Junior Elizabeth Templeman has been acting since 2003 but until now has never been in a show through DHS. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was performed Nov. 21-23 at Central Middle School. Templeman has been training for this first performance since she began theater in the shows The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and A Christmas Carol at the Midland Center for the Arts when she was five and six years old. One of her favorite parts of being in the show is playing someone so contrary to her own characteristics.

“The thing about acting is you can be a different person than yourself, you can be whoever you want to be,” Templeman said. “I do not resonate with Mrs. Beauregarde myself. I am a very calm and down-to-earth person; Mrs. Beauregarde is a very high maintenance, high strung lady. ”

Templeman spoke of her passion of the show and relationship with her cast members as different actors surrounded her in a hug or told inside-jokes back and forth as if they had known each other since the beginning of rehearsal.

“I feel I was put with a good part because of the people who I’ve been put with like my [fake] husband, Jacob Pasek,” Templeman said. “I have met so many great people in this production, such as [Emily Hunt] who plays my daughter, Violet.”

All of the actors in the show seem to feel the same as Templeman. Though the Drama Club has newly added middle school students to their high school production, everyone is working together to create an amazing production.

“I want to feel connected not only to my fellow cast members but also connected to my audience,” Templeman said.

For more information go to centralaud.com/

By Madeleine Futter