Gilroy – A group of more than 80 kids have been working hard the last four weeks combining their love of theater with something else most kids love – candy.
Dressed in black sweats spattered with paint, the shortest and youngest of the kids take the stage as Oompah Loompahs in an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The cast includes a hodge-podge of the mini men, squirrels, inventors and, of course, the owner of the odd candy-making facility, Willy Wonka.
Tristan Kane, who has been a Summer Theatre Arts Repertory participant for eight years, plays the role of the eccentric candy baron, Wonka.
Kane said he tried to model his Wonka on Gene Wilder’s portrayal of the character in the 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
“It’s harder than I expected,” he said of playing the wacky Wonka. “It’s one of my bigger roles.”
Kane’s favorite scene, like many of the young thespians, is the television scene, where a boy obsessed with TV is transported through the airwaves and miniaturized.
Another favorite part of the show is the chocolate factory tour when a gluttonous Augustus Gloop falls into a chocolate river.
Mackenzie Mitchell laughed as she recalled the scene. Mitchell, who is at STAR for her second year, plays an inventor along with Jennifer and Jodie Turner, three-year veterans of the program. The inventors wear the same black outfits spattered with paint as the Oompah Loompahs, but their thickly drawn on pointy eyebrows distinguish them from the other creatures on stage.
“We get to invent candy,” said Jodie.
She let out a little secret to the sweet treats on stage.
“It’s all fake,” she said.
Rick McLaughlin, also an inventor, works on the meal machine where Wonka creates a stick of gum that contains a three-course meal, which turns one of the factory visitors into a blueberry.
McLaughlin, along with the rest of the actors, is enthusiastic about the opening of the show.
In addition to acting, the kids help with behind the scenes activities.
“They made props for the opening number,” said Ethan Stocks, the show director and also a theater teacher at Gilroy High School. “They are also involved in making costumes.”
More than 85 children are enrolled in the summer session of STAR. It is the 20th anniversary for the program started by Gavilan College theater and television instructor Marilyn Abad-Cardinalli who also serves as executive producer for STAR productions.
The program launched at Gavilan College in 1985, and some of its early participants such as Stocks and Diana Talbot now serve as staff members. While the core program remains in Gilroy, STAR offers two satellite programs, one in Morgan Hill and one in San Juan Bautista.
The morning sessions are devoted to rehearsals of the chosen production as well as working on the set and props. In the afternoon, the kids divide up into workshops by age to work on theater skills or other fun summer activities. Dressing up for “Pirate Day” is a favorite event for the kids and staff alike.
“There are things about STAR that can be difficult, putting on a play in four weeks,” Stocks said. “But it’s fun to get to do the same fun things. It’s not like any other theater.”
STARS on stage
What: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Where: Gavilan College Performing Arts Center, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd.
When: Today and Saturday; 7:30 pm
Cost: $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults
Tickets: www.ticketguys.com/gavilan
Info: 848-4764 or www.gavilan.edu/star
