Several Oglethorpe County residents will help bring “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to life when the Washington Little Theater production opens next month.
Among them are Lexington residents Joey and Abbie Pruitt, who serve as lead director and assistant director/director of music for the production in Wilkes County.
For the Pruitts, theater has become a family affair.
Abbie first became involved in Washington Little Theater as a child growing up in Wilkes County. She started in middle school as part of the ensemble in a production of “Grease” and remained involved through high school.
After college, marriage and raising four children, Pruitt, who is the business manager for the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, found her way back to the stage in 2018, when the theater put on “Annie,” bringing her family with her.
“It was going to be a bonding thing for me and our youngest daughter, something for us to do together,” Pruitt said. “So we went to auditions, and I spoke with the director, and he was kind of like, ‘Well, yeah, we really want to do this, but we don’t have enough men.’ So I was like, I got you.”
Pruitt convinced her husband to join the cast, and he’s been involved with nearly every production put on by the theater since.
For “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the couple is tackling the biggest challenge yet.
Joey is directing the show while Abbie is assisting and directing the music, which means both of them are helping with choreography, blocking, set ideas and backstage work.
“Being married is kind of like, Joey will be like, ‘Well, this is my idea.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but mine’s better. So here’s my idea,’” Pruitt said. “So we usually have to compromise.”
Their children are also involved, with 7-year-old DJ playing an Oompa Loompa, Noah (12) playing Mike Teavee and Kylie (20) helping backstage and with the theater’s social media.
Other Oglethorpe County residents in the production include Evan Dixon as Grandpa Joe, Bonny Dixon as Mrs. Bucket and Edi Dixon as an Oompa Loompa.
The production is a modern take on the classic story, with updates such as Charlie being a girl and social media culture making an appearance with characters like Violet Beauregarde.
Pruitt said one of her favorite parts of theater is the sense of community it creates.
“I mean the cast members are all different walks of life and different kinds of people,” Pruitt said. “It’s just a community of people coming together, and that’s one thing we strive to do at Washington Little Theater, is be a family and try to make sure everyone is comfortable either being yourself or being someone else on stage.”
That sense of community also drew 10-year-old Sophia Marchette, whose family lives in Stephens, into the production. Marchette, who will play Charlie, had only performed in church productions.
Pruitt said they knew Sophia would be perfect for the role after seeing her sing at Lexington Baptist Church.
“We were at church on a Sunday before Christmas,” Pruitt said. “And so one of the little girls got up and sang a solo, and I just looked at Joey, and I was like, ‘She's perfect.’”
They invited Sophia to audition, and although several other children tried out, she immediately stood out.
“Sophia, right off the bat, showed great enthusiasm and energy and just brought a whole new spirit to the stage,” Pruitt said.
For Sophia, the experience has been filled with exhilaration and big responsibility.
“I’m excited for it,” Sophia said of stepping on stage on opening night. “The only thing I’m surprised about is, I have the biggest lines and I’m the smallest person.”
She said theater is different from church productions she is used to because those performances are usually much shorter. Still, she has enjoyed the process, especially singing “Willy Wonka.”
Sophia’s mother, Beatrice Marchette, said her daughter has always enjoyed singing in church during holiday programs, but this production has given her something of her own.
“We have three kids. My husband is in the military, so he’s gone a lot, and so most of the time they have to do everything together,” Beatrice said. “They run cross country together, they do track together, but this is one thing she kind of gets to do on her own, so she’s been really proud of it.”