David Lafler (Grandpa Joe, u/s Wonka) is thrilled to return to the Gateway stage this summer, having just completed a nearly sold out run as Prince Eric in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. David is excited to share the stage with his little sister, Liliana! David’s past credits include Les in Gateway’s main stage production of Disney’s Newsies, Michael/Big Kid in CM’s Matilda, Mr. Wormwood in Gateway’s Conservatory production of Matilda, Jr., Young Scrooge and Peter in A Christmas Carol & the Children’s Choir in Joseph at T3, Cogsworth in Gateway’s Children’s Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast, Bloat in Gateway’s Children’s Theatre production of Finding Nemo, Jr., as well as ensemble roles in Mary Poppins, Jr., Aladdin, Jr., & The Wizard of Oz, Kurt in LHS production of Sound of Music, Crutchie in LHS’s Newsies and Benny Southstreet in LHS’s Guys&Dolls. David would like to thank his acting, voice, and Stage Door family for always believing in him, supporting him, and giving him the tools he needs to take the stage with grace; his parents, siblings and grandparents for their love & support; and Michael, Keeghan, Rachel and Kaitlyn for this incredible opportunity!

Liliana Lafler (Oompa Loompa) is excited to be part of her first Gateway Conservatory production! Lil has been in the ensemble of Gateway Production classes of Lion King, Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Liliana is a Stage Door School of Dance Select Company dancer, and has done modeling for Blu&Blue New York, Nou Nelle, and PASTEL Children’s Clothing. Lil is thrilled to share the stage with her big brother, David, and wants him to know that this is making her heart so very happy! Liliana would like to thank her siblings, parents and grandparents for always supporting and loving her, and Mr. Michael, Keeghan, Rachel and Kaitlyn for this incredible opportunity!

LILITH OROFINO (Veruca Salt) has been acting for a year and a half. This will be her third production at the Gateway. She was last seen in The Little Mermaid Jr in the Ensemble and played Alice in Matilda. Besides the Gateway she has performed in a few shows such as Seussical Jr. as Bird Girl, Rafiki in the Lion king Jr. and Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka Jr. She is so excited to be back on the Gateway stage for this production of The Little Mermaid Jr.

 Albert Jack Peterson (Mr. Salt) is thrilled to be back at the Gateway! Regional credits include: Friedrich (The Sound of Music), Newsboy (Gypsy), Flick u/s performed (A Christmas Story The Musical). Favorite Gateway credits include: Michael (Peter Pan), Don (A Chorus Line) Courfeyrac (Les Miserables) , The Cowardly Lion (The Wizard of Oz), Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) and Jackson (Pierglass Park). Albert would like to thank his Mom, Maddie, Lukas, Michael, Keeghan, Kaitlyn, Julianna, Sophia, Keira as well as all the cast and crew.

Breanna Scheck (Mrs. Teavee) is so excited to be back at The Gateway some of her past Gateway credits were Nemo JR (Gill) and Alice By Heart (Queen Of Hearts) she is going to study esthetics at the New York Institute of Beauty and would like to thank her mom grandmother and Amy Woschnik for always being so supportive

Brendyn Molnar (Willy Wonka) is ecstatic to be back on the gateway stage. Previous acting school credits include: Alice By Heart, (Alfred), 13: The Musical, (Malcolm), Finding Nemo Jr, (Mr Ray) Regional Credits: Sound of Music, (Kurt Von Trapp), Newsies (Les). Brendyn just returned from studying Musical Theater at the Norwalk Conservatory’s Precollege Intensive, he would like to thank every mentor, coach and teacher he has worked with along the way as well as his friends and family. Insta: b.j.molnar

Sofia Da Costa-Wilson (Violet Beauregard)is going into her third year with The Gateway Playhouse. Recent performances include the Gateway Playhouse's Fiddler on the Roof as 'Bielke', the Holiday Spectacular On Ice, 'Children's Choir' in Evita, 'Lavender' in Matilda Jr., Finding Nemo Jr., Ivy League School's Broadway Revue, and The Nutcracker with Eglevsky Ballet. Sofia specializes in traditional Portuguese Folklore dancing and ballet. Sofia is thankful to be working with such an amazing cast and hopes to further her musical theatre experience on Broadway someday!

