Prescott Park Arts Festival to Present Willy Wonka

Opening night for the Prescott Park Arts Festival's community summer theater produciton may still be nearly three months away, but there is already lots of excitement surrounding it.

On Friday, Ben Anderson, the arts festival executive director, said they would present "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" for the 2012 community summer production in conjunction with the Seacoast Repertory Theater.

The two groups teamed up to present a very memorable adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" last summer and the sets, music and story of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which will include plenty of Oompa-Loompas, promises to be just as exciting and fun.

Families and theater goers will be able to follow the amazing journey of Charlie Bucket as he secures one of the coveted Wonka Bar golden tickers that allows him and four other children to tour the chocolate factory and meet the mysterious manufacturer. One of them will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate.

Audiences are very familiar with the story thanks to two Hollywood movies. The first film adaptation of Ronald Dahl's 1964 novel, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," was made in 1971 and starred Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Johnny Depp also played the chocolate manufacturer in the 2005 remake of the Willy Wonka movie.

Auditions for the many characters in the musical will be held later this spring and will be posted on the Prescott Park Arts Festival web site.