Acadia Community Theater to Put on Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka
Mount Desert Island, ME – Young people of all ages will enjoy the Acadia Community Theater’s spring musical, “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka.” The show is a live production based on the book and movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” a tale that creatively encourages children to be honest by demonstrating how misbehaving children receive bad fates, and good children are rewarded with great fortune.
The story follows Charlie Bucket, a young man of little means living with his mother and grandparents as he secretly hopes for a “golden ticket” to be found in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar. Mr. Wonka has promised five golden ticket winners a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Charlie finds the ticket and embarks on a factory tour with Willy Wonka, Charlie’s Grandpa Joe, and four other ticket winners including the demanding Veruca Salt, gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, robust Augustus Gloop, and annoying Mike Teavee. Played by area performers, Zoe Boland, Erin Hollis, Peter Benson, and Rex DeMuro, the children each meet their fates on the chocolate tour and lead audiences on a path to redemption through honest, young Charlie Bucket, played by Harlan Mahoney.
Acadia Community Theater’s show is directed by Mike Perlman and Annie Leonardi-Merchant. Ms. Leonardi-Merchant is also serving as musical director for the show. Doug Van Gorder serves as Producer while Kaitlin Matthews fills the role of Stage Manager. Performances will be at MDI High School Friday & Saturday, April 8 & 9 at 7:00pm and Sunday, April 10 at 2:00pm. The following weekend, “Willy Wonka” will be performed at the Criterion Theatre on Friday, April 15 at 7:00pm and Saturday, April 16 at 2:00pm.
Tickets are $15 adult, $10 senior or 12 years and under, and free for children under age two. Those interested in free tickets should go to one of four businesses in Hancock County that are participating in a “Golden Ticket” campaign to award tickets to deserving customers in the local area. McGrath’s in Northeast Harbor, Carroll Drug Store in Southwest Harbor, and Ben & Bill’s and Choco-Latte in Bar Harbor are the sites where patrons may be rewarded with a golden ticket (worth two free tickets to opening night of the show on April 8th and a gift basket from the participating business) anytime between March 28th and April 6th, 2016.
The show is also supported by major sponsor, Jasper Wyman & Sons, the Milbridge-based producer of blueberry products, and many advertising businesses from the Acadia/Downeast region. For ticket information and updates on the show, please visit www.acadiacommunitytheater.net.
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About Acadia Community Theater:
Acadia Community Theater, or ACT, seeks to enrich the lives of individuals, families, and the community by encouraging growth and expression in theater arts and by providing live performances on and around Mount Desert Island. Originally formed as the “After School Players” in 1994, the group was later renamed the Union 98 Teachers’ Theater and then became the IRS-recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization Acadia Community Theater in 2000. Each year, the organization stages a spring musical and a fall play, providing opportunities for young people and their families to participate in and enjoy theater together.
