**Due to recent events, the "Willy Wonka-The Musical" presentation has been postponed to May 1st, May 2nd, and May 3rd.**
The Gilbert School Drama Club is presenting "Willy Wonka - The Musical" this weekend with four performances. Please support our local students and catch them at one of their performances scheduled for Friday, March 13th at 7PM, Saturday, March 14th at 2PM and 7PM, and Sunday, March 15th at 2PM. Please click here for tickets.
More about Willy Wonka this weekend at Gilbert:
The timeless story of Charlie Bucket, along with Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory, is coming to The Gilbert School’s stage this weekend.
Performers in “Willy Wonka” include Dylan Zawisza as “Willy Wonka,” Brianna Ortiz as “Violet,” Natalia Rodriguez as “Charlie,” and Lydia Bird as “Veruca.” “I’m very excited to play Willy!” Dylan said about his role. “This is my first big role here and it is very exciting to experiment with this character. This is a much different character than I have been able to play in the past. This is a very cool story and it teaches a lot of lessons. People can learn from watching it and be entertained by it at the same time.” “Violet is the first character that I have played that has a southern accent,” Brianna said. “This is a very super creative and fun play.” “I’m nervous but I’m excited because this is my first high school show,” Natalia said. “But this play has been really fun and we all love it.” “It’s a really exciting show that not only teaches great messages but also is a very exciting and fun thing to watch,” Lydia added. 
The play is being directed by Gilbert’s drama director James Donohue. “We have a great group of students for our cast,” Donohue said. “A lot of them have been here for several years but every year we have new faces. It’s just a great group of dedicated kids. We’ve rehearsed a month and a half for this performance.” When asked what people could learn from the story of Willy Wonka, Donohue said “that imagination knows no bounds.” “I’ve learned from Wonka that there is a little bit of wonder in all of us,” he said. “There’s always going to be something in life that makes you take a chance and a leap of faith. When you say yes to it and go with the flow, you never know what’s going to happen.”