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• The Champaign-Urbana Theater Company brings Willy Wonka to Parkland College

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  2400 West Bradley Avenue Champaign, IL 61821
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The Champaign-Urbana Theater Company’s Willy Wonka is opening at Parkland College Theater on Thurs., June 17. It runs June 17-20 & 25 - 27, 2010.

“It’s one of those great family shows where anyone can come,” said Michael Galloway, managing director for CUTC. “Our [production] is more like the original version but with some modern stuff added to it.”

“We wanted to make our mark on the show,” said Becky Wauthier, producer for the show. “[It is] a little more current and it’s our rendition with a twist, mainly to entertain our audience and make it a bigger draw both for adults and children.”

“We have a lot of special effects for the show which makes it exciting,” Wauthier added.

This show marks the fifth annual Kathy Murray production, according to Wauthier. Murray was a founding member of CUTC and recently lost a battle to cancer, so the company decided to title its June student production program in her name, Wauthier said.

Wauthier said that a touching element of this production is that the lead role of Willy Wonka, is played by Cullyn Murphy, who is actually the nephew of Kathy Murphy.

The cast includes a range of ages. “It’s our students’ production, so the whole cast is ages 8-18. It’s always great to see kids being involved in shows and productions. It’s a great cast of about 64 people,” said Galloway. Wauthier said that the number was narrowed down from well over 100 people who auditioned.

Just as there is a sizable age range in the cast, there is also a range of origin. “The cast comes from Danville to Paxton, so we have a wide range,” said Wauthier.

“The cast is wonderful. They have been rehearsing for a long time, approximately 2 months,” said Galloway.

Wauthier added: “We’re doing the adult version of the play. We have stage managers and cast who are students. We’re expanding our whole production, [and] not only onstage.”

The production has had a lot of family support. “We’ve had a lot of participation from parents,” Wauthier said. “They’re not only driving their kids but also helping with things like painting. It’s truly a family production.”

This play marks a shift in location. “For the next few shows, we’ll be at Parkland,” said Galloway. “There’s a lot of excitement about it. It’s a different feel, but I think everyone is adapting to it quite well,” he said.

“CUTC is a local community theater company,” said Wauthier. “A lot of the company does this because we love it. Many of us have other jobs, too, but this is kind of nice to have a creative outlet to share.”

“Tickets are on sale and going quick!” said Galloway. For tickets, order online at http://cutc.org/, or call the box office at 217-344-3884.