JR Blogger Chris Enjoys Willy Wonka

Junior Blogger, Chris Eppley, tells us all about his Willy Wonka experience.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Friday, January 12, 2018 1n San Francisco the Children’s Theater had the play “Willy Wonka” playing. This performance had great service before the play, after the play, and during the 15 minute intermission. Right before the performance “Willy Wonka” herself came out and pointed out the emergency exits and gave credit to all the companies that helped to make the play possible. The characters were enthusiastic, funny, creative, exciting, sad at some times and happy at other times. The cast was talking to the audience. An oompa loopa puppet high-fived a little girl in the audience.  

The boring parts of the movie and book were changed into songs.

The cast “twisted it up” a bit. Willy Wonka, the Candy Man, poor guy, Grandma Georgina, and Phineous Trout were played by Mary Gibboney. Charlie Bucket by Juan Castro. Oompa loompa #1, Mrs. Bucket, and Mrs. Gloop by pauli N. Amornkul. Oompa loompa #2, Veruca Salt, Matilda, Grandma Josephina, and Ms. Teavee by LeighAnn Cannon. Mike Teavee, Mr. Bucket, and Mr. Salt by Kailah Cayou. Agustus Gloop, Grampa Joe, James, and Mrs. Beauregarde by Paul Loper. Violet Beauregarde and Grandpa George by Chelsea Wellot.

A four year old named Maya says”So good.” Other audience members like the simple set, the part of Wonka retiring, just the show itself, the music, characters, and singing. Also, for the adults there are some jokes involving the card game “Gin.” There are famous names used like Edgar Allan Poe. For an exciting part of the play there are “BUBBLES!” (Veruca Salt quote)

Interviews with Agustus and Violet:

Chris: How long did you practice?

Agustus: 5 weeks.

Violet: 5 weeks.

Chris: What were your favorite parts?

Agustus: My number “I Eat More!”

Violet: Working with Oompa Loompas and pretending to lick Charlie’s hand.

Chris: Anything you just want to say that’s not in the other questions?

Augustus: Since there weren’t many people who had screens who weren’t rich at the time the play was based on it’s a good experience to go to a play, not a movie.

Violet: The cast worked well together overcoming things like our original Wonka calling in sick at the last minute.

Chris: Your original Wonka was sick?

Violet: Yes the original Wonka was a man. This Wonka is a woman.

Chris: I couldn’t even tell she didn’t get as much practice as the rest of you guys!

Violet: Yep. That’s why she’s called Madam Wonka in this production.

Chris: Instead of Mister Wonka.

Violet: Yep.

Chris: Thanks Agustus. Thanks Violet. Bye.

The Rainbow Fish Musical Preshow Activities!

It's time for a #summerofsharing with everyone's favorite sea creature: Rainbow Fish.
Here are some fantastic pre or post show activities to get you in the Rainbow Fish groove!

Paper Plate Fish
If you have some spare summer BBQ plates, this is the project for you!

Just make sure your workspace is ready for some glitter!

Fish Hand Puppets

 Write your own version of The Rainbow Fish Musical, or reenact scenes at home with these easy-peasy hand traced puppet!  It's the perfect group project!

Play Dough Fish Friends

This project is super easy, and fairly mess free.  Sculpt your fish and let them dry for a long lasting aquatic friend, or reusing the play dough again and again!  Are there other creatures in the Rainbow Fish story you can sculpt?

Whether you're gearing up for a weekend performance of Rainbow Fish, or want to keep the fun going all summer long, we hope these activities bring a little more Rainbow Fish into your life!

Splish Splash: An Actor's Perspective

This guest post comes from actor, Andrew Mondello, about the amazing experiences he has working on Theatre for the Very Young production, Splish Splash.

Splish Splash is one of the best places here in the Bay Area you can be. It will open your mind and heart to explore even the simplest aspects of life that we often overlook and forget to be grateful for. 

My very first thought after I first auditioned for BACT’s theatre for the very young show Splish Splash last August was “This is totally nuts, and I’m not sure I understand what is going on – But I know I have to be a part of it.” And luckily, just a few weeks later I got to be! 

        

 What is it that makes theatre for the very young so different from a normal children’s theatre production? Well the easy answer is BABIES, and as someone who is totally unashamed to go into full Dad mode and guffaw over how unequivocally adorable babies are – it’s a dream. But more than that, it’s the experience within the show. A typical children’s theatre production (not TVY) exists within the same realm as any professional production – there is the show happening on stage and the audience watching with a ‘fourth wall’ in between them - much like my previous show with BACT Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. Or from time to time, more often in children’s theatre, there is some level of audience interaction, such as my last-last BACT show Lemony Snicket’s: The Lump of Coal where the audience was often invited to come on stage and be a part of the show. 

  

Everything anyone in the audience says or does in the spur of the moment could instantly become a “main event” in the show.

