The future may indeed be orange for those who are selected to be Oompa-Loompas on the West End stage shortly. The Dominion Theatre is throwing its doors open as it holds the leading production’s first open auditions, potentially paving the way to musical stardom for those fortunate to be selected. Those under the age of 18 need not apply, but for anyone else with “bags of personality” and a strong dancing pedigree the possibilities could be endless. Oh and remember that a penchant for sporting a green wig and being able to carry off the complexion of a satsuma is also likely to be a bonus for the part!
Only adept dancers should apply
Not that participants in the auditions should delude themselves into thinking that they can seal their big break through a mere charm offensive. Resident choreographer for the musical version of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, Chris Piper will be on the lookout for “exceptional technical performance skills” from the dancers that are successful. Additionally your CV should include an ability to be adept both at facial and character skills to really stand out from the crowd.
There’s still time to polish up those final touches of dancing excellence in readiness with auditions beginning on 26th October. Time wasters should not apply though, given that the expectation is for dancers displaying talent in a wide range of different styles, including street, tap, hip-hop, disco and even ballet.
Applicant requirements
The exciting production by Warner Bros is looking for people who will be aged 18 years or over (with a playing age between 18 and 30), with separate height requirements specified for men and women. The males looking to join Willy Wonka’s hard working factory operatives should be between five foot six and six foot in height.
Their female counterparts need to be between five foot one and five foot eight.
Popular franchise
Those who make it through the auditions are following in the wake of a hugely popular franchise. Roald Dahl’s impressive children’s fantasy was written in 1964 and chronicled the experiences of youngster Charlie Bucket inside highly eccentric Willy Wonka’s chocolate making establishment.
It was inspired by Dahl’s own childhood experiences with real-life chocolate companies, who were highly protective of their process and feared espionage from rivals. He put the knowledge to good use, with over 20 million copies of the book sold worldwide.
The book was adapted for two feature films. The 1970s version entitled ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ starred Gene Wilder and while not a massive box office success initially, later became something of a cult classic. A later Tim Burton version made in 2005 reverted to the book’s original title and featured the iconic Johnny Depp in the Willy Wonka role. This time the cinema audience took to it from the start, with an estimated $475 million (gross) taken worldwide.
Join the company in 2016/17
Sam Mendes’ musical version has been wowing audiences on The West End for over two years, with the next generation of Oompa-Loompas expected to move into their roles as part of the 2016/17 production company.
