Pinckney Players November 6, 2017 Greetings! My name is Derek Pickens, and as the Drama teacher at Charles Pinckney Elementary School it is my pleasure to announce that this spring the Pinckney Players will be presenting: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. follows the mysterious candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are precocious, but the fifth is a likable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka's rules in the factory or suffer the consequences. The Pinckney Players are looking for students who are enthusiastic about performing on stage and are willing to undertake the responsibilities that are needed to put on a musical, which include: memorizing lines, singing, dancing, getting on stage in front of large crowds, becoming a character, and not being afraid to be silly! Auditions for Willy Wonka JR. will be open to all fourth and fifth grade students, and we will be casting 60 students total. More information on auditions, rehearsals and performances are on the following page. If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to get in contact. Best, Derek Pickens Drama Teacher derek_pickens@charleston.k12.sc.us
Auditions Auditions will take place after school on Monday December 18 and Tuesday December 19 from 2:30-4:30pm. Students need only come to one day, and you can sign them up on the Drama page on the CPES website, or at https://goo.gl/2gdufx. Signups will begin on Friday November 10 at 8am. On the day of their audition, students must be picked up at 4:30pm, or have Kaleidoscope prearranged. Sign-ups for auditions end on Friday December 15 at 2:30pm. Auditions will consist of a monologue and song, both from the show, which will be prepared during class. Students performance and preparedness will be scored by rubric. Mr. Pickens and our choreographer, as well as a couple of staff members from the Charleston Stage Company, will score the auditions. If needed, we will have callback auditions on Wednesday December 20, which is a second round of auditions that are by invitation only. If your student needs to attend the callback, they will get an email letting them know. The cast list will be posted at school on Thursday December 21, and on the Drama Page of the CPES website at 2:30pm on the same day. Rehearsals Rehearsals will be every Tuesday and Thursday after school from 2:30 to 4pm beginning Tuesday January 9, 2018. Your student MUST be available both days, even though he/she may not be required to attend every rehearsal. If they have another after-school activity on one of those days, they may not overlap. Students must be picked up promptly at the end of rehearsal, or if they are registered for Kaleidoscope they may report there. There will be no form of transportation available; all students must be picked up. A rehearsal calendar will be available monthly. It will be sent home and will also be emailed. Attendance will be taken very seriously, as it is hard to rehearse when an actor is missing. If a student has three unexcused absences, their part may be reassigned to another student depending on the circumstances. PLEASE NOTE: The week before performances, on Tuesday May 15 and Thursday May 17, rehearsals will go until 5pm. Also, the week of performances, there will be dress rehearsals on Monday May 21 and Tuesday May 22 from 2:30-5pm. These rehearsals are mandatory and if your student is not present they will be asked to sit out of one or more performances depending on the circumstances. Performance Performances will be in the evenings of May 24 and May 25, 2018. Students must be available both evenings. There will also be a few in-school performances during Pinckney Palooza. These performances are mandatory and if your student is not present they will be asked to sit out of one or more other performances depending on the circumstances. Participation Fee Once students are cast in the production, each member of the Pinckney Players is required to pay a $25 participation fee. This will go towards paying for a shirt, as well as covering costs for costumes and other technical elements.
Character Breakdown Willy Wonka* Willy Wonka is an enigmatic character; at once mysterious and mischievous but also charismatic. The actor should be able to be funny and serious and change between the two on a dime. Candy Man* Seller of sweets, and singer of the famous Candy Man song. Charlie Bucket* Charlie is the heart and soul of the story who comes from a poor family but still has a ton of positivity. Mrs. Bucket* Mother of Charlie who keeps the family running and takes care of all of the grandparents. Mr. Bucket* Father of Charlie who works hard at the toothpaste factory to support his family. Grandpa Joe* Grandpa Joe is caring, patient, sweet and always reminds Charlie to remain cheerful. Grandparents - Grandma Josephina, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina Charlie s hysterical grandparents who have a ton of stories to tell. James* Charlie s friend from school who loves candy! Matilda* Another of Charlie s friends from school, but she s a bit of a bully. Phineous Trout* Phineous is the reporter who announces the winners of the Golden Ticket contest throughout the show. Augustus Gloop* Augustus is the overachieving eater who represents the evils of eating too much. (German accent required).
