‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ on NTID stage

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NTID Performing Arts center is hosting Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play on April 25

The spring production presented by National Technical Institute for the Deaf Performing Arts is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory beginning April 25 in the Robert F. Panara Theatre on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus.

The production is co-sponsored by MSM Productions, Ltd.

Roald Dahl’s mischievous tale of five children who win coveted Golden Tickets granting them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour the mysterious and magnificent chocolate factory, escorted by its owner, the reclusive Willy Wonka, will be presented in American Sign Language, spoken English and captions.

This is the only stage where this unique method of acting with sign language, voice and captioning happens simultaneously and seamlessly. Everyone can understand the plot.

Directed by Jim Orr, 80 cast and crewmembers are participating in the colorful production. RIT/NTID students also constructed the set.

Willy Wonka will be played by Matthew S. Moore, a RIT/NTID alumnus and founder and publisher of Deaf Life magazine. Moore, of Rochester, is no stranger to the stage.

“I’m co-sponsoring this production because I support the performing arts department and ASL theater. When I was a student, the Panara Theatre was my home. This is where I learned what ‘theatrical signing’ was all about. I want other RIT/NTID students to experience this excitement, the creativity, the personal growth, and I want the audience to be wowed and to have fun. I want this production to be the best we can possibly do, a higher level of professionalism fit for Broadway.”

Six performances are scheduled: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25; Friday, April 26; Saturday, April 27; Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4; a 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Sunday, April 28.

Tickets are $5 for students and seniors, $7 for others, and may be purchased at the box office (if available) one hour prior to the show, reserved by calling the NTID Box Office at 585-475-6254 or emailing ntidtix@rit.edu.

The Panara Theatre is in Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall, next to parking lot L.