Albert Hill Middle School student Kylan Dowdy (they/them) didn’t hear about auditions for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until right before the deadline. From that moment on, Dowdy’s days were filled with practicing the songs and lines in the show.
“I’m not going to lie . . . . . it was a lot of work,” says Dowdy, who will be alternating the role of Charlie with fellow actor Penelope Hanson. “My parents asked me if I really wanted to give up the next two months of my life to work on the show and I said ‘absolutely!’ I would give up anything to be able to do this.”
Hanson, who attends Academy for Discovery at Lakewood in Norfolk, drove to Richmond for auditions. She went through the process and then had to wait for two weeks before her phone call.
“When I didn’t hear anything, I gave up on it. But then, I was on my way to another rehearsal and my mom called me and said, ‘You got the golden ticket!’ I was in the car with other people, but I still gave a big squeal of joy,” she said.
Playing Virginia Rep’s November Theatre through January 12, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory revolves around Charlie Bucket who finds one of the five golden tickets to the Wonka Chocolate Factory. Along with the other winners, Charlie embarks on a journey through Willie Wonka’s madcap mind and discovers that nobody leaves the factory the same way they arrived.
Both Dowdy and Hanson are familiar with the musical. “I have seen all of the movie adaptations, and my favorite is Wonka (2023). I love the music in that version and really love to sing all the songs,” says Dowdy, who likes the fact that Charlie never fails to have hope. “I really admire that and enjoy playing that part of the role.”
Hanson had the opportunity to see the touring company in Norfolk in 2022. “I definitely think it brings the book to life, while adding a few other special things in. It’s so funny and whimsical, and it’s great for people of any age,” she says.
She has enjoyed every Roald Dahl book she has read, especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is based on Dahl’s novel. “Charlie feels like a character that all of us try to be every day, someone who tries to be friendly and respectful, appreciates people who are different and tries to be as loving as they can. And he has the biggest imagination (second to Willy Wonka, of course),” she says.
Dowdy hopes to bring to the character of Charlie their own feeling of “hope and amazement” when they landed the role. They feel a connection to Charlie because of Charlie’s family connections. “Also, Grandpa Joe reminds me of my grandfather who passed a few years ago with his caring and strong heart,” Dowdy says. “I love the music and its message that even against all odds anything’s possible.”
Hanson sees Charlie as a metaphor for everything hopeful, kind, happy, grateful, or inspired inside a person. “So in a way, everyone is like Charlie,” she says. “For me, I am like Charlie because I feel very grateful for all the people in my life that have made wonderful things happen. We all have to just keep trying to do our best in everything we do, and that’s being like Charlie.”
For more information and tickets, visit va-rep.org/_charlie-and-november.html.
