At some point in our lives, we have all dreamt of having all the candy our heart desires whether it’s the sugary goodness of a lollipop or the creamy chocolate of a candy bar. The story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory explores the life of a young boy and four other children who get just that chance at the Wonka Candy Factory.
Beyond taste-testing the best chocolate in the world, chewing gum that never loses flavor and meeting a cast of small but energetic characters called Oompa Loompas, Charlie and the crew learn valuable lessons about kindness, karma, life’s economic inequities and the importance of being true to yourself.
Backdrops By Charles H. Stewart has 12 backdrops designed with this production in mind. Let’s explore them and a little more about the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The Story of Charlie
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the brainchild of British author Ronald Dahl, which was first published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1964 and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1967. Since then, it has been adapted into a film and musical in the form of shows named Wonka, Wonka Jr., and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The story chronicles the difficult life of a young boy whose family struggles financially. Charlie and his mother and father live in a small apartment with his grandparents and only one bed. When Charlie’s dad loses his job, things go from bad to worse for the close-knit family. All the hardship has not stopped Charlie from being the kind, curious and helpful boy he was raised to be.
When word gets out that Willy Wonka, the owner of the nearby chocolate factory is holding a contest where winners who find a golden ticket inside a chocolate bar will earn a tour of the mysterious factory. Charlie’s family can’t afford to spend money on chocolate bars until Grandpa Joe happens to find cash on the ground and decides to spend it on his kindhearted grandson with the purchase of a chocolate bar. As fate would have it, Charlie found the last of the five golden tickets and gained entry to the factory.
During his time inside the factory, Charlie is amazed by the variety and color of all the candies as well as the diminutive workers (Oompa Loompas). One by one the other children on the tour break the rules and suffer the consequences. In the end, Charlie ends up being the only child on the tour who does as he is asked and is kind enough to win over the eccentric owner. The consequence for Charlie is to be given ownership of the factory and thus save his poverty-stricken family, proving that karma was at play all along.
Backdrops for Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Since there are several key settings in this production, including a mysterious factory both inside and out, Charlie’s home and the streets of his town, there are several backdrops that would be appropriate.
Charlie’s Home
The production begins by drawing a stark comparison between the harsh life that Charlie lives and the magical world of the factory. This Tenement Factory Backdrop shows a dismal street with tight roads and floor and floors of small apartments.
For productions that are looking for a more rustic aesthetic, the Village Street Backdrop is appropriate. This backdrop shows a row of dilapidated homes on a small street.
The Factory
The central setting for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory includes the inside and outside of the mysterious chocolate factory. This Factory Street Traveler Backdrop shows the exterior of Wonka’s elusive factory. This backdrop depicts a bold, stylized city street portraying a brick building and factory with smoke stacks.
Inside the factory is where the real magic happens and this Chocolate Factory Backdrop is ideal for the production. This backdrop shows the fanciful side of the factory including a chocolate river, chocolate waterfall and candy landscape.
Explore all of the Wonka, Wonka Jr., and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory backdrops on our site.