{"id":108498,"date":"2026-01-22T12:50:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108498\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T12:50:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:50:30","slug":"staten-island-students-capture-whimsical-world-of-willy-wonka-in-recent-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108498\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island students capture whimsical world of \u2018Willy Wonka\u2019 in recent performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: The author of this article is a St. Joseph Hill Academy student who participates in the Advance\/SILive.com High School Journalism Immersion program.The initiative is designed to help young people explore the world of community journalism.<\/a><\/p>\n

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Young students at St. Joseph Hill Academy, Arrochar, took a step into a \u201cworld of pure imagination\u201d with their production of \u201cWilly Wonka, Jr.\u201d earlier this month. Under the direction of Spotlight Theatre Company, the cast spent 11 weeks building the fantasy world and working hard to showcase the magic of author Roald Dahl. <\/p>\n

Featuring timeless songs such as \u201cThe Candy Man\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ve Got A Golden Ticket,\u201d the cast of 36 young performers told the story of Willy Wonka, the whimsical owner of a renowned chocolate factory, who invites five Golden Ticket winners to come on a tour of the factory. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe pride ourselves on offering inclusive after-school programs for every student,\u201d said Eileen Gregor, Early Childhood director and Afterschool Club director of St. Joseph Hill Academy. \u201cOur theater program remains a true gem that younger students eagerly anticipate joining the moment they reach fifth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WillyFrom left to right, students Everly Distefano, Amanda Frisz, and Gianna DiMeglio perform in “Willy Wonka, Jr.”(Alexa Viggiano for the Staten Island Advance)<\/p>\n

\u201cWilly Wonka, Jr.\u201d marks the 11th Spotlight Theatre production at the school, which features young performers from the fifth through eighth grade. <\/p>\n

\u201cSpotlight has given me so many new friendships that I will forever cherish,\u201d said Briella Gaeta, an eighth-grader who played the role of the spoiled Veruca Salt. <\/p>\n

Spotlight Theatre Company is a not-for-profit theater company that puts on productions in the community and in schools throughout the year. Having both a repertory and a youth company, many adult and child actors on Staten Island and beyond have Spotlight credits to their name. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is so touching to know that everyone in Spotlight supports you,\u201d said sixth-grader Angeline Lahoud. <\/p>\n

Eighth-grader Emma Leone, who portrayed the title role of Willy Wonka and has been part of the theatre club since fifth grade, said working on \u201cWilly Wonka Jr.\u201d was \u201cjust the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the best memories I have are made with the best cast and crew ever,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

\"WillyStudent Angelina Manley is seen in the role of Candy Man with members of the ensemble in the background.(Alexa Viggiano for the Staten Island Advance)<\/p>\n

Gregor explained that putting on \u201cWilly Wonka Jr.\u201d allowed the students to take part in \u201cbuilding a world\u201d and added that the \u201cdedication these students have shown in capturing the heart and whimsy of this classic story is truly remarkable. Watching these students perform on stage always amazes me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with the Gregor, the school\u2019s theater program would not be possible without the dedication many, including: Jacques Stewart, director\/artistic director; Gavin Matthias, musical director; Mary Lee Marson Aloia, producing director; Kim Fiorello, production manager; Julie Azzarello, Spotlight Theatre Club supervisor\/preschool teacher; Principal Lawrence Hansen; Assistant Principal JP Pablo; and Sr. Mary Coffelt, president of St. Joseph Hill Academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur theater program at St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School aims to provide students with a space to take creative risks,\u201d said Gregor, who praised the the school\u2019s collaboration with the Spotlight Theatre Company.<\/p>\n

\"WillyEighth-grader Briella Gaeta performs the iconic song \u201cI Want It Now\u201d as Veruca Salt.(Alexa Viggiano for the Staten Island Advance)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: The author of this article is a St. Joseph Hill Academy student who participates in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":108499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-108498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}