Ever wonder what it would be like to open a Wonka Bar and find a “Golden Ticket?”

Now’s your chance.

In keeping with the spirit of its new show, “Willy Wonka,” the One Eleven Theatre Company has hidden 100 golden tickets in chocolate bars now on sale in Grants Pass.

All you have to do is buy one, just like in the movie (or the play). If you find a ticket, you get into the show free.

“It’s our most ambitious show ever,” says director Sandra Castle. “There are so many scene changes, it’s a huge undertaking.”

The idea for the golden tickets was conceived by Castle and her crew as a way to generate interest in the show and as a way to keep ticket prices, which range from $8 to $12, affordable for families.

The need for a fundraiser may not sound obvious unless you consider the costs of the production, which are considerable. The royalty rights alone were $4,500. And all those scene changes involve pricey backdrops.

Then there’s the cast of nearly 60, including the Oompa Loompas. Plus a 10-piece orchestra. This is live theater, folks, and a musical to boot.

That’s where the chocolate bars come in Ñ 6,000 of them, specially ordered with labels just for the show, which starts March 29 and ends six performances later on April 6.

The candy bars come 60 to a box, and there are 100 boxes. One bar per box has a golden ticket. The candy bars cost $1 each and can be purchased directly from cast members or at three Grants Pass locations: Oregon Books, 150 N.E. E St.; Grants Pass Podiatry, 1227-A N.E. Seventh St.; and the Daily Courier, 409 S.E. Seventh St.

Winners receive free admission to “Willy Wonka,” the story of an eccentric candyman and his effort to find one honest child who can take over for him when he’s gone.

The show, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” features songs from the classic 1971 movie version starring Gene Wilder. Tunes include “The Candy Man Can,” “Pure Imagination,” “I Want It Now!” and, of course, the Oompa Loompa song.

Giving away free tickets may sound like a loss-leader, and

that’s just what it is Ñ assuming the show is able to offset those losses with overall candy bar sales.

That’s a win-win for everyone who wants to have some fun, says Castle, which is what the cast is hoping for as well.

“Putting on a big show is hard work,” says Castle, who also directed One Eleven’s production of “Cinderella” in 2012. “But doing something fun for families, that makes it worth it.”

Reach Daily Courier City Editor Chris Bristol at 541-474-3823 or news@thedailycourier.com