BETHEL - Jim Stanek may not be a familiar name or face to television viewers and moviegoers. But as a result of steady work across the country and on the Great White Way, where he has starred as well as understudied for the likes of Jude Law in Indiscretions, and Michael Cerveris, the Tony winning lead in 2015's Fun Home, he is referred to as "Broadway's Jim Stanek."Willy Wonka.Willy Wonka. And I was Charlie, I was the misfit.Willy Wonka, Mr Stanek has also been able to play a number of other dream roles, including Leo Bloom in The Producers (twice), King Arthur in Camelot, and most recently, in the world premiere of a play based on the hit TV show Family Ties.Family Ties and being a huge fan of Michael J. Fox growing up, this was another thrill for me."Fun Home one day, and he sees my hat and asks me if I'm in the show," Mr Stanek recalled. "And I told him I was the lead's understudy, and he says, 'Whoa, you must be really good then.' So I said, 'Well, Michael Cerveris does a really good job.' And he says, 'But you're the understudy, so they hired you because they really thought you could do the part, not because you're famous - they must really trust you to do it when he's not there.'Willy Wonkaare scheduled for Thursday, July 27, at 11 am and 7 pm; Friday, July 28, at 7 pm; Saturday, July 29, at 2 and 7 pm; and Sunday, July 30, at 2 pm. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, scheduled to be staged Friday, August 11, at 7 pm; Saturday, August 12, at 2 and 7 pm; and Sunday, August 13, at 2 pm.newarts.org for tickets and other show information, and to learn about volunteer needs and other ways to support NewArts.

And while Mr Stanek is as comfortable working in front of the footlights as he is as an able standby, it took a call from NewArts Director Michael Unger to deliver a role he had been dreaming of playing since childhood. That dream will come true Thursday, July 27, when Mr Stanek he hits the stage of the Walnut Hill Community Church theater as the title player in the NewArts production of Roald Dahl's 

In a preopening chat with Mr Stanek, he revealed that his NewArts role is incredibly special for a number of reasons.

"I was the youngest in a family of five siblings, and we didn't have a lot of money. So getting HBO was a big decision for my mom," he recalled. "So she got HBO and one of the films I watched incessantly as I grew up was 

"As the youngest of five, I was the one being left out of things and being picked on at school, and that movie instilled in me a belief that the underdog can win, the underdog can get to the top, and the poor kid who people ignore can become the star."

Coming to that conclusion, he said, was a life-changing realization, and created something of a Holy Grail of roles that he sought to play.

"Sadly, when they did make a musical of the film, I did not get the role because the actor Christian Borle was a bigger name than me. So when Michael called about this, I was ecstatic... of course I'll be there," he related. "But this opportunity is more special than ever because it's not just playing Willy Wonka, it's playing Willy Wonka with these amazing kids, and these amazing kids are from Newtown, and because it's being directed by Michael.

"I've been working professionally in New York for 23 years and for years before that in interesting jobs," the entertainer continued. "And part of feeling like I have been such a success is getting to play roles that make me happy, and fulfilled, and making some kind of positive difference in society. I'm not moving mountains, but I am moving pebbles."

Mr Stanek knows that every youthful actor, technician, usher, costumer, and all the others who band together for the annual summer NewArts program is getting exposure to adults who have committed their lives to the profession of theater, which is more than they could learn from any classroom or textbook experience.

"They're getting an opportunity to work with people who are committing their lives to this profession," he said. "They may not be intending to, but if they are interested in pursuing a profession in the theater, this is a chance for them to ask questions, to see how professionals work."

Mr Stanek said that his director is constantly using him as a teaching tool for his younger charges.

"Michael will point out, 'You see Jim, he's taking notes,' or 'You see Jim in the corner, he's running his lines instead of talking with his friends.' So they're getting to see that, and they're getting to work with a professional choreographer, and professional set, lighting, and sound designers," he said. "They're working with people who are passionate about what they do, and seeing us do it with confidence and poise. That is amazing. And I'm not getting rich from this job, but I am getting rich, if you know what I mean - and my family will get to see me play Willy Wonka, which is a dream come true for me."

One thing NewArts audiences will not see, Mr Stanek said, is a composite of a character that has been played by Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp.

"I'm just trying to make strong choices based on our production," he said. "It's not a film, and it's using so much more that what we know from the film. And really, it's not even about my dream role. It's about shining a light on each of these kids. I want to show audiences a Willy Wonka who is fun, a Willy Wonka whose heart and intentions are in the right place, but they're also going to want to see everything different that we've come up with as a cast.

"A lot of what I'm coming up with is coming from working with these kids," he added. "I tell them I'm making big, big choices. So don't let them freak you out, give me something big back."

Besides

"I got to play a 45-year-old version of Alex B. Keaton, as well as Alex as a 18-year-old in flashbacks in the same show," he said. "Having grown up on 

Perhaps what makes Mr Stanek such a stellar example is the fact that he has been so successful in some jobs where he has been poised to hit the boards at a moment's notice, but has never or seldom been called to do so.

"I ran into a guy on the train when I was heading in to stand by for 

"Does that make me second fiddle? I don't think of it that way. I have to think that they trust me to step in. I have played understudies before, and it's like you have to be ready at all times to jump on a moving train, basically."

Part of the joy that Mr Stanek said he is already getting from his role with NewArts is that he's being given the chance to make a Willy Wonka of his own design to a great extent.

"Michael is letting me try a lot of things, and he's keeping a lot of the things I'm trying - he's giving me a lot of leeway," he said. "But it all starts with the storytelling for me. I'm not the greatest dancer in the world, and I can sing, but no matter what I'm doing, I'm still a storyteller."

Performances of 

Tickets are also available for the NewArts production of 

All NewArts productions this year are in the theater at Walnut Hill Community Church in the Stony Hill section of Bethel, at 156 Walnut Hill Road. Visit

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