Abigail Pirozzi (Oompa Loompa, u/s Charlie, Violet, Veruca) has attended Gateway’s Performing Art School since she was four years old. Recently she was in The Little Mermaid, The Holiday Spectacular, Finding Nemo and played Amanda in Matilda. She also enjoyed being in the youth ensemble of Gateway’s production of Evita. ‘Gail’ loves the stage and being in Willy Wonka is another dream come true. Abigail would like to thank all of her family and friends who support her and have come to see the show! Look out for Abby this summer in the movie Love in Storytown!

Rivers O'Neal (Oompa Loompa, Ensemble): Rivers is very excited to be back on stage at The Gateway! He recently was a cheder boy in the mainstage production of Fiddler on the Roof and last summer he was Bagheera in Jungle Book Kids. He regularly takes acting classes at The Gateway and loves to perform! Thank you to everyone at The Gateway for your support and encouragement! Enjoy the show!

MARTY TIMLIN (Mr. Bucket) is so excited to return to The Gateway’s stage! Regional credits include: Elf, As You Like It, A Christmas Story, Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol. Marty has been training with The Gateway Acting School for the Performing Arts for 7 years and recently attended The Norwalk Conservatory’s PreCollege Summer Intensive for musical theatre. He would like to thank Michael, Keeghan, Jack, and the entire cast, crew, and creative team who made this show and experience so incredible!

GIADA LONGO (Mrs. Gloop) is a 15 year old who has expressed a love of theatre, and singing since the age of 4. Giada has been in many shows in local theaters; she’s been in student films, she has sung the national anthem for the town of Babylon and has sung in NYC’s “Don’t Tell Mama” cabaret. Giada aspires to be a Broadway actress! She is very excited to be a part of Gateway Playhouse’s Willy Wonka Jr show!!

Jack Richman is a Boston and New York-based musician specializing in musical theater songwriting and music direction. They are an undergraduate student at Berklee College of Music, focusing on arranging and conducting. Jack's past shows as music director include The Little Mermaid Jr., The Jungle Book KIDS, Beauty and the Beast Jr., Chicago: The Musical, Pinkalicious: The Musical, and Grease. Jack is passionate about fostering young talent and helping performers reach their full potential. They are thrilled to bring their expertise to this production of Willy Wonka Jr.

Keeghan Lavery (Choreographer) is a senior Dance Performance major at the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment, at Oklahoma City University. She is pursuing a B.P.A degree with Honors, and performs with the OCU Star Dance Company. Recently, Keeghan made her musical theater performance debut with the renowned Music Theater Wichita under the artistic direction of Brian J. Marcum. Her credits include productions of Gypsy, 9 to 5 (dance captain), and Disney’s Frozen. She is overwhelmed with joy to be returning to Gateway’s Conservatory artistic team as choreographer of Willy Wonka Jr. after serving as associate to Mary Giattino in the 2023 production of Matilda Jr. Keeghan extends her thanks to the entire cast and crew, Stage Door family, as well as her parents and two younger sisters, for their endless love and support.

Sonnie Betts (Charlie Bucket) is ready for the challenge of playing a boy. Favorite credits at Gateway include; Matilda in Matilda Jr., Gretl in The Sound of Music, Bielke in Fiddler on the Roof, Grace Smythe in A Christmas Carol. She was also part of the youth ensemble in both Evita & Holiday on Ice w/Nancy Kerrigan. Last fall, Sonnie appeared in her first straight play as Mercy Lewis in The Crucible at Bay Street Theater. Other Bay Street credits include; Ragtime (The Girl), Joan of Arc (young Joan), Annie Jr. (Annie). Airing in October, Sonnie portrays Kayla on Evil Lives Here episode 914 (ID Network). Sonnie appreciates her constant support from Gateway Theater and can’t wait to get that GOLDEN TICKET!

Gavin Gronenthal (Oompa-Loompa, Ensemble) As a Gateway student of 3 years Gavin is thrilled to be making his first appearance on the Gateway stage as an Oompa-Loompa. With performances as Scar in The Lion King, Nelson in End Days, Ryan in High School Musical Jr., Carlos in Descendants, and Pilot in The Little Mermaid Jr., Whether portraying a villainous lion, a quirky teenager, a loyal friend, or a whimsical factory worker, Gavin consistently delivers engaging performances. He is excited to continue exploring new roles and sharing his love of theater with the audience.

