Gunnedah Conservatorium presents Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

It is time to buy your golden ticket to a world of Roald Dahl and the Gunnedah Conservatorium’s imagination.

The students at ‘The Con’ are a little more than a week away from showing the town their production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

All are invited to purchase a ticket to support the musical performance group and teachers who have been refining the production since the beginning of the year.

Primary and secondary-aged children make up the bulk of the 25-strong cast with some familiar faces from the conservatorium such as Dominic Goodwin-Hauck as Willy Wonka, who has also helped the cast with staging.

Those youngsters have been ramping up the practice time as the performance dates have neared.

“It has been a big effort pulling this together,” Gunnedah Conservatorium’s Rebecca Ryan said.

“I must really acknowledge the work our teacher Sandy Clark has put into this, it has really been her vision.

“Sandy started thinking about this last year and she has put a lot of thought into providing this opportunity for kids locally.

“It is not necessarily an opportunity they would all have in their school environment or without having to go to a bigger centre.

“So, the idea of being able to do a locally produced musical that combines music, singing, and a bit of movement, it is great to have that opportunity in Gunnedah.”

The performance builds on some workshops the conservatorium have hosted in the past couple of years.

Additional help from Meg Clowes with parents behind the scenes has added to the magical world of Willy Wonka on the town hall stage through props and scenery.

Rebecca said it is uncommon for Gunnedah to see a fully staged musical these days, especially one that caters to a younger audience.

“It is quite nice to have a show produced locally with local people in it, for a local audience,” she said.

“So, we really hope people will come out to support their friends, their neighbours, and the people on stage.

“If as a conservatorium we can provide a place where students from all schools can come together and perform, I think that is a really powerful thing.

“They really enjoy working with each other, they find their people, their tribe and it is a great opportunity for them to get up and strut their stuff.

“Buy a ticket and get out and support it.”

Shows will be available to the public on Saturday night and with a Sunday matinee with tickets are available at https://www.gunnedahconservatorium.com.au/ . There will also be a Monday show the following week for schools.