         

Well Splish Splash takes that to the next level. The audience IS the show, the whole room IS the stage, and ALL of us there are living, breathing, and performing together. It. Is. Incredible. Everything anyone in the audience says or does in the spur of the moment could instantly become a “main event” in the show. Which as a clown trained to be aware of and use all stimuli coming at me at all times, makes this work extremely exciting and fulfilling to do. 

         
 All this comes from the idea that within the room no one can do any wrong. It’s a place for kids (and honestly, parents too) to get the chance to explore, unhinged. Of course, this is an idea that many parents have to ease into. When your child is the first one to stand up and make themselves a part of the show your natural incliniation is to worry and immediately tell them to sit down. But fear not! Because the cast will immediately lay away your fears with a chorus of “its totally fine, we love this! Please let them go ahead and stand up and dance, that’s great!” 

           

It’s a place for kids (and honestly, parents too) to get the chance to explore, unhinged.

 Once we've all agreed on these parameters (or really lack thereof ^.–)) any number of wondrous things can happen. From a little two year old running up and sitting in my lap mid-show while I was telling a story (one of the cutest things I have ever personally experienced to date – and one of my favorite show memories) to one child coming up to hug the giant puppet octoupus. Only to inspire another, only to inspire the entire room to get in a line to hug the octopus. You would never guess that so many different things could happen in the span of a 30 minute show. But they do, and that’s how we know we are doing our job right. It means every child is getting a chance to explore in the way THEY want to. 

         

You would never guess that so many different things could happen in the span of a 30 minute show. But they do, and that’s how we know we are doing our job right.

 The wonder of it is, that as actors we learn to explore just as much as the audience does, while keeping a show fresh every time, 5 shows a week. The saying is “you get what you give”. Well, with toddlers that is tenfold, because if you are not giving 110% then you will quickly find the audience is not exploring with you on the journey. As a professional actor – both these lessons are invaluable. Any actor who doesn’t admit that staying in the moment and reacting genuinely to every stimulus coming at them or keeping a show fresh and new every time after 60 performances isn’t a challenge, or wasn’t at some point, is lying. In school you are taught tools to tackle both these challenges but rarely ever given the opportunity to. Simply because school shows rarely run for longer than a week or two. With this show I’ve been able to put those skills to work and actually been able to have those muscles working to keep the show spontaneous and fresh every time. It’s truly been an invaluable experience and has made me feel better about all the work I do as a performer.

        

 So, whether you are an actor performing in it, a parent nervous about bringing your child to their first show, a seasoned children’s theatre-goer, a wily-coyote kid, or the shy and quiet type – Splish Splash is one of the best places here in the Bay Area you can be. It will open your mind and heart to explore even the simplest aspects of life that we often overlook and forget to be grateful for. 

From the sound of chime, 

and your favorite lullaby rhyme. 

To the gleeful squeel and smile of a child 

Exploring the seas and the ocean wild.

From a simple rub a dub

With your kid in the tub.

To a very rainy day 

While Mom and Dad are away.

From finding pictures in a cloudy sky

Making up stories as the time flies by

Down to the the simpliest little

Teeniest Tiniest

Wittle Bittle.

Water Drop.

Thanks for sharing, Andrew! Splish Splash is now playing in SF. Tickets at bactheatre.org

Kara Blogs: The Whimsical World of Seuss - An Interview with Chelsea Wellott

BACT Blogger Kara got the chance to interview actor Chelsea Wellott recently and learned what goes into creating the whimsical world of Seuss -- particularly when it includes playing multiple musical instruments!

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I have watched many BACT plays but this has to be one of my top favorites. The plays main storyline was a mix between Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches an Egg. My favorite part of the play was when Horton’s dotted egg hatched! There were many characters in the play but the character I liked the most was smart, inventive JoJo. JoJo is a little Who that has big ideas which some in Whoville don’t agree with. I like him because he has a big imagination and so do I.

Actor Chelsea Wellott as Mrs. Mayor. Photo by Jay Yamada.

After watching the show, I got to interview JoJo’s mom, the Mayor of Whoville’s wife. The person who plays JoJo’s mom is Chelsea Wellott. Chelsea Wellott is making her third debut in BACT plays. She was in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Bad Kitty (I saw both of those too!). This is her first time playing an instrument in a show. She plays the guitar and the Ukulele. Amazingly, she only learned the Ukulele a week before trying out for the show. 

Besides playing an instrument, her favorite thing about her part was using a character voice. As an actor, she has always enjoyed using different voices. The hardest part for her was memorizing all the music and then learning to sing and act on stage while playing the music. Her favorite scene to act in was with her husband, the Mayor and her son, JoJo. Part of the scene was about her and Mr. Mayor talking to JoJo about his grades because they were low, so they were telling him he should stop imagining things. I liked that scene because the characters emotions came out well. This made it a good scene. 

