Henry Smith
Henry Smith, who plays Charlie Bucket at Theatre Bristol’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” seemed destined to get involved in theater.
“I was kind of born into theater, because my parents are theater people,” he says. His father, Dishon, is the resident music director at Barter Theater, Abingdon, Virginia, and his mother, Deanna, is an adjunct professor of theater at Emory & Henry University, Emory, Virginia.
“I got started very early. I auditioned for ‘Shrek the Musical’ when I was 7, but I got too scared to do anything. Then I did some Christmas plays at my church. That gave me confidence to try out for ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at Barter in the fall of 2023, and I got cast to play Tommy. Then I was in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Barter last summer. Roald Dahl has been my favorite author for years, so I’m very excited to be bringing Charlie to life. It’s extra special because I love the book so much,” he says.
In addition to Barter Theatre and Theatre Bristol, Henry has performed in church plays and at the Washington County Schools’ Theater Camp.
“So far, Tommy in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has been my favorite role to play. It was scary but so fun, and it was cool to be in my first show with my dad conducting,” Henry says.
Acting is his favorite part of theater, because even though he loves it on stage he finds singing “a little scary.” His mother, though, has helped him feel confident in his singing, and his father helps him with auditions.
“Becoming the character helps me to stop being afraid. I like to figure out what the character wants and use that to fuel my storytelling,” he says.
Henry also sings in the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy choir, plays the cello, plays bass guitar in his youth group’s workshop band, and he takes drawing lessons.
He is 12 years old and is a homeschooled sixth grader in Abingdon, Virginia, and has plans for some upcoming auditions. He would like to get his BFA in musical theater.
