Palace Youth Theatre tries 'Wonka' magic

By CATRINA CIESLIK

This is the 31st annual Lorain Palace Youth Theatre production.


For the past three decades, the theater has been putting on productions with children and teenagers, ages 8 to 18, as cast members. This year, with a maximum of 75 children allowed, there are 74 cast members performing in the muscial "Willy Wonka Jr."


Some children sing and cheer, while other perform a dance routine center stage.


"Willy Wonka Jr." will be performed on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Lorain Palace Theatre, 617 Broadway.


"(Palace Youth Theatre) is very fun, and Willy Wonka is going to be the best," said 9-year-old thespian Kelsey Gonos.


"We have actually had a lot of kids come back, we also have their younger siblings," said producer Jessica Smith, a recent Ohio University graduate from Lorain. "Our director was shocked at how talented they are. They are so full of energy and willing to learn and listen." The director is Valerie Farschman, an English teacher and theater director at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst.


Farschman has acted and directed for the past 30 years.


There are also three boys working behind the scenes on lighting, sound and the set.


"We like to give options to kids that don't want to act," said Smith.


The children practice for six weeks starting on June 16 from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 9:30 to noon on Tuesdays until their final performance.


"The children are a little more attentive in the morning than the afternoon after lunch," said Smith.


This year the company is presenting "Willy Wonka Jr." with a new spin. Because Willy Wonka is a timeless classic and has been around for numerous decades, each main character is going to wear a representation of their costume from a different time period.


"Each child represents a different decade from 1940 to 1980 causing a fierce, retro romp," said costume designer Justin Bilewicz.


Because the Lorain Palace Youth Theatre has been around for awhile, the instructors strive to provide stronger performances year after year.


The youth theater was originally started as a traveling production.


"It was really small, made up of about 20 people and it has grown immensely," Smith said. "I myself was in it for eight years and I loved every year. After the first week of practice no one cares about who got the lead anymore."


Although the children rehearse extensively, it does not take up their entire time. The instructors try to make things fun and educational for the children. In the morning until lunch break at noon, the young thespians learn different aspects of theater and after lunch they rehearse until 2 p.m.


"We have been teaching them the fundamentals of theater, so that everything that we have been teaching them culminates into the show," said pianist and music instructor Kyle Branzel.


The children are continuously participating in different group activities to improve their overall performance and knowledge of theater.


"We want to teach them every aspect of theater," Smith said. "Our director is really into character sketches, so they are ready to go into character during rehearsal."


During rehearsals, the team of eight instructors work with the kids on their roles and stage direction.


"You are so good, give yourself a big applause," said Farschman as she encouraged the children to do their best during practice. "It is a thrill to see how much this program helps them."


Farschman has been the director of the Lorain Palace Youth Theatre for three years and looks forward to watching the kids imagination sparkle and shine, she said.


"We've got a great staff, they love kids and they love teaching them what they know," said John Handyside, who has been the executive director of the Lorain Palace Theatre for 31 years.


Handyside thinks that Smith is a product of this program because she performed in Lorain Palace Youth Theatre from age 8 to 16.


During a special dance performance and talent show that the children put on for their parents, they showed off their talents and skills by doing everything from dancing and singing, to hula hooping while playing the piano.


"I like doing this because it is fun, I mean you get to make friends and do a lot of fun stuff," said 18-year-old Zach Heiser.


The talent show was used as a way to get the child actors comfortable on stage. They split up into four groups according to their age - the Palace Smirfs, ages 8 and 9; the Gobstoppers, ages 10 and 11; the Question Marks, ages 12 through 14; and the Apple Bottom Jeans, ages 15 through 18.


The Palace Smurfs chanted and danced to their cheer with excitement and fearlessness as they screamed, "Palace Smurfs are the best; the Palace Smurfs are shorter than the rest."


"It is just a great experience and you meet a lot of great people," said 7-year participant, Lauren Klimczak.


Whenever a child breaks down on stage or forgets his or her lines, their friends and peers are the first to come to their rescue by singing along with them on stage, or cheering them on in the audience.


"It's a real hands-on experience, these kids are energized. This is what they want to do, they love this," Handyside said. "The point is, theater is a good thing for students, it puts them in a good frame of mind."