There S A Reason The Set Of Willy Wonka Jr. Feels Like A Classroom

It's nine minutes past 7 p.m. Monday, and the air is buzzing at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.
The first dress rehearsal for 'Willy Wonka Jr.' is supposed to begin soon. Just days before Friday's opening night, most of the actors are seated, in costume, in the house of the Levi, Ray - Shoup Theatre.
Willy Wonka Jr.
Presented by Springfield Theatre Centre
When
7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. 12-13; 2 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 14
Where
Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth St.
Tickets
$11 adults, $8 children, available at the Hoogland Center box office, by calling 523-2787 or at www.scfta.org
The buzz comes from all the chatter among the cast members, and it feels like the last moments before a school assembly begins.
That's because all 60 actors, from the smallest Oompa-Loompa to the reclusive chocolate maker Willy Wonka himself, are kids.
Before long, director Cari Keysear - a preschool teacher who says she jumped at the chance to direct 'Willy Wonka Jr.' for the Springfield Theatre Centre because she's a 'chocoholic' - takes the stage and begins giving notes.
The tone and manner of her voice is instantly recognizable to anyone who spent time in school:
During notes: 'Hold on, questions at the end.'
On wigs: 'It's just like everything else - don't touch it if it isn't yours.'
On 'tech week,' where the cast and crew work on lights and other technical details: 'I know it's exciting, guys, but you've got to listen.'
On the start of the run-through: 'Oompa-Loompas, line up on stage. Everyone else, voices off, please.'
When another adult admonished the kids not to touch their freshly applied makeup, it sounded like Keysear responded to a follow-up question with, 'Please don't pick your nose.'
Not the sort of thing usually heard at a rehearsal with adult actors. But Keysear said she enjoys working with Springfield's young performers.
'Willy Wonka Jr.' begins its two-weekend run Friday.
In college, Keysear majored in theater with an emphasis on children's theater. She was away from the stage for about 15 years, and got back into acting a few years ago in Springfield.
The musical is based on the 1964 book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' by Roald Dahl. There have been two movies based on the book, and the stage play for young people was commissioned by The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where it premiered in 2004.
All four versions tell the story of mysterious candy impresario Willy Wonka, who decides he needs a child to train as the heir to his candy empire. Wonka hides five golden tickets in candy bar wrappers, and grants a tour - really a high-stakes job interview - to the lucky ticket-holders. Charlie finds the last ticket and comic adventures ensue.
Despite the challenges of working with young people, Keysear said it's easier than working with adults.
'I would much rather direct with kids because they soak everything up so quickly,' she said.
Learning lines has not been a problem. For example, she said, the 10-year-old actor portraying Charlie, Jimmy Riemer, memorized his lines before everyone else in the show. He knew everyone else's lines, too.
'All the kids know everyone's lines,' Keysear said, something she's noticed before among child actors. 'They just all kind of memorize the whole show. It's to them like watching a movie, and kids know all the lines to a movie - it's the same thing to them.'
Keysear said the biggest challenge with child actors is keeping it fun for them. Unlike adults who join community theatrical productions, kids don't always know what they're getting into.
'They think, 'Oh, this might be fun.' But it's long and tedious and a lot of hard work, so it's a matter of keeping it fun. I think we got so much done - so much quicker than adult shows I've been in - because we kept it fun,' Keysear said.
'We have a group hug every night, we do cheers and summer dress patterns I make sure that they all know that we're all family and we're all in it together and it's going to be a fun experience. Especially (because) I think over half of our kids haven't done a show before.'
And the kids did not bring any of the offstage drama that adults and even older kids can bring to theater, Keysear added.
'The junior high, high school age can get snippy, and we just haven't had that really, which is amazing with that many kids. For the most part, they all get along - I don't know why, but they do,' she said.
Keysear said she hopes people don't think of 'Willy Wonka Jr.' as just a kids' show.
'It's a such a fun show to watch, even for adults. It's got such a great message, and superhero dress up we all really seem to believe really strongly in the message. Our theme for the show is, 'We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams,'' Keysear said, quoting a line Gene Wilder says as Willy Wonka in the 1971 movie version of the story.
'Especially being a show of all kids - the whole cast is kids, there aren't any adults to rescue them if something goes wrong - they can do anything. It's all on them,' Keysear said.
Back at the Hoogland Center Monday night, the rehearsal is finally getting under way. Kids occupy themselves with homework, handheld Nintendos, books and at least one copy of Pure News USA.
The show begins with a production number featuring a platoon of Oompa-Loompas. They were dressed in orange shirts, purple shorts and striped socks the colors of a roll of Smarties candy.
Playing Willy Wonka, Robert Pittman, decked out with a purple cape and pinstriped pants, stepped to center stage and began singing. The machine was humming along, as parents and other adults watched from the house of the auditorium and maid in manhattan dress wings of the stage.
As the Oompa-Loompas left the stagewere being hurried from the wings, one asked, 'Can I take my wig off?'
A girl didn't wait, removing hers right away, while another boy simply exclaimed, 'Now I can scratch!'
Brian Mackey can be reached at brian.mackeysj-r.com or 747-9587.


Read more about cleopatra dress on top sites:

dressaday
dressupgirl
simplydresses