Greensburg —
On Friday night at 7 p.m., the Greensburg Junior High School (GJHS) Drama Department will raise the curtain on one of the largest, most ambitious productions it’s ever staged.
According director and GJHS Drama Coach Heather Simpson, 150 students auditioned for playwright Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka, Jr.”
“It’s hands down the largest cast I’ve ever worked with,” Simpson said. “We held auditions in August and have been working extremely hard. I was a little worried about our two-week Fall Break. We didn’t hold any practices during that time frame, and I was afraid everything might fall apart while the kids were on vacation — that everyone would forget their lines and their marks.”
She continued, “But the kids have been amazing. They didn’t miss a beat, and they’re ready to put on a great show.”
Simpson described her principal cast as seventh- and- eighth-grade stage “veterans,” adding that the show is extremely family friendly.
According to Wikipedia, “Willy Wonka, Jr.” is a scaled-down version of the world-famous stage musical “Willy Wonka,” itself an adaptation of both Dahl’s 1964 book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and of the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”
The “Junior” version is designed to work well with the limited resources available to public-school drama departments, while maintaining the adult-version’s large cast.
The Daily News attended a preview performance of the GJHS production Thursday afternoon held for other GJHS students. This reporter found the production to be colorful, creative and filled with music.
In addition to the Friday evening performance in the GJHS auditorium, the play will also be staged Saturday night, also at 7 p.m.
Admission to both “Willy Wonka, Jr.” performances is $5 at the door, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
For more information on GJHS’s production of “Willy Wonka, Jr., call Heather Simpson at 593-4966 or call GJHS at 663-7523.
Contact: Rob Cox at 812-663-3111 x7011.
Schools
Related Photos
-
The cast of GJHS’s production of “Willy Wonka, Jr.” crowd together onstage during a preview performance of the play for the school’s students Thursday afternoon in the GJHS auditorium. Photo by Rob Cox
-
The “Oompa-Loompa Chorus” from GJHS’s production of “Willy Wonka, Jr.” await their stage queue outside the GJHS auditorium Thursday afternoon during a preview performance for the school’s students. Photo by Rob Cox
November 9, 2012
GJHS stages "Wonka, Jr." for two-night engagement
- Schools
-
-
SDES Fine Arts Spring Fling gives young artists a chance to shine
-
Former Colts player visits St. Mary’s
-
Headstart boxsters “start their engines"
There were no exhaust fumes or rumbling engines, but there were nonetheless a number of wipeouts, collisions and lost wheels Wednesday afternoon at the Greensburg Learning Center, as Decatur County Headstart held its annual 500 Boxcar Race.
-
SDES staff enjoy a “fountain of thanks”
-
SDES archery team advances to world championship
-
Chargers presented Honors Diplomas at annual banquet
- NFL veteran Gary Brackett and Pacers’ Roy Hibbert to reward students for fundraising efforts.
-
Good Shepherd expanding with help from legislative changes
-
Volunteers log nearly 800 hours at SDES
-
New Purdue Extension educator off and running
- More Schools Headlines
-
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
