The first time was with their play in the winter “The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus.”
“I feel like there were definitely good things that came out of having a new perspective and vision,” Subotky said. “But we also all do miss Ms. Kelly, and we just want to send our best wishes to her.”
Associate Director Ashley Fisher said that she and Farley tried to keep as much of Kelly’s vision alive, but there were cases where certain elements, such as choreography or lyrics, had to be changed for the good of the production.
“We’re trying to keep as much of her creative vision alive, but when you change directors, there’s a whole new set of eyes on it,” Fisher said. “There were certain things that weren’t finished yet, and with those things, we had to make our own choices.”
Subotky said it took a team of cast, crew and directors to ensure a smooth transition from script to stage.
“It was definitely a change, but I feel like everyone was really supportive,” Subotky said. “Mia Vosicher, our [assistant director], Jan, who was in charge of the music, Mr. Farley and Ms. Fisher — everyone who worked as a team so that they could best support us in putting on this show and making sure that the show does still go on, even when things do happen.”
Fisher said the directors faced obstacles during the show’s preparation process but not many during tech week. She said their biggest challenge was the amount of time they had to execute the show.
“There’s certain props that we had to find that we didn’t know we had to find. It’s stuff like that – it’s filling in those gaps,” Fisher said. “I think our biggest challenge, in general, hasn’t been this week, it’s just been the time of turnover in terms of two new people coming into this show.”
Sakhnini said the transition of obtaining two new directors was mostly flawless.
“It was a pretty seamless transition in terms of picking up the show,” Sakhnini said. “It didn’t impact tech week because the switch was before that — it was just getting everyone to work together with the cast and crew.”
Despite the tight time frame, Fisher said that the cast and crew were still able to create an amazing show. She said the Blackbox has a special feeling that brought the show together.
“I think that there’s just something so magical about the Blackbox theater — the lights, effects and sets are awesome,” Fisher said. “So I think that seeing it come together where it’s vivid and real, instead of just a rehearsal, was the best moment so far, and everybody felt it.”
