Teaching the art of theater

LORAIN — Jacob Myers is the Willy Wonka you know and love — whether that’s Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp or Roald Dahl’s original.

Myers, 18, is starring as the confectionary genius in “Willy Wonka Junior,” a stage version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” that combines aspects of the book and both movies in a form short enough for kids to appreciate. 

It is being put on by participants in the Palace Youth Theatre program, now in its 31st year.

This year, 74 kids ages 8 to 18 are handling about 150 roles in the play — most as kids in the candy store, Oompa Loompas and squirrels.

The large number of parts allows actors who aren’t in leading roles to have two or more smaller roles throughout the play.

“Just because they don’t have speaking roles doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be on stage as much as possible,” said Jessica Smith, the show’s producer.

The participants spend their weekdays 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. learning about all aspects of the theater.

In the morning, the kids break into smaller groups based on age to work on acting, dancing, singing and costume and set design.  During the acting group time, the players get their scripts and work on elaborate character sketches. 

These sketches ask the actors to come up with a history for their characters that might not show up in the play — their religion, what motivates them, what secret they have that no one knows, and the like. They also write out their characters’ relation to every other character in the play and decide for every entrance why their characters are coming on stage.

“It helps make your character the best character possible,” said Emily Phillips, 12, who is perfecting Mrs. Gloop, the mother of the boy who loves to eat too much.

After lunch, they come together and work on group songs and dances.

The six-week youth program allows students to get involved in the theater, but they’re not the only ones who enjoy their time at camp. The fee to sign up is $350.

“The parents love it just as much if not more than the kids,” Smith said.

Palace Youth Theatre has brought to life many popular plays and movies over the years, including “Aladdin Junior,” “Honk Junior,” and last year’s “Seussical Junior.” 

The staff tries to keep each year’s play a secret until after the program has started.

“We don’t want kids to sign up for the show,” Smith said.  “We want them to sign up for the experience.”

And they do.

“I’m going to keep doing this until I can’t do this anymore,” Emily said.

The actors will also be getting involved in community events — kids from the show will be participating in the International Festival parade on Sunday, throwing Wonka candy into the crowds.

Contact Alison Dietz at 329-7128 or metro@chroniclet.com.