Perham Community Theater Brings Willy Wonka to Stage March 19-22

Kyler Hanson has stood in front of classrooms in the Perham-Dent School District and led bands as a frontman for years, but when the Perham Area Community Theater opens Willy Wonka on March 19, the Frazee resident will take a stage for the first time as an actor. He caught the acting bug, as the story goes, while watching last year's community theater musical with his kids.

The show runs four performances across four days: evening shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, followed by matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22. Tickets can be purchased at the door one hour before each performance if seats remain, or in advance through Vanco Events, where theatergoers can also select their seat in either the balcony or ground level.

The production brings together a live orchestra, choreography, and a large community cast for what the theater describes as an adventurous tale where good character is celebrated and mischievous shenanigans provide laughter along with catchy songs. The Perham troupe has also built in a few surprises that pay tribute to Kenny Nelson, the founder of KLN Family Brands and the area's own candy man.

That local connection runs deeper than a passing nod. A community volunteer known as Burke spent nine months building candy-themed decorations for her family's enjoyment, then sold them to the Perham Community Theater for pennies on the dollar, giving the production an abundance of sweet props. Burke also crafted additional pieces from scratch, including a TV camera, newspapers, and a cart for the candy man character. When she needed a real cart, she turned to Nelson, whose Perham-based company KLN Family Brands produces the gourmet licorice Wiley Wallaby. The company loaned the production one of their candy carts, which Burke said required little additional decorating once it arrived. "Their theme was Candy Land," she said, describing what drew her into the prop work.

The result is a show built as much from community contribution as from script and score, with a first-time actor at the center and a locally recognized name honored in the wings.