We talked about how the success of the production depends equally on the members of the crew, chorus and leads and how each member of the production needs to work to find meaning in her/his experience. We talked about how participation in a dramatic production is transformative and that this group will not be the same group of people when the last curtain falls; they will have shared in something unique and magical. We talked about the theater as a classroom were important lessons about drama, understanding text, and understanding self and others will unfold. They were all clearly excited to be embarking on this project.

They were all also clearly excited about Willy Wonka. So we talked for a bit about Willy Wonka and the ways in which they have come to know the story. For some, the journey has been by book, for others the movies and for many both. In the fall, when Joanne and I spoke about Willy Wonka as the selection for the musical, we were both excited, but also concerned about one important dimension of the narrative: the Oompa-Loompas. We wanted to be sensitive to the range of opinions about these characters and their connection to deeper issues of race and privilege. We were both convinced that we could find a way to bring meaning to this aspect of the production in a way that would also be consistent with our school's values and mission. We also had faith in the ability of our students to wrestle with these complicated issues and knew that we could not simply ignore them and hope for the best; we were also not willing to simply chose a different show.

We believed that it was important from the beginning to put the issues on the table so that the cast and crew could consider them from their own personal perspectives and then think about how the production might deal with these issues. Issues related to the portrayal of the Oompa-Loompas were familiar to some students, but it was new territory for many. So this initial conversation will continue to weave its way through the production. We know that they will have much to say and that their input will be essential to the success of the show.

So just what is the issue here? As Jeremy Treglown notes in his book Roald Dahl: A Biography:


During the production of the 1971 film version of the book, the production team acknowledged that the depiction of the Oompa-Loompas was offensive and counter to the vision of the story that they wanted to tell.  So in the movie, the Oompa-Loompas become green-haired orange-skinned beings from some geographically obscure place called Loompaland. This change and the context in which it occurred  (click here to read the compelling correspondence between Dahl and the author Eleanor Cameron) moved Dahl to comment:


As Philip Nels observes:

Are these changes sufficient to alter the ideological assumptions of the original? To this question, Nels responds that one could make the reasonable claim that:

There is no question that these are complicated issues and are experienced differently by the diverse members of our community (i.e, it means one thing to encounter a stereotype in a book or play about another group, but it means something fundamentally different when the stereotype is about the group with which one identifies). In making the choice to do a production of Willy Wonka, it was clear to me that we had no choice, but to acknowledge and address these important issues. It can't be about just getting down to the business of learning lines and songs and looking past what is uncomfortable.

That said, the act of looking at what is uncomfortable carries different meanings for all of those involved and we need to be sensitive to this as well. We also do not want these issues to totally subsume the hard work and joy that comes from putting on a show. We do however want these ideas to be present in our work so that it challenges us to find the right voice for the production as a whole and also challenges each member of the cast to find her/his way through the text towards a deeper and richer meaning. Being bold about this kind of work is at the heart of what it means to be a member of the LREI community.

I was impressed by our young actors and crew today and know that they will work hard and get the support that they need. Nels sums it up nicely when he says:


I look forward to sharing with you the power of this group of committed young people when Willy Wonka premiers in the Charlton Street PAC on Friday, May 11th and Saturday, May 12th.