Roald Dahl takes his childhood
and lets it ferment in his imagination
till from that heady brew
a story comes of 5 kids
drawn by luck, pluck, and selfishness
to a chocolate factory
where sugar and the cacao bean
transform into delicious wonders
under the artistry of Willy Wonka
and the wildly inventive oompa-loompas,
one teacher finds a way to transform book into play
and another teacher feels the call to pull off the play
at a small Quaker school in piedmont North Carolina,
a call goes out and others join the quest
to add words, music, costumes, lights, props & sets, make-up, projections,
the wonder of the actors getting into their characters,
and, through the energy of their becoming
those whom Roald Dahl brought to life,
each actor adds to the other actors realizing themselves,
and a story lives upon the stage,
a story that pulls the audience into it
to love and laugh with the journey,
sometimes laughing so much they cry,
they feel the pull into the bubble
and love giving in to the pull,
their faces alight and fully-engaged,
appreciating the light shining from those they already know and loved,
and the light shining from those they come to know and love,
and what a wonderful message:
that a good heart can triumph over those
who have no problem
subtracting from others
so that they can gain--
those who care nothing
for the expense of the others’ loss,
I am in awe of how in this production each gives what they have to give
and together the sum of our parts makes a whole,
a whole that is transcendent,
each of us but a part,
each of us also the whole,
and each cares everything for the gain of the other
which only adds to one’s own gain,
for some jobs, some creations,
take a village to lift together,
and all rise!
by Henry Walker
February 14, 2010
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