Her favorite scene to watch is the song Alone in the Universe masterfully sung by JoJo and Horton. Her favorite Dr. Seuss book is Oh the Thinks You Can Think and mine is Oh the Places You’ll Go! Her advice for future actors is, “Don’t be afraid to look silly because everyone gets nervous,” and “Have fun and know that your fellow actors are there to support you.” I enjoyed interviewing Chelsea Wellott because she played the Ukulele and I would like to do that too! Finally, one of the morals of this play is, don’t be afraid to be creative and let your imagination run wild like Seuss.

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Seussical TYA continues its run thru December 11 in San Ramon & San Francisco. Get your tickets today!

Kara Blogs: Machines Come Alive

BACT Blogger Kara relays how the magic of theatre can bring a picture book like Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site to life, and also shares a summary of the show!

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Cement Mixer and Dump Truck!

The BACT musical, Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site delivers a play that brings every day machines to life. One of the ways they brought these machines to life was through their costumes. The characters wore super zippy shoes that had wheels on the bottom. They also wore bright yellow construction hats that had decorative, toy machines on them which symbolized who they were. The characters were busy Bulldozer, dynamic Dump Truck, musical Mixer, excellent Excavator and cranky Crane. 

When the show starts, all the machines are hurrying to get the job done because it is at the end of the day. Mixer rushed ahead of Bulldozer, Crane got cranky and they did not work together. They get back on track, but soon realize they need a goodnights rest. So, they start to get ready for bed. My favorite part of the play was story time. They act out the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but, instead of a girl Little Red Riding Hood it was Little Red Tractor, and instead of the Big Bad Wolf it was the Big Bad Monster Truck. There was also Orion, the super hero, who wore a super, shiny, silver cape and saved the day. 

The cast of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site!

At the end of the program, Cement Mixer gets frightened of the dark and Bulldozer comforts her with a song of friendship. One thing that made the show amazing was the way the performers connected with everyone in the audience. At a point in the program, some of the actors and actresses walked around and gave high fives to the kids in the audience. I think that made the kids feel special. It made me feel special. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site teaches you about teamwork and friendship. It is a show you should see with the whole family!

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Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, the Musical runs thru July 31 at Children's Fairyland in Oakland before heading to the Children's Creativity Museum Theater in SF in August. Purchase your tickets today!

Photographer: Melissa Nigro

Julietta Blogs: My Interview with Mitali Perkins

BACT Blogger Julietta had the opportunity to interview Mitali Perkins, author of the book Rickshaw Girl, at the show's San Francisco opening! She shares her experience below!

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The Rickshaw Girl play was super cool! It is about a girl named Naima. She wants to help her dad get some rest while still making enough money to pay back a loan for buying a new rickshaw, so she tries to drive the rickshaw. Instead, she crashed it. It will be very hard to fix such a beaten up Rickshaw, but if they don't fix it, her dad won't get any business with it.

 

A rickshaw built by actors with props!

 

I liked the book because it inspires girls to help them know that they can do anything. I liked how Naima's passion for art turned out to not be useless, but very important for her family. In the stories beginning, Naima really likes art, but she thinks because she cannot help make money, she is useless for the family. At the end, she realizes that it is a good thing that she was a girl, or else she would have not been given a chance to paint Rickshaws in exchange for the repairs of her dads Rickshaw.

To bring the play to life, they had to make a Rickshaw for the actors to use. At first, the Rickshaw is just a bunch of pieces, but when actors held up the pieces while moving it, you could see the rickshaw, and I thought that was a great idea. There was even live music for the play!

After the play, I got to meet the author of Rickshaw Girl, Mitali Perkins, to interview her. Her favorite part to write in Rickshaw Girl was when Naima's dad says "its a good thing you turned out to be a girl." She liked that part because she had two older sisters and everyone cried because she wasn't a boy and now her parents say that to her. She was inspired to write the book because of the Rickshaws she saw and she also learned how it was hard for girls to make money in Bangladesh. She thought it would be a great idea to show in her book how it is changing now. Besides Rickshaw Girl, Mitali wrote 9 other books! She is also working on a novel and a picture book. Mitali is local to Bay Area in Orinda. Rickshaw Girl is not yet popular in Bangladesh yet. The book is not translated yet, either. Mitali started writing books because she loved reading and she wanted to write books for other people to enjoy just like she enjoyed reading. She set the story in Bangladesh because that was where her parents were born. She likes art a lot. Her favorite tool to draw with is colored pencils. She especially likes to draw alpanas because they are really simple and easy. It was great getting to meet Mitali and it was really great getting to interview her.

Author Mitali Perkins (L) with BACT Blogger Julietta (R)

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Rickshaw Girl continues for one more weekend at the Children's Creativity Museum Theater before heading to the Osher Studio in Berkeley. Purchase your tickets today!