ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth High School Drama Department will bring the magical classic “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” to life with eight shows in November. Tickets are already selling fast, so don’t miss out on your chance to get your own “Golden Ticket.”

The musical tells the story, based on Roald Dahl’s book, of poverty-stricken Charlie Bucket, who lives with his parents and four grandparents on the edge of town. Each day, Charlie’s path to school takes him past the “best and biggest chocolate factory in the world,” run by the eccentric and reclusive Willy Wonka. No one ever gets to enter, so when Wonka announces that he has hidden golden tickets in five Wonka chocolate bars, good for a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of candy, Charlie’s hopes soar. Charlie is lucky enough to claim the last Golden Ticket and takes a journey through the magical chocolate factory, complete with cacao-loving Oompa Loompas, experimental chewing gum, a chocolate river and more.

Director Karen Kornmann said this musical is one the school has never performed.

“It’s really getting difficult to decide on shows because we’ve done so many, and we try not to repeat often,” she said. “We consider who we have available, do we have enough singers, enough people to fit into leading roles. You can’t do a large musical unless you have a lot of talented kids. We have the kids, and we wanted to do something a little wilder and a little more fun.

It has had a little revival on Broadway and it was kind of popular.”

Seniors Bailey Oleson, Marshall Funk, Jenna Early and Adam Capatske have taken part in the musical all four years. Oleson will play Mrs. Bucket while Capatske is Willy Wonka. Funk serves as the student tech director, while Early is a stage manager.

“I am lucky I get to work with the top of the top,” Kornmann smiled.

This rendition follows Dahl’s book, complete with the five ticket winners, Willy Wonka and the Bucket family. Some differences people might notice are Veruca Salt’s fate and a wild set of Oompa Loompas.

Capatske, who played Gomez Addams in last year’s production, said this year’s musical has new challenges.

“There’s a lot more blocking and a lot less dancing, but there is dancing involved,” Capatske said. “Veruca is on toe shoes.”

He also has to memorize 230 lines, which combines the number he had to memorize for both of his previous roles into one character.

“There’s a lot of music to learn. I have a lot of different varying songs,” Capatske said. “It’s a completely different switch up. Big belting songs, it’s all over the place and that gets to be a little difficult, but that’s fun. It’s part of the journey You just have to play around with it and it all clicks together.”

Early, who oversees the stage crew, gives them directions on what set pieces to move and when, when to shut the front curtain and when to turn lights on and off. She has more than 100 props of which to keep track.

“We still have some work to do but we’re staying on track,” Early said.

Funk runs the sound board during the show and oversees all the tech, sound effects, spotlight people and microphone managers. He said this show is chock full of tech, lights and sound effects.

“I have my script and I have it all written, it’s more like reading instructions so I don’t have to improvise,” he said. “The Vidiots is the biggest dance number.”

Funk has also been mastering the massive new sound system, which was installed last year.

“I’m getting to know it a little better,” he said. “I’ve had more time to learn and know the quirks and whatever.”

Kornmann said the show contains a lot of hilarious parts, especially Capatske’s role.

“I’m hoping people are just going to be rolling in the aisles laughing at some of the parts that are going to be really funny,” Kornmann said. “The grandparents are funny too. And Bailey sings a beautiful ballad.”

Kornmann said one challenge has been the set, which has a lot of moving parts.

“All the different rooms that they move through,” she said. “So many different aspects and we don’t have that large of a stage, so that’s really, really been difficult.”
“Or that large of wings to store everything,” Funk jumped in.

The pit band is also located in the wings amidst the shuffling of props and scenery.

“It’s a very tight space,” Early said. “It’s really dark and you have to be quiet. The cast has to come in and out, so there’s a lot going on.”

Capatske took a shot at blocking a big scene in his first try at student directing.

