Culture
Nelsonville-York students join ABC Players for ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
By: Dawnelle Blake
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NELSONVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – Stuart’s Opera House, in collaboration with the Nelsonville-York Drama Club and ABC Players, is bringing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to life on stage later this month. Based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s book, the story follows Charlie Bucket, a boy living in poverty who receives the opportunity of a lifetime after discovering a golden ticket inside a Willy Wonka chocolate bar.
This production adapts the well-known story while bringing together an intergenerational cast. The collaboration between high school students in the Nelsonville-York Drama Club and performers from ABC Players has created a cast that blends young actors with experienced community performers.
Jacob Varner, a Nelsonville-York High School junior, plays Augustus Gloop, one of the children who wins a coveted golden ticket to tour Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory. Varner said he draws inspiration from film adaptations as well as his previous stage roles.
“I’ve just watched the movies forever, since I was a little kid … I kind of inspired it [Augustus] off of my past characters, like Bruce from Matilda,” Varner said.
Kevin Kunz, an actor with ABC Players, plays Willy Wonka, the eccentric and secretive chocolatier who invites the children to visit his fantastical factory. Kunz acknowledged that the character at the center of Dahl’s story has been portrayed in several well-known adaptations, including Gene Wilder in the 1971 film, Johnny Depp in the 2005 adaptation and most recently Timothée Chalamet in the 2023 prequel film Wonka.
Because the character has been interpreted so many times, Kunz said paying homage to those earlier performances is inevitable. At the same time, he aims to bring his own perspective to the role.
“I like to read the script from whoever has written that material and take what that character and that motivation says for me,” he said, noting that he likes to “see what type of twists and [turns] that I can take, judging from what I perceived as Willy Wonka’s own motivations within the musical itself.”
Varner said playing iconic characters can give performers room to experiment.
“The more iconic the role is, the more fun you can have with it,” he said. “You can add your own spin to it […] and it makes it something truly special.”
Kunz also expressed confidence in taking on a character audiences already know.
“Those are my favorite roles, the ones people are familiar with,” he said. “I love getting to see performers get to insert their own personalities and perspectives into these well-known figures and discover even more things about them.”
The production marks the directorial debut of Samantha Pelham-Kunz. She said the milestone shaped how she approached the show.
“I really wanted to go in with the mindset of, ‘I want to read the script and have my own ideas,'” she said. “But I also love the idea of paying homage to such an iconic show.”
Pelham-Kunz said she is also aware of how meaningful the story is for many audience members and wants to balance familiarity with new ideas.
“You know, this show really resonates with a lot of people. It was a lot of people’s childhoods,” Pelham-Kunz said. “And so I’ve definitely tried to approach it from a sense of, you know, where are my own creative ideas? And how am I taking material that’s been done quite a bit in the past and kind of refreshing and putting my own spin on it?”
Pelham-Kunz said the challenges the production has faced are typical for community theater. Shows of this scale require significant time and volunteer effort, and technical elements such as props and sets can affect the rehearsal process.
Translating the imaginative world of Wonka’s chocolate factory to a local stage also requires creativity. Despite the logistical challenges, Pelham-Kunz said the process has been rewarding.
“The fact that I get to work with this cast, the fact that I have the privilege of being able to think creatively and have people who are willing to take my crazy ideas and make them come to life, they’re all high points.”
Though the story is a classic, the cast and creative team say its themes remain relevant for contemporary audiences. One theme they highlighted is the role of imagination in a time when technology dominates daily life.
“We live in a day where I think news of tech, and AI, especially, is in the media cycle consistently and to interact with a piece of art that’s about coming up with your own creativity from your own heads, I think is a message that I would really want people to be interacting with again,” Kunz said. “To say ‘I myself can help create this world that would feel imaginative and colorful and magical.”
Pelham-Kunz shared similar sentiments.
“Technology is so big in our lives,” she said. “I think just remembering that we have imagination, adults, kids, any age, that we should use it. We should let it flourish.”
Pelham also said she hopes audiences recognize the importance of local theater.
“It’s important to have these opportunities in our area and community,” Pelham-Kunz said. “I want people to enjoy the story, see these dedicated actors, and recognize the value of local theater and arts education, especially in a rural Appalachian area.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opens March 20 at Stuart’s Opera House (52 Public Square). Performances are scheduled for March 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m., and March 22 at 2 p.m. Find more information on the show, including how to purchase tickets, at this link.