Gwen Davies
I'm Gwen Davies and I will be playing Willy Wonka in McKim's upcoming production of Willy Wonka Jr.
My character is sort of crazy and a bit weird; he can change from happy to angry in a second.
You might be confused if you know the story of Willy Wonka because I'm a girl and my character is normally played by a boy.
At first I was confused; how was I supposed to play a boy?
But now I know exactly how... I don't! We changed the character to a girl, but don't worry, that was the only thing we changed.
Now you know about Willy, so here's a little bit about me: I love singing, acting and dancing and I am so thrilled to be in a production like this.
Normally this story is mainly about Charlie – how he finds a golden ticket and gets to tour Wonka's factory – but this production shows a lot more about Willy and the person "she" is.
Now, I'm going to talk about the different cast members and characters in this musical.
Let's start with Charlie Bucket, played by Declan Armstrong.
Declan is just so full of life and energy, he seems super happy to be playing Charlie.
Then there's Mike Teavee played by Dryden Dhami; Dryden's crazy... super crazy.
He's always talking and never stops; he just keeps going and going, but in a good way.
Kayla Giguere plays Veruca Salt and I think she is perfect for her role! Not that she is bossy or anything, but she is a great actor and a beautiful singer.
Violet Beauregarde is played by Emery Hoko who is so outgoing and crazy, yet similar to Kayla in her acting and singing.
Clayton Serediuk is playing Augustus Gloop; he is always so happy and cheerful, and he totally fits his character.
Clara couldn't have cast us better!
Other people who are awesome to work with are Trenan McMillan as Grandpa Joe, Hailey Stober as Mrs. Teavee, Ava Wagner as Mrs. Salt, Emma MacLeod as Mrs. Beauregarde, Savannah Flegel as Mrs. Gloop, and so many others.
I think the most awesome person to be working with, though, is Clara MacLeod, the director.
She is the most awesome person in the world!
She helps us perfect our lines and has such a beautiful voice. She is just amazing.
To top it off, she is only fifteen and is still a high school student. She also has the lead role in the Selkirk musical this year, so she is pretty skilled.
Remember, Willy Wonka Jr will be performed on December 11, 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are available at the McKim office and are $5 for students and $8 for adults.
We all hope to see you there!