Young stars of Engeman’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shine while showcasing local talent

They don’t get nervous before a show, even if there are hundreds of people in the audience. Some are excited, others are calm and focused – the opportunity to “be someone else” for a while is what many of them said they love most about performing on stage. The young stars of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are ready to bring their joyous and positive energy to the Engeman Theater; after weeks of training, missed school and makeup homework, their presence will be nothing short of inspiring. 

The production’s young performers are all Long Islanders – many from nearby communities, including Northport, Commack, Centerport and Dix Hills. All have been on stage from a young age, and have experienced the “click” that signals they are doing what they’re meant to do.

During a rehearsal dinner break at the JK Consulting office this week, the Journal sat down with eight of the stars to hear about their journeys to the main stage. 

Briahna Gribben (Violet Beauregarde) is nine years old and lives in Northport. She started performing on stage when she was five years old, in the Engeman children’s theater program. “I really liked it because I got to show my personality,” Briahna said, which she described as “fun, creative, kind and strong.” She said that she has a natural talent, but has had to work on perfecting her skills, including taking vocal lessons at home with Northport resident Melissa Baker, “so I could be the best version of myself.” 

This is Briahna’s first professional show and she’s very excited. She said the rehearsal schedule has been “a lot,” but she’s caught up with school work and having fun. Her favorite thing about being on stage is getting to perform in front of everybody, saying lines that she loves. Briahna also competes in gymnastics and plays community basketball. She wants to focus on performing professionally as she gets older, but also wants to get a job, working with her mom at Southdown Coffee. 

Luca Silva (Mike Teavee) is a twelve-year-old from Commack. His first time on stage was in kindergarten, in a school production. He didn’t love it at first, he said, even after performing in another few shows. But while taking an improv class at seven years old, Luca said that acting “clicked.” The teacher, he said, introduced acting in a way that made it fun. After that, Luca started to audition for professional shows and has landed many parts since. He’s been cast in A Christmas Story, On Your Feet, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – all at the Engeman – plus an off-Broadway production, an animated television show, and more. While he loves performing, and “being transported to a different place,” Luca said he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up because he has “strong opinions about a lot of things” and wants to give back and help people. 

London DelVecchio (Veruca Salt) is twelve years old and lives in Centerport. At age two, she started performing in dance recitals and has been on stage ever since. “I like having an audience,” London said, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will be her first main stage production. She has been performing with the Engeman for many years in their children’s productions and camps, though, she said, with roles in Frozen, Finding Nemo, Beauty and the Beast and more. London also participates in cheerleading for her school in the Harborfields district. She wants to pursue a career in theater and hopes to make it to Broadway. 

Matthew Eby (Charlie) is a ten year old from Connetquot. His first time on stage was in a main stage production of Wizard of Oz. He had no experience on stage, but a talent for singing. He tried out and was cast as a lollipop kid. Matthew has been doing shows ever since, performing in seven shows, including two professional shows. He said that being on stage is a really cool experience; “I just like being a different person than you are,” he said. Matthew wants to continue performing, especially on television. He’s already made appearances on HBO’s The Penguin and FX’s American Horror Story.

Oliver Cirelli (Augustus Gloop) from Huntington is eleven years old and had his first on-stage role in kindergarten for a school play. It was right after he saw the Lion King on Broadway, a performance he attended with his grandmother and found truly inspiring. Oliver performed on stage for the next three years and then, at nine years old, was cast in his first professional show, The Sound of Music at the Engeman Theater. He has since been cast in three other professional productions. Oliver dreams of being on Broadway one day. 

Elyana Randolph (Veruca Salt) is twelve years old and lives in Smithtown. She began performing in community theater in first grade. “I was looking for something to do and as a first grader, a lot of sports weren’t really open for me, so my mom suggested a community theater show,” Elyana said. She fell in love with it and kept at it, eventually telling her parents that she wanted to pursue performing professionally. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is Elyana’s second professional production. If a career in theater seems realistic in the future and is “stable enough,” she said, Elyana will continue to perform. But she also dreams about being a cardiovascular surgeon. Her uncle is a doctor and grandmother a nurse, and helping people makes her happy, she said. 

Ben Corso (Mike Teavee) is an eleven-year-old from Dix Hills. He first started performing in fifth grade, in a school production of The Little Mermaid. This will be his second professional show and Ben said that his favorite part of acting is getting to be someone else. He doesn’t get nervous on stage, but describes the feeling as excitement. This is something, Ben said, he’s become used to over time, finding comfort with experience. He thinks he’ll be a performer when he grows up, and he’s also interested in exploring art. In school, his favorite subject is social studies. 

Elliot Torbenson (Augustus Gloop) is thirteen years old and lives in Stony Brook. His first time on stage was at age six, when he began taking acting classes and then participating in showcases. He had “the charm” from early on, he said, and loved being on stage. It was the first show he saw, Rupunzel at the Engeman, that sparked his interest in acting. “It was really fun seeing people act and I thought, ‘I want to do that.’” Elliot has since been in fifteen productions, five of which were professional. His favorite thing about being on stage is “feeling the adrenaline and getting the audience to hype you up,” he said. He doesn’t get shy and thinks that performing comes naturally for him. Elliot would like to pursue the arts in college and continue being on stage. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened on Thursday at the Engeman Theater and runs through December 29. The strong arts programs throughout Long Island, especially here in Northport, have brought forth these eight local talents – all of whom give credit to their community theater programs, schools and teachers for their achievements in professional productions. 

Being on stage is thrilling, the young stars all agreed. One second you’re looking out at empty chairs in the theater, and the next you’re on a platform with a bunch of candy, with hundreds of people looking at you, Luca explained. “This show especially has been really, really fun,” he said. “The set, the director and everybody, it’s just been really good.” 

Satya Mae Williams was not present at the Journal’s interview this week; Satya is a Northport resident who plays Violet Beauregarde.