‘Willy Wonka’ at Harvest Christian Academy

Harvest Christian Academy’s spring musical, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” will be staged Thursday and Friday at the Harvest Bible Chapel’s Worship Center, 1000 N Randall Road, Elgin.

“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” follows the life of the young, poor and incredibly lucky Charlie Bucket. When Willy Wonka holds a competition to tour his factory, lucky Charlie somehow gets the last Golden Ticket.

“This is the fourth year of theater at Harvest Christian Academy, and the program is getting bigger and better every year,” said HCA Theater Director Johanna Johnson.

“Our cast consists of 65 students ranging in age from fourth grade to juniors in high school. This year brings a new venue for our actors as we partner with our church, Harvest Bible Chapel, and share their stage for our shows. The new venue brings better seating and more opportunities for special effects.

“With a show like ‘Willy Wonka’ there is a lot of “smoke and mirrors” to the show, and this venue gives us the chance to put on the best show possible,” Johnson said. “It has been a joy working with the kids on ‘Willy Wonka.’ It’s such a fun show filled with lots of bright props, fun costumes and great songs. The kids have been such good sports working through many transitions.

“This is my first year as theater director at Harvest Christian Academy,” Johnson continued. “The kids have taught me so much about how flexible they are, how much they can learn in a short amount of time.”

“Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” includes songs that everybody will love, such as “The Candy Man,” “(I’ve got a) Golden Ticket,” “Pure Imagination,” and “I Want It Now.”

Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Tickets are $10 to $15 at the door or at harvestchristianacademy.org/theater. Parking is available outside the Worship Center at Harvest Bible Chapel.