Willy Wonka Jr. by Regional Performing Arts Company
in Portage, Indiana

Characters

• Willy Wonka / Candy Man Willy Wonka is an enigmatic character; at once mysterious and mischievous but also charismatic. There are a number of directions to take with Wonka, ranging from Gene Wilder's version in the original film, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, to Johnny Depp's portrayal in the recent film, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and everything in between. Pick a young man (or a young woman) who is charismatic, engaging and has a great voice (in the case of a young man, preferably a changed voice). The actor should be able to be funny and serious and change between the two on a dime. It is preferred that Wonka double as the Candy Man, as it helps reinforce that Wonka has staged the Golden Ticket competition and is somewhat controlling this contest along the way. Cast a fantastic actor and singer in this iconic role. Gender: Any Vocal range top: F5 Vocal range bottom: G3
• Charlie Bucket Charlie Bucket is the emotional heart and soul of the musical. The actor performing Charlie should have an unchanged voice and lots of pluck and enthusiasm. Charlie is in nearly every scene, so make sure you select an actor who can handle the demands of a sizable role. Charlie should be a great singer, excellent actor, and hopefully reads as younger onstage. Gender: Male Vocal range top: F5 Vocal range bottom: A3
• Grandpa Joe Grandpa Joe is the grandfather we all wish we had when we were Charlie's age. He is caring, patient, sweet, and always reminds Charlie to look on the bright side. Cast an actor who can be kind, funny, and makes a great duo with Charlie. The role sings a bit, but the singing is secondary to the actor's solid acting skills. Gender: Male Vocal range top: Eb5 Vocal range bottom: Bb3
• Mr. Bucket This is a great role for a young person who has a nice voice, and is a natural nurturer. Mr. Bucket performs the number
• Mrs. Bucket This is a great role for a young person who has a nice voice, and is a natural nurturer. Mrs. Bucket sings
• Candy Man Kid Candy Man Kids sing
• Grandpa George Charlie's three grandparents are mainly non-singing character roles. Cast performers that are innately interesting, who have good comic timing and are solid actors. These actors can double as Oompa-Loompas in the second half of the show. Gender: Male
• Grandma Georgina Charlie's three grandparents are mainly non-singing character roles. Cast performers that are innately interesting, who have good comic timing and are solid actors. These actors can double as Oompa-Loompas in the second half of the show. Gender: Female
• Grandma Josephina Charlie's three grandparents are mainly non-singing character roles. Cast performers that are innately interesting, who have good comic timing and are solid actors. These actors can double as Oompa-Loompas in the second half of the show. Gender: Female
• Phineous Trout Phineous is the reporter who announces the winners of the Golden Ticket contest throughout the show. The role requires some singing, so cast a boy or a girl with a great announcer's voice and good stage presence. Gender: Male Vocal range top: C5 Vocal range bottom: B3
• Oompa-Loompa The Oompa-Loompa Chorus, including Oompa-Loompas 1-5, can be as small as a handful of performers or as large as your stage and theater can accommodate. Consider casting your youngest performers as Oompa-Loompas (like the sixth grade chorus) and augment them with a handful of older students who can take the lead and serve as Oompa-Loompa wranglers. Gender: Any Vocal range top: A4 Vocal range bottom: A3
• Mrs. Gloop Mrs. Gloop is Augustus' mother who has overindulged her son with food. She accompanies Augustus on the tour of the factory, and sings
• Mrs. Beauregarde Mrs. Beauregard is a teacher of geography and has invested a great deal of hard-earned money on therapy for her gum-chewing daughter, with less than stellar results. The role is virtually non-singing. Her accent should match Violet's and the two should make a good pair onstage. Gender: Female Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: C4
• Mr. Salt Mr. Salt's solution to most problems is to buy his way out. He is upper class, and usually portrayed with a high British accent. (But this accent is not necessary-just make sure Veruca and Mr. Salt sound like they hail from the same place.) He sings very little. A female actress playing male may also play the role. Gender: Male Vocal range top: G4 Vocal range bottom: C4
• Violet Beauregarde Gum chewer extraordinaire, Violet hails from Snellville, Georgia, so it's nice if she has a Southern American accent, but not necessary. Violet should stand in stark contrast to Veruca Salt. Veruca is a wealthy refined brat; Violet is more of a bluecollar, middle class brat. She sings
• Mike Teavee For this adaptation Mike is not just a TV junky. He is also addicted to video games, the Internet and any other mindnumbing technological device. Mike is bratty, loud and obnoxious. He does not understand the word
• James James is Charlie's friend from school. He has a few lines and sings the introduction of
• Cook The Cooks appear during
• Augustus Gloop Augustus is the overachieving eater. Be extremely sensitive in casting this role as it is tempting to cast an overweight young person and that can be scarring-especially if the child struggles with this issue. Consider casting a thin child and creating the illusion of size via the costume. Either a boy or a girl acting like a boy can play Augustus. Augustus sings
• Ms. Teavee Ms. Teavee is a take on all television moms of the distant past. Think June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver) or Marion Cunningham (Happy Days) or even Carol Brady (The Brady Bunch). She's perfectly put together and a bit vacant. She sings
• Veruca Salt Veruca is wealthy, class-conscious, and completely spoiled. She is often portrayed with a high British accent that is by no means required (brats come in all nationalities). Veruca's solo number
• Matilda Matilda is also a schoolmate of Charlie's, but she's a bit of bully. Matilda has a few lines and sings the introduction of
• Squirrel The squirrels are non-speaking, non-singing roles and you can cast as many as necessary. This is a great part for beginning actors. Gender: Any