Mrs. Gloop* Mrs. Gloop is Augustus' mother who has overindulged her son with food. (German accent required). Veruca Salt* Veruca is the wealthy, class-conscious, spoiled brat. (British accent required). Mr. Salt Mr. Salt's solution to most problems is to buy his way out. He is upper class. (British accent required) Violet Beauregarde* Gum chewer extraordinaire, Violet hails from Snellville, Georgia. Mrs. Beauregarde Mrs. Beauregard is a teacher of geography and has invested a great deal of hard-earned money on therapy for her orally fixated daughter, with less than stellar results. Mike Teavee* Mike is not just a TV junky. He is also addicted to video games, the Internet and any other mindnumbing technological devices. Mike is bratty, loud and obnoxious. He does not know the word "no." Ms. Teavee Ms. Teavee is a take on all television moms of the distant past. She's perfectly put together and a bit vacant. Oompa-Loompas* The Oompa-Loompas are Mr. Wonka s helpers in the factory. Solo singing opportunities, and plenty of chances to dance! Ensemble The many characters that fill out our play: Candy Kids, Chefs, Squirrels, and others!
AUDITION MONOLOGUES Please choose ONE of the following monologues. Memorize and rehearse it as that character. Make sure to create a very clear and bold character. Willy Wonka Bless you Charlie, you did it! You did it!!! I created this contest with one purpose in mind. To find the person to make new candy dreams come true. This was a test of character, Charlie. I carefully selected rooms that would tempt each of our Golden Ticket winners. You, Charlie, did something quite remarkable. You gave in to temptation, you were smart enough not to get caught and yet - you admitted your guilt! Charlie Bucket Mr Wonka, I don t deserve a lifetime supply of chocolate - you see, I tried the Fizzy Lifting Drink and broke the rules. And I m very sorry. Thank you for a wonderful day and tour. It was better than Christmas. Grandpa Joe What kind of positive thinking is that? Charlie s gonna work for Mr. Wonka making chocolate bars. He s from a long line of distinguished candy men and women. He s destined to find one of those golden tickets, I just know it. Phineous Trout This is Phineous Trout with a direct TV link to Frankfurt, Germany. That s right, ladies and gentleman, people are buying over 50,000 Wonka bars every hour and the first Golden Ticket has been found! Here s the family now. Augustus Gloop I just knew dat I vould find das Golden Ticket! I eat so much candy dat it vas almost impossible for me not to find one! In fact, you could say I ve been training for dis day ever since I vas born! Veruca Salt Excuse me, Mr. Wonka, I just love your hat! It really sets off your eyes, but of course you have great taste. You know, I would simply adore a pink candy boat and maybe one of those sweet Oompa-Loompas Mr Wonka, did you hear me? I said I WANT A PINK CANDY BOAT! - AND AN OOMPA-LOOMPA! Violet Beauregarde I m a gum chewer, normally, but when I heard about Wonka s contest, I laid off the gum and switched to candy bars. Now of course I m right back on gum. In fact, I ve been working on this piece for over three months solid. I ve beaten the record set by my best friend, Cornelia Prinzmetal. Hi Cornelia listen to this that s the sound of you losing! Mike Teavee Yeah, I got a ticket dawg! Big deal! Means I m gonna miss at least an hour of my second favorite show AND I m gonna have to leave the house to tour some stupid Chocolate Factory. Right. Whatever NOTE: If a character you re interested in is not listed above, please choose any.
Pinckney Players Parent/Guardian Please initial beside each requirement to show that you understand and agree: I understand that auditions take place after-school and that I must sign my student up for only one day, and can do so on the CPES website starting Friday Nov 10. I understand that I must pick up my student promptly at 4:30pm the day of their audition. My student has no conflicts on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4pm starting January 9, 2018 and must be available for all rehearsals. I understand that only 60 students will be cast. I understand that my student can only miss a rehearsal for a true emergency and if they have 3 unexcused absences, they may receive an understudy. I understand that if my student was in the play last year, that it does not guarantee them a spot in this years production. I understand that missing dress rehearsals and performances could result in my student being pulled out of a performance. Student Please initial beside each requirement to show that you understand and agree: I agree to graciously accept any role in which I am cast. I will memorize all assigned lines and songs by the date I am given. I will maintain a high standard of behavior during rehearsals and performances. I,, parent/guardian of, give permission for my student to audition for the Pinckney Player s production of Roald Dahl s Willy Wonka JR. If he/she is cast, they have my permission to attend all rehearsals and performances. Parent/Guardian Signature Homeroom Teacher Email Address Please Return This Page Only By December 15, 2017