Twenty-five Big Sky kids will take
to the stage at Big Sky Resort on
July 1, when Big Sky Broadway
presents Willy Wonka, Junior on
the ballroom stage at 6 p.m. This
abridged version of Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory features all
the characters you know and love,
played by kids you’ve seen around
town.
Directed by Big Sky’s much lauded
musical talents John Zirkle
and Klaudia Kosiak, audiences can
expect a professionally produced
show, with some Oompa Loompas
having just completed first grade.
“John and Klaudia are skilled at
expecting and getting excellent
results from the kids, while still
making the experience fun,” says
Producer Barbara Rowley. “Last
year, we thought we were reaching
when we had the kids learn three
Broadway songs for a benefit performance,
but we quickly learned
they can do much more than we can
imagine.”
Imagination is the key-word for
this stand-alone performance and
the two-weeks of rehearsal that
precede it, says Director John
Zirkle. “Roald Dahl’s book is all
about stretching your
imagination and not
being confined by what
others say is possible,”
says Zirkle. In rehearsals
and in the show,
Zirkle plans on daily
exercises of the imagination
which he hopes will
infuse this classic show
with new and unexpected
flair. The kids
will be involved in their
costumes, set designs,
and the back-stories of
their characters as they
prepare to put on the
first-ever summer musical
in Big Sky.
The production is being
sponsored by Big Sky
Resort, which is providing all rehearsal
and performance spaces, the
Big Sky Community Chorus, and
Camp Big Sky, of which Big Sky
Broadway is a part. As a special (literal)
treat, La Chatelaine Chocolat
Company of Bozeman will sell their
trademark chocolates as well as special
chocolate bars–five of which
will contain a golden ticket good for
a box of La Chatelaine chocolates.
Zirkle and Kosiak have assembled
a team ready to teach the actors all
the finer points of production and
theater, including Stephanie Brink,
a choreographer, opera singer and
vocal coach from Colorado Springs
and Eric Corliss, who as Camp Director,
will keep rehearsals up-beat
and creative. Anna Middleton, a
LPHS student, will serve as General
Stage Manager. Ambrose Locker,
another LPHS student, is the Technical
Director and Michel Tallichet
is the lighting designer.
Tickets for the show will sell for
$5 and will be available at the door
and also at tables outside the post
office during lunch hour during
the two weeks before the performance.
For more information on the
show, contact Barbara Rowley at
browley@3rivers.net.
