Approximately 120 people are auditioning for about 40 available parts in the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s upcoming production of “Willy Wonka.”
Last year, 873 people auditioned for 213 roles, and nearly 30,000 people attended shows at the theater, which was a typical audience tally before the pandemic. For Rodney Van Valkenburg, the community theater’s executive director, this is evidence of the renewed excitement people have to engage with the local arts scene.
“There’s a hunger,” he said in a phone call. “I think there’s been a hunger for people to want to get out of the house and enjoy the arts. We’re pretty much recovered. Our shows are selling well. We’ve returned to pre-COVID levels now as far as audience participation.”
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According to a study by Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts and culture sector in Hamilton County is still formidable, even in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.