Jr. Blogger Review: Willy Wonka

      

  Junior Blogger, Alex Eppley, tells us all about Willy Wonka!

I loved Willy Wonka. 

It was nice how they made the beginning a song instead of an introduction. I liked how the stage was shaped like a peppermint. Though, it was purple.

         Then, it was super funny how they made the grandparents not hear well. I liked how Charlie had two failed golden ticket attempts instead of one. I also liked the candy man, he was hilarious in every way.  Really, everything was great.

The ticket interviews were awesome!

I can tell you one thing about each of the characters. Charlie and the other Buckets think positive. Violet Beauregarde likes to chew a lot of gum, Veruca Salt is bossy and spoiled, Augustus Gloop eats a lot, and Mike Teavee is a screen zombie. Oh! The grandparents like gin.

         When there is only one golden ticket left. Charlie goes to the candy man and finds a nickel. The candy man gives him a free Wonka bar. It has no ticket =(. He buys a Wonka bar with his found nickel and finds a golden ticket =)!

         At intermission I interviewed three kids. 

Maya thinks the five year old based Willy Wonka play is great, even at only four years old. She likes that Charlie got the golden ticket. Rian likes Willy Wonka because of the shiny golden ticket, he says he likes everything. Ramona likes that Willy Wonka makes candy, her father Geoff  like the songs and the dancing. They were surprised Willy Wonka was a woman.

         Then the second half was great, and at the end I interviewed LeighAnn Cannon, who played Veruca Salt. LeighAnn likes the theater because it gives her an opportunity to do new things in the show. It’s been a dream role of hers since she was 10 and it was great to finally sing Veruca’s famous song in the play. But most of all, she really likes the members in the cast.

BACT Junior Blog: Elephant and Piggie, We are in a play!

Here's another post from our Junior Blogger, Sophie Knipp!

The best plays based on books always. . . 

have humor, audience interaction, span many ages, a strong and talented cast, fun music, and keep true to the message of the books. Well, I would say that the BACT production of Elephant and Piggie playing in Sunnyvale has all of that!

Gerald the Elephant, played by Alan Coyne, was fun to watch as he and his best friend Piggie went to a party, had ice cream, played together, and put on a play within a play with their 3 friends, the Squirelles, 3 pretty, rodent singing divas.

In Act 2 Gerald, Piggie, and the Squirelles interact with the audience. They lead us in dance moves, singing, and clapping to the beat - making the audience feel part of the play. Adults and kids of all ages joined in the fun! 

The music was very silly - dramatic, exciting, sad, and funny. Very funny! Elephant’s surprise dramatic solo in Act 1 was one of the standout performances in the show. 

The cast was very very strong. It was amazing how talented they were. Their voices, their dance moves, and their acting was fantastic!

The set was a simple but creative design that had a backdrop that looked like the different pages of the Mo Willems books. The costumes were also very simple but creative. Instead of animal costumes, the actors looked like normal people, but with pieces that looked like the animal they were playing. 

The message of the show is “that true friends can get you through anything”, said Alan Coyne. Just like the books, Elephant and Piggie get through obstacles together as friends, solving problems and finding solutions.

BACT’s production of Elephant and Piggie, We Are In A Play was overall very enthusiastic and fantastic to watch! The next show I will be blogging about is BACT’s Beautiful Oops. Stay tuned! 

Beautiful Oops A Note From the Director

Dear Friends,

When was the last time you celebrated a mistake?  REALLY celebrated. Dance-around-the kitchen-throw-confetti-in-the-air-and-call-grandma celebrating…

“You learn from your mistakes” is a mantra that many of us as parents find ourselves repeating.  Mistakes are interesting things, and we know that it’s good to let our kids make mistakes. And though we often say it when consoling a frustrated child, we know know from history that mistakes are actually wonderful opportunities!  Opportunities to learn and grow and try something new. Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times before his light bulb was a success.

As part of the process for creating this show, I had the joy of interviewing kids about the “Beautiful Oops!” moments they experience when they are creating.  I was overwhelmed by the wisdom young people possess. They described using a mistaken blotch of paint to make a new figure, adding on to geometric designs in new and unexpected patterns, and remembering the “show must go on” no matter what happens.  As we rehearsed the show, we tried to remember these same themes, allowing the mistakes that happen in the room to inspire things that you’ll see on the stage today.

In my own home, I am also trying to apply these valuable lessons. 

That “oops” should be a guiding path and not a pain point.  Growing up is a slow and steady process that requiresmistakes.  My two-year-old needs to spill the milk in order to learn how to use the big kid cup. But, the next time that milk spills, I’m faced with two choices: I can get annoyed with the mess and tell her to be more careful, or I can congratulate her on graduating to the big kid cup and learning that big kid cups spill. Oops.

Which option will we choose? I vote for the latter. Let’s look for the beautiful in EVERY oops. Because honestly, who wants to send their kid to college with a sippy cup?

Playfully,

Nina 

#ShareYourOOPS and Win Tickets to Beautiful Oops!

Love making art and seeing BACT shows for free?

Beautiful Oops explores creating art through mistakes, and we want to see your child's best oops art!

Upload your beautiful oops creations to social media and tag @BACTheatre on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.  

Hastag #ShareYourOops and #BeautifulOopsMusical for a chance to win tickets to opening!

Here are the details:

Entries tagging @BACTheatre with both hashtags are eligible for 4 free tickets to January 19th 6:30PM performance.
Entries close at noon on Thursday, January 18th.
Winner drawn at random.
Winner announced Thursday, January 18th at 7pm.
One entry per child.
Winning tickets are not transferable to another date or redeemable for ticket value.
No purchase necessary to win.

We can't wait to see your oops!

The Willy Wonka New Year's Bash!

This review of our first ever NYE party comes from Jr. Blogger Sophie Knipp!

Doesn’t everybody like fun parties? 

Well, the BACT New Year’s Eve Bash was a blast that included the musical Willy Wonka, sweet treats, and a fun dance party with the Night Fairy where everyone cheered to the new year. If you want to know more, read on!

The evening began with a quick reception with activities like face painting, a photo booth, raffle drawing, and drinks (for both kids and adults). We were then escorted to the Osher Studio for the main event: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the musical. 

The show is about a poor boy named Charlie Bucket who wins a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s magical chocolate factory. Mary Gibboney, the actress who plays Willy Wonka, said that “A whole lot is different” between the popular movies and the musical; and I agree! 

The most noticeable difference was the oompa loompas.  They were the cutest puppets I have ever seen. 

  Emery Oompa, played by the actress Pauli Amornkul, is an orange fuzzy, 2-eyed, 3 feet tall adorable creature . “The kids love it. It adds another dimension”, said Pauli about using puppets in the show. 

The costumes were creative, especially the masks the actors wore to show they were playing different parts. The set included a colorful lollipop designed floor that made you want to lick it!

 “I think the message of the show is to not be afraid to be yourself... and everyone has a chance to be successful”, said Juan Castro who plays Charlie Bucket.

 After the show, the actors led us to the second theatre where there was a dance party where we counted down to the New Year with the Night Fairy from BACT’s show playing now recommended for ages 8 and up. The party was bumping and thumping with laughter, fun, desserts, drinks, awesome music (by DJ Austin Zumbro and his puppet shark), and lots of balloons in the air!

The BACT New Year’s Eve Bash was a great experience for families! My next blog will be about BACT’s first show in Sunnyvale, Elephant and Piggie. Stay tuned!