Crazy Pants Theatre performs ‘Willy Wonka’ in Alliston

August 21, 2013 · 0 Comments

The Crazy Pants Theatre Company is wrapping up its final summer session and preparing for the debut of Willy Wonka this weekend.

The children’s theatre company was launched in January by Sarah Jane O’Donnell, who is finally making her dreams come true. O’Donnell has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre education and acting, and loves working with kids.

“Long before I graduated I knew someday, if I could actually pull it off, I would love to be in charge of my own company,” says O’Donnell. “It was just one of those moments where if I didn’t do it now, I probably wouldn’t do it. So I took a dive!”

As an inclusive theatre group for kids age 8 to 18, O’Donnell will find a role for any child who auditions. If they show up and are able to speak, even the shiest of kids will be given a place in the show.

“There’s something really amazing about working with children because so often they come to us with no skills,” she says. “It’s my job from that point on to figure out what their learning process needs to be.”

Parents and teachers comment on the changes seen in kids after being part of the theatre company, noticing improvements in socializing, a willingness to stand up in class and more easily taking on leadership roles.

“That’s why I love doing this,” O’Donnell says. “It’s not because I expect all of these kids to go off and become professional actors, it’s because theatre enhances their lives.”

Currently, the group rehearses at the Rotary Hall in Beeton as well as the nearby arena and will run four shows a year. The theatre has a staff of five people, including Katie Martin, a choreographer with a background in psychology and experience as a child youth worker, and musical director Ryan Cowl who is currently studying concurrent education in music at Queen’s University.

Each session will perform a different show, providing new material for returning actors. The spring and fall sessions run for eight weeks, while summer day programs run on full-day, four week schedules. O’Donnell says she enjoys working on funny shows, because it’s easy to reach both the kids and the audience through laughter.

While the spring and fall sessions feature comedic plays for their final performances, the summer sessions are musicals. Earlier this summer, a group of 25 kids performed Shrek the Musical for over 500 people. O’Donnell has been overwhelmed by the community support.

“I want to thank the community for showing up so big to our first two productions and most importantly our Bronze Sponsor, Alliston Home Hardware Building Centre,” she says. “Their support helped to offer summer tuition scholarships to three high school students this summer and without that support they might not have been able to attend.”

Currently, 20 kids have been rehearsing Willy Wonka from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, learning an entire musical in just 18 days.

“We’re treating them like professionals and I ask a lot of them,” says O’Donnell.

Because of limited space backstage at the performance venue, Circle Theatre in Alliston, O’Donnell’s team has had to get creative with designing set pieces. The four grandparents of the Bucket family in the classic Roald Dahl story are known for sharing one bed. Instead of trying to find a bed as a set piece, O’Donnell has the actors positioned at different heights on a standing ladder. This also serves to give the audience a better view of all the actors on stage, and the ladder will serve as a multi-purpose set-piece, becoming all of the major pieces in the show.

O’Donnell says she continues to see changes in her actors, right up until the performances. Once they hear the laughter and the applause, she can see the kids light up and really start playing to the crowd.

“By the time we hit the show time, we’ve always had those shy kids be comfortable, often times they end up being complete hams and totally just rocking it on stage. For me there’s something just amazing at seeing how much they grow in such a short span of time.”

She has wanted to put together a Willy Wonka show for years, and is making it happen just in time. After June 2014, publishers will no longer allow the script to be used by theatre companies. O’Donnell says this is typical of shows that will be opening on Broadway, so people should take the opportunity and come and see the show.

The fall session has recently been launched and auditions can be booked online for September 19. The show will be performed December 6 and 7, and will put a different spin on the classic Christmas story, It’s a Wonderful Life.

Willy Wonka will be open to the public this Friday at 7 p.m., and on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for children and $15 plus tax for adults. They are available for purchase online at www.crazypantstheatrecompany.com or at Circle Theatre, located at 19 Victoria St. East in Alliston. O’Donnell recommends purchasing your tickets online before the performance day to avoid long lines at the theatre ticket window.

By Emily Wood