The Ouachita theatre department will kick off the acting season on September 23 with an adaptation on a popular children’s book–”James and the Giant Peach.”
The adaptation, which has been in the works for almost a year, is the story of a young boy who loses his parents in an accident. Because of the accident, he is placed in a home with his two aunts who fail to love him as family. They treat him as their slave, having him work for them instead of providing him with a nurturing setting.
After a series of events in which James accidentally releases magic potion, a huge peach sprouts and he decides to live in it. With him in the giant peach are insects who talk, sing and dance. These loveable creatures take James under their care and decide to raise him as their own.
“It’s a story about how families come in all shapes and sizes and that families are not just about blood relations but about caring and sacrificing for one another,” Scott Holsclaw, the director of the show, said.
The whimsical production takes James and his insect friends through a series of events that resemble a style that looks a lot like a circus, including a ringmaster who also functions as the narrator of the story.
Senior Haley Weiner, who plays James in the production is looking forward to stepping out of her element by performing in a male lead. The part, she says, is all about taking on a new and exciting challenge.
“I’m always the more girly, quirky roles in plays so there was a lot of preparation that went into me playing James,” Weiner said. “I watched a lot of movies with young boys to figure out how they run, how they talk, all their mannerisms. I watched a lot of movies with British boys and the movie version of our production to really feel how I should portray him.”
James, as a character, is a trusting and optimistic young boy. He does carry a rather timid attitude toward life, but does so in a way that is unique, because he is portrayed as an innocent boy. Audience members should look forward to seeing how Weiner brings this character to life on stage.
Cast members auditioned before school even began and started practicing in the first week of classes among all the busyness that is the first week of school.
The cast practices every night and “treats it as their professional job, coming in and getting it done,” Holsclaw said. He emphasized the importance of the practices and why putting in the time to get better will help their performance.
With only three weeks alloted from the first day of practice until dress rehearsal, the cast has worked tirelessly to produce a show that will be well executed and bring in lots of eager, excited students and faculty.
The show, which is designed to have a comedic element to it, is expected to make audience members laugh. Holsclaw also said that the addition of more students and more parts not only allows others in the department to have roles, but also for the show to be bigger and allows the show to feature more musical talent and features.
“I’ve added more students into it so that we have bigger and better musical numbers,” Holsclaw said.
With the brevity of the performance (only an hour and a half) you can expect some differences from the classic novel by Roald Dahl. Designed to be bigger, but quicker, the play will move fast and will entertain audiences.
Also starring in the show will be Drew Hampton (assistant professor of theatre arts as Ladahlord), Ester Atkinson as Spiker (from Rogers, Ark.), Mattie Bogoslavsky playing Sponge (from North Little Rock), Kenzie Osborn as Spider (from Heath