Middle school students to perform ‘Willy Wonka’ musical
Willy Wonka Ava Forde, Charlie Nora Udelhoven (both at left), and some of the Oompa Loompas practiced last week. (Photos by Correne Martin)
By Correne Martin
“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” will be on stage at the Prairie du Chien Performing Arts Center Thursday, July 29, at 7 p.m. About 30 Bluff View Intermediate summer school students have been working hard on the production and are anxious to share it with the community. All are welcome to watch the free show.
The musical is led by district music teachers Amy Pham and Jill Ahrens, and the set has been designed and constructed thanks to Rob Ahrens, Jill and some of the students. Freshman Erin Lenz is a student director for the show.
Following grades 2-8 auditions in June, the roles were chosen for the musical, which is part of a new summer school offering this year. Eighth grader Ava Forde is Willy Wonka (and the Candy Man), third grader Nora Udelhoven is Charlie, and fourth Bryson Forde is Grandpa Joe. Both of the girls have some experience in acting. This is Ava’s fifth show and second musical, while Nora has done one play and this is her first musical. Bryson is new to this kind of gig. But they all love to dance and sing and said they can hardly wait for future opportunities.
The production is a short one, about a half hour to 45 minutes long. The young actors will have just shy of three weeks of practice time in before showing it to the public this week.
They all hope community members will take time out to watch them on stage Thursday night. The kids are sure the audience will love the Oompa Loompas, played by students of various ages; as well as the familiar songs and the funny factory scenes. Many of the songs come from the original 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” movie, featuring actor Gene Wilder. “But we modernized it to be more like the new movie,” Ava Forde said, referencing the 2005 film featuring Johnny Depp.
If you attend Thursday night’s performance, Pham noted, they are accepting donations toward the theater department. Ahrens said they would like to upgrade to a grand piano and have some other desires.
Otherwise, it’s free for anyone of all ages to enjoy.
Pham added, the goal is for this summer school option to be available every summer if all goes well.
She also shared that, this fall, the Prairie du Chien High School Drama Hawks plan to perform “Freaky Friday.”
