The Penn-Trafford High School Drama Guild recently held auditions for this year’s spring musical, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” These auditions were held on Dec. 10 and 11, with callbacks on Dec. 12.

     “It’s a brand-new show,” Jen Haberberger, P-T art teacher and drama guild producer, said. “It was just released for schools to do, and we’re the first ones in the area to get to do it.”

     Auditions were spread across two nights, providing flexibility for students with other commitments. During the auditions, participants were divided into groups of five to learn a dance, sing a solo and engage in a brief conversation with the director.

     “Sometimes if you sing a song well but you’re not prepared when we ask questions, we look at how you react,” Habeberger stated.

     This allows the directors to gauge how students handle unexpected situations, which is an important skill for performing in a live show.

     Following the auditions, some students may be asked to return for callbacks. Callbacks are used to evaluate how well performers’ voices blend together or read from the script. 

     “Not having a callback doesn’t mean you didn’t make the show —– it just means we don’t need to see you again,” Haberberger said. “Callbacks help us narrow things down.”

     Haberberger explained the process of selecting “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” as the 2025 spring musical. 

     “It’s hard because kids want to do things that are really popular,” she stated. “With ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ it was a great show, but there’s a lot of people who don’t know it… We lost a lot of money.”

     She added that while the Drama Guild leaders do not always agree on a show, this year there was little debate, although the classic show “Hello Dolly” has been a frequent suggestion in the past. 

     To help students prepare for auditions, the Drama Guild held a workshop on Dec. 3. The audition workshop provided participants with the songs they would be required to sing during auditions, as well as a dance similar to the one they would perform at auditions. Haberberger stated that the workshop can be a great opportunity for kids who have never auditioned or have only auditioned in middle school.

     “It helps them understand what we’re looking for,” she added.
    Rehearsals will begin on Jan. 2 and continue until the spring performances. The show will be performed in the P-T High School auditorium over two weekends: April 4-6 and April 11-13.

Abby Dreistadt, Editor in Chief