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charlie and the chocolate factory

Welcome to the world of pure imagination with this tasty Broadway and West End musical based on the famous novel and hit movie.

Based on the famous novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features an original score composed by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray) and a book by David Greig. The score also pays homage to the Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley score from the 1971 film with songs from the motion picture including "Candy Man," "I've Got a Golden Ticket," "Oompa Loompa Song," and "Pure Imagination."

The world-famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious factory…but only to a lucky few. Young Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a life-changing journey through Wonka’s world of pure imagination including chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas.

CPT Perspective for charlie and the chocolate factory

Come with me and you'll be / In a world of pure imagination / Reach out, touch what was once / Just in your imagination” – from the song "Pure Imagination". 

Willy Wonka is about to take us on a journey in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  The story is about a creation, one made in mystery, outputting delectable confections to satisfy the world’s desire for sweets.  Actually, that’s just a setting.   This story is more about the human condition.  One in which the ideals of gluttony, greed, idolatry, choices and consequences are expressed.   Is there hope anywhere to be found?  Of course, but let’s talk about our cast and what they’ll be doing.

The named roles all come with their challenges mentioned above (greed, idolatry, etc) but the majority of the cast is ensemble, so what will they do?  The first act is the race to win the ticket so there will be multiple ensemble opportunities at every winning area around the globe.   Once we enter the factory in act 2, the ensembles turn from everyday citizens to Oompa Loompas.  Each consequence that a bad character experiences has its own doom-filled dance.  Though dark in its outcome for the travelers, Wonka affirms ‘they’ll be ok’.   Our cast will have opportunities to be in teams per song to communicate the story.

Without giving away too much more of our story, we’ll sort through the sins and look for redemption.   Perhaps this is an intentional allegory, or it could simply be an unintentional likening of Wonka as God and the Factory as Heaven, but we will talk about this as a cast. The song "Pure Imagination" ends with "If you want to view paradise / Simply look around and view it / Anything you want to, do it / Wanna change the world? / There's nothing to it / There is no life, I know / To compare with pure imagination / Living there, you'll be free / If you truly wish to be."  Wonka recognizes that Charlie puts 'character first' in his decision to do what's right.  His choice is counter-cultural.  Wonka then leads Charlie to see the world from a different perspective, motivating Charlie to lead and impact the world for good.  This transformation is similar to what God does for us when He transforms our hearts as we put our faith in Him.  He shows us the world differently, changes our motivations, and puts us on a new path that will hopefully glorify Him. 

Let’s go make something sweet for the world to enjoy.
  

A Special Update from CPT
As we open registration, we are still uncertain about our venue for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We had hoped that we would once again be hosted by the Alvin Morris Administrative Center (AMAC), however Wichita Public Schools is unable to guarantee our dates, which leaves us in search of a host venue. Despite this uncertainty, we remain dedicated to producing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this spring and are aiming for April 10-12. We are proceeding with auditions on Friday, January 24 and callbacks on Saturday, January 25.
 
Please note: We welcome suggestions for venues. Send your thoughts to office@cptheatre.org (please don’t contact venues directly). We also invite you to join us in prayer, asking God to lead and provide for us through this challenge.

interested in auditioning?

Any student who is ages 8-18 and enrolled in one of our spring classes is welcome to audition. For more information about auditions, see AUDITIONS INFORMATION and AUDITIONS FAQ's.

Cast of Characters

Willy Wonka
Charlie Bucket
Grandpa Joe
Mrs. Bucket
Grandma Josephine

Grandma Georgina
Grandpa George
Mrs. Gloop
Augustus Gloop
Mr. Salt
Veruca Salt
Mr. Beauregarde
Violet Beauregarde
Mike Teavee
Mrs. Teavee
Mrs. Green
Jerry
Cherry

Crew Volunteers

The show is bigger than the stage. Apply to volunteer in any of the following areas: backstage, tech, hair/make-up, and more.
Crew Application Form

Creative Team

Kurtis Haynes | Director

Kurtis began acting at Wichita High School West in 1980.  He appeared in 9 major productions as well as participated in Improvisation competitions often receiving gold medals for his efforts.  After high school, he attended Butler County Community College where he acted in shows as well as doing radio advertising and appearing in television commercials.
He is now the pastor of Westview Baptist Church in Wichita where he has been serving for 20 years along with his wife, Susi, to whom he has been married for 28 years.  Together they have been blessed with four sons, two daughters-in-law, and 3 grandchildren.
Kurtis has appeared in or directed several homeschool plays for Susi's theater group, Awesome Acting Productions.  He has also acted in and directed melodramas that Susi produced at Cowtown.  He previously directed Pocahontas and Seussical for CYT Wichita.  Currently, he is leading the Christian improv troupe, Pun Intended.
Kurtis is excited to be a part of CPT and for the opportunity to work with the talented youth and skilled musicians.

Tucker Tasker | Music Director

After participating in the CYT Teen Extreme Teen Camp many years ago, Tucker Tasker has fallen in love with Christian Performance Theatre. He has taken on leadership roles starting from Teen Assistant in summer camps, to internships, to directing Our Gang, to directing music and acting for many of the enrollment shows. Tucker earned a bachelor's degree of music education at Friends University and traveled to Italy and Austria to sing with The Singing Quakers. Tucker is currently a Vocal Music Director at Wichita West High School, which he started in the fall of the 2022-2023 school year. At West, he has worked on shows including Adam's Family and Little Shop of Horrors. He finds great joy in working with students of all levels and telling many jokes that will make the students’ eyes roll.

Grace Owens | Choreographer

Grace is a CYT alumna who is very excited to be choreographing her first big show! Grace has been dancing since she was 8 years old, when CYT Wichita began, and was a part of 16 shows with CYT. Her passion for dance has never stopped. She continued with CPT choreographing five Junior shows and directing one. She has also assisted with directing and choreographing three full shows. Full-time, Grace is a Youth Pastor for the Altar.  She has a heart for teens to desire a better relationship with the Lord and wants to create an environment of a lighthearted, humorous feeling. Grace has experience in multiple kinds of dance, including tap, hip-hop, jazz, waltz, tango, salsa, and many others, and enjoys many hobbies such as art, improv, playing instruments, and impressions! Her heart is to continue along the creative arts route, and she is very excited to be able to teach kids and gain more experience in creative arts along the way!