Civic Theatre Presents "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory"

MUNCIE CIVIC THEATRE will present the third production of its new Family Theatre Workshop Series with CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by Richard R. George, based on the book by Roald Dahl. The play will perform on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, August 3, 10 & 11 at 7:30pm as well as on Saturday & Sunday, August 4, 5 & 11 at 2:00pm. The performances will be on the main stage at Muncie Civic Theatre, 216 East Main Street, Muncie, Indiana. All tickets are $5 and may be purchased by calling 765-288-PLAY or in person at the Box Office. Box Office hours are Wednesday through Friday from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and one hour prior to each performance.

CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is an imaginative and fast-paced adaptation of the children's literary classic by Roald Dahl. The story follows Charlie Bucket in his adventurous tour of Willy Wonka's world-famous Chocolate Factory. Audiences will see Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt, Grandpa Joe, Willy Wonka and Charlie himself come to life, and all involved will discover the true meaning of teamwork, self-confidence and self-esteem.

Under the direction of Muncie Civic Director of Education Marty Grubbs, the production is the part a series of offerings collectively called "The Family Theatre Workshop." The concept of the Workshop is based on the award-winning and nationally recognized Musical Theatre Mentorship Workshop developed by Muncie Civic Executive Director Darrin Murrell and his wife Julie Barber in 1998 while working in Portland, Oregon with American Heritage Theatre Project and Portland Parks & Recreation. The Workshop was started at Muncie Civic as the Young Actors Workshop upon their arrival in 2003 and has expanded this year into a full Acting Academy including both performance-based playlab classes and specifically targeted skill-based and introductory classes. The Family Theatre Workshop is the advanced level of the expanded program.

The Family Theatre Workshop production of CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is cast with a combination of young actors who have auditioned to get into the advance-level acting program as well as adult actors, some of whom serve as teachers for the advanced acting class. The students and teachers, as well as the other adult cast members, meet to rehearse as part of a summer camp experience for the students. Other aspects of the camp are designed to give the students the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the production process including scenery, costumes, props, and publicity. With the focus of the class entirely on a single production, the goal is for the public performances to be of a quality equal to regular Muncie Civic Main Stage subscription series offerings, but at a family-focused price and including the educational aspect of the camp classes.

The adult actors/teachers in the project include Civic veterans Ivy Tech Instructor Sean Christian Smith as Willy Wonka and Jan Etchison as Grandpa Joe. Also in the adult cast are Sasha Jones, Rusty Ramstrom and Melissa Donahue . They will be joined by a group of 24 student performers ranging in age from 7 to 16 years old. Many of the students are veterans of the Young Actors Workshop Program and Muncie Civic Main Stage shows.

For tickets and information call 765-288-PLAY.