Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the two films it inspired, continue to win hearts with their kooky characters and imaginative candy concoctions.
Now Dahl’s book is the inspiration for an offbeat play that Hapnot Collegiate students will perform next week at their annual Dinner Theatre.
Willa Wonkie and the College Tour (Chocolate Not Included), written by ES Follen, follows Charlie Pail, a teenager who hopes to go to college even though her family can’t afford it.
Charlie and a collection of off-beat teens each receive tickets that grant them a college tour and a chance to win a scholarship to the mysterious Insolitus University.
Charlie soon finds herself on a highly unusual college tour led by the bizarre dean of students, Willa Wonkie.
With the limitations of a relatively small set, co-directors Kim Jones and Corinne Mathews have devised creative strategies to make the play come to life.
“The uni loonies [the university maintenance crew] hold props, like dinner trays or bookshelves, to imply we are in different spaces [in the university],” Jones said. “We use the magic of theatre to make the audience imagine we are in different places.”
Hapnot art students, under the tutelage of teacher Christie Jedele, crafted the play’s set and props, including a large painted backdrop, a boat, and artful signs.
The actors themselves put together the costumes.
The play’s cast includes 14 students from grades 9 to 12, with six students opting to earn credit for their participation in the production.
“It’s a dedicated cast this year,” Jones said, noting the performers have been rehearsing since auditions took place in late October and practicing 40 hours a week for the final two weeks before the performance.
Dinner Theatre will be held at 6 pm at the Hapnot gym on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 24 and 25. Doors open at 6 pm. Dinner is not provided, though audience members are encouraged to bring their own appetizers.
Tickets are available at Northern Rainbow’s End and the Hapnot office.