“It’s the first song that opens into the factory. It’s just trying to get all the exposition out of the way. In pure Willy Wonka style, it’s pure chaos,” he said. “It’s an eight-minute song. I just told everyone else in the scene, just have fun and do whatever you think. It’s the scene where everyone will have to take a breath after that one.”

Kornmann also gave a shout of appreciation to her new assistant director, first-grade teacher Anika Borner, who is an EHS alum. Former assistant director Olivia Bonlander took a new job in Madison closer to her family.

“Anika is fabulous. She’s been doing great. She’s a former EHS student. She was in all the shows too,” Kornmann said.

As the preparations go into high gear toward the seniors’ last high school musical, Oleson is a bit wistful.

“I’m going to miss it. This is my first year being in an actual lead role. It’s the first experience I’ll have in having a lead role, but also the last experience in high school,” she said.

Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Nov. 7-8 and 14-15 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 9 and 16. Tickets are available at https://gofan.co/app/school/WI19699?activity=Musical

“I know the cast and crew will be great. I’m more worried about things we can’t control.

Come see the show. You’ll love it,” Kornmann said.

Cast & Crew (separate box)

Willy Wonka – Adam Capatske

Charlie Bucket – Ani Whelan

Grandpa Joe – Thomas Helseth

Mrs. Bucket – Bailey Oleson

Mrs. Gloop – Lillie Rewolinski

Augustus – Breken Young

Mr. Salt – Evan Beissel

Veruca Salt – SaVaya Moorhouse

Mr. Beauregarde – Max Olson

Violet – Addie Sabby

Mrs. Teavee – Bethany Kaufer

Mike – Gavin Starbuck

Grandma Josephine – Bridget Dendinger

Grandma Georgina – Claire Matzek

Grandpa George – Wyley Myers

Jerry – Nathan Rollins

Cherry – Madeline Saver

Mrs. Green – Isabelle Lane

Diva Girls – Maye Petersen, Lily Hanson, Kensie Matzek, Sophia Place, Blakely Lucente

Ensemble – Mitch Britton, Nora Christopherson, Madalynn Constant, Amelia Dopp, Eden Fritz, Karli Foley-Nelson, Wyatt Hodges, Milan Johnson, Ali Keenan, Cole Keenan, Carter Lampman, Anna Oleson, Neveah Peters, Mason Petersen, Eli Schutz, Andy Schiller, Chase Unser

Director – Mrs. Karen Kornmann

Pit Band Director – Mr. Nick Verheyen

Assistant Director – Mrs. Anika Borner

Choreographers – Melissa Gutting, Macy Gutting

Stage Managers – Jenna Early, Maggie Pechacek

Tech Manager – Marshall Funk

Tech Crew – Ragan Beck, Hannah Carpenter, Leah Diercks, Evan Ladwig, Elianna Ortiz, Serenity Raphael, Getta Rewolinski

Grips – Taylor Bierbrauer, Ashton Borner, Ezra Borner, Laylah Cook, Emma Helgeson, Nolan Helgeson, Emmie Pechacek, Arai Perez Rangel, Miles Petersen, Wyatt Peterson, Joey Saver, Brayden Swanson, Kendra Ziegler

Fly – Ben Helseth, Max Levine, Emmitt Starbuck

Props – Ellie Holst, Natalie Kirchner, Cora Peterson, Melanie Seeger                 

Costumes – Isabella Reid, Lily Smith 

Make Up – Iliza Balster, Aubrey Faber, Audrah Krig, Esmeralda Johnson, Emma Eagan

Candy Shop Sales – Morgan Hince, Bella Lee, Carley Peterson, Wyatt Peterson

Student Musicians – Maddy Clark (piano), Loralei Johnson, Morgan Laska, Piper Van Nocker (reeds), Cori Paulson (drum set), Katelyn Homan (percussion), Aria Mennenga (cello)

Professional Musicians – Janet Hanson (piano), Greyson Wilson-Caccipapalle (bass), Weston Morley (trombone)