Michael Villalta (Augustus Gloop) is excited to make his debut in the Gateway Children’s Conservatory’s production of Wonka Jr. this summer. He has participated in Gateway’s acting school production classes in Aladdin Kids (Aladdin), Jungle Book Kids (Baloo), Lion King Kids (Adult Simba), and Madagascar Junior (Melman the Giraffe). He would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support as well as his Gateway teachers and mentors, especially Mr. Michael, Ms. Rachel, Ms. Julianna, Ms. Keegan, Mr. Jack, Ms. Kaitlyn, Ms. Amy, and all the cast of Wonka Jr.

Ryan Joseph Gutierrez (Phineas, Ensemble)is a 15 year old aspiring actor from Long Island, New York. He is a junior taking AP classes and a proud high honor roll award. In addition to acting, he enjoys drawing, reading comics, and creative writing. Ryan made his stage debut in 4th grade while attending the Frank P. Long drama club. Recently, he has played Perch Perkins; his first major role in The SpongeBob SquarePants Musical, as well as various characters in his high school’s variety show. Ryan has been enrolled at the Stage Door School of Dance since 2021 where he takes classes in tap and performs in their yearly recitals. Over the past few years, Ryan has been training at The Gateway, and continues taking classes in improv, acting, and musical theater that culminate in a performance presentation after each session. Ryan hopes to become a versatile performer that will land him major roles on Broadway and in movie theaters across the globe.

Bree Wilkens (Oompa Loompa) started at Gateway in June 2022. Since then she has appeared in her production classes as a Storyteller in Frozen, Zazu in Lion King, ensemble in Little Mermaid and in Aladdin and Nemo in Finding Nemo. Bree was in the MainStage production of Evita and The Christmas Spectacular with Nancy Kerrigan at Gateway and played Squirt in Finding Nemo (conservatory). Bree is excited to continue to grow as an actress in the Gateway program. Thank you to my family for always supporting me. I would also like to thank the Gateway teachers for helping me be a better actor.

Alexander Paval (Grandpa George) is thrilled to be a part of this production of Willy Wonka JR. He is well known to have a comedic presence wherever he goes, thriving off of making the audience laugh and have a good time. He has starred in other shows playing characters like Captain Hook ( Peter Pan), Prince Charming (Cinderella), Charlie Brown and Alexander Hamilton - this being his absolute favorite. Alex is also known to do over twenty accents and impressions of your favorite characters including: Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, and even Johnny Depp’s Rango. Alex is all about making the audience laugh and giving them something to laugh about. He wishes you all a pleasant time and please enjoy the show.

JULIUS LOVELACE (Mike Teavee) This is Julius’s second conservatory at gateway! The first one was Little Mermaid jr. His past shows include, the Holiday spectacular on ice starring Nancy Kerrigan! He also has done many classes at the Gateway including the Little Mermaid jr (flotsam), Aladdin kids(cave guardian), Finding Nemo kids(marlin), Julius also dances at SDSD company. Julius loves doing tap dancing. He has been dancing for eight years! Julius is so excited for Willy Wonka jr!

NICHOLAS IANNACCONE (OompaLoompa, James, u/s Mike,Augustus) is thrilled to be a part of the Willy Wonka Jr production and return to Gateway Playhouse. Earlier this summer he was in The Little Mermaid Jr (Ensemble) and the production class performance of Alice in Wonderland Jr (White Rabbit). He was on the main stage for Fiddler on the Roof (Cheder Boy) and performed in the Children’s Conservatory production of Matilda Jr (Tommy/Ensemble). Nicholas has been in additional production classes at Gateway including Finding Nemo Kids (Marlin), Aladdin Kids (Jafar), The Little Mermaid Jr (Prince Eric) and The Lion King Kids (Banzai). Nicholas has performed in school shows the past three years with his favorite role being Ryan Evans in High School Musical Jr. He would like to thank his family for their support and everyone at Gateway for continuing to give him opportunities to do what he loves. Enjoy the show!

Saylee Ruth (Grandma Josephina)- is a gifted performer with a beautiful singing voice that has won her a scholarship from SCMEA. She has graced the stage in several notable productions, including Damn Yankees, Beauty and The Beast, and High School Musical among others. Her dedication to the arts and her ability to bring characters to life have earned her recognition and admiration. Saylee's passions for performing and her exceptional talent continue to leave a lasting impression on audiences. Thank you family, friends, and mentors for much love and support.

ERIN FALKNER (Mrs. Beauregarde) is so grateful to be a part of this amazing production. Erin came to Gateway in 2020 and has been performing and taking classes ever since. Recent credits are: The Little Mermaid Jr (Flotsam) at The Gateway Playhouse, The Addams Family (Grandma), Seussical (Mayzie LaBird), Aladdin (Rajah), The Prom (Ensemble), and was the stage manager of Gateways’ Alice by Heart. She would like to thank her friends, family, and the incredible cast and crew for supporting her and giving her the opportunity to be in this amazing production!

KYLA O’SULLIVAN (Mrs. Bucket) is beyond excited after debuting in her first Gateway Conservatory show as Ursula in The Little Mermaid Jr to be in this amazing production of Willy Wonka Jr! In previous years, Kyla has been in the ensemble in the production Spamalot as well as Dance Captain/ensemble in The Prom. She has been training in dance and singing for over 10 years and is extremely grateful to have this amazing opportunity! She would like to thank the talented cast and crew for their endless support as well as her amazing family!

Moon Sossich (Grandma Georgina) is extremely excited and honored to be in this summers conservatory at The Gateway Playhouse. Moon has been doing classes at Gateway since they were ten years old. Moon’s past roles include Rico, Lee, and Passerby in Madagascar - A Musical Adventure Jr., Storyteller #1 in Disney’s Frozen Kids (2022), Rafiki #3 in Disney’s The Lion King Kids, King Triton in Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., Colonel Hathi in Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids, Guard #3 in Disney’s Aladdin Kids (2023), Bruce in Disney’s Finding Nemo Kids, Dodo Bird in Disney’s Alice In Wonderland Jr., and Pongo in Disney’s 101 Kids. Moon has also been doing dance since the age of 5. Moon would like to thank Rachel, Kaitlyn, and Amy, for their support in Moon’s education at Gateway.

Julianna O’Brien (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to join her first production at the Gateway Playhouse. Previous stage management credits include: Holiday Swing and A Christmas Carol at Annapolis Shakespeare Company, Mamma Mia and Cabaret at Surflight Theatre, Harry Connick, Jr.’s The Happy Elf at The Argyle Children's Theatre, and Beehive: The 60's Musical at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre.

SOPHIA GRECO (Assistant Stage Manager) is ecstatic to be an Assistant Stage Manager for Willy Wonka Jr.! Sophia has previously been an Assistant Stage Manager at Gateway on The Little Mermaid Jr., and has also had other experiences as one for Polaroid Stories, Marie Antoinette, and Macbeth (URI Theatre). Last summer was Sophia's first experience working with Gateway's acting school as a part of the deck crew for Matilda Jr. Sophia has done numerous shows but a few of her past crew credits include Jersey Boys, Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Show, Into The Woods, and By The Way, Meet Vera Stark. In addition to working with the acting school, Sophia is a carpentry apprentice back at Gateway for the second time. Sophia is so proud of this cast and crew for putting together this fantastic show in such a short amount of time! Congratulations everyone and she hopes everyone enjoys the show!

Keira Ballan (Associate Choreographer, Assistant Stage Manager) was a student of the Gateway Acting School from 2012-2023 and now she attends the Institute for American Musical Theater (IAMT) and studies performing year round. She has been teachers assisting and choreographing for the acting school since 2018 and is so honored to be part of the creative team and working backstage for Wonka! Congrats to the cast on such a spectacular show and thank you to Rachel, Michael, Keeghan, Sophia, Juliana, and Kaitlyn for this amazing opportunity!

MICHAEL MASTRODDI (Director, Arts Educator) is honored to return to The Gateway School for the Performing Arts after studying at Gateway previously. Michael has had an extensive career as an actor, singer, and director having performed around the country since he was 12 years old. He was an original student of the Gateway Acting School, where he subsequently went on to perform in over 40 productions for the Gateway Playhouse, Gateway Children’s Theater, and Gateway Acting School. Michael attended the prestigious University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a Musical Theater Major. When not performing, he spent many years as part of the casting team for Binder Casting, where he worked on such Broadway productions as Movin’ Out, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Times they are a Changin’, 42nd Street, Sweet Charity, White Christmas, Lady and the Carousel, and A Chorus Line. In his branding and communications work, Michael is proud to have been a founding employee of the now world renowned charity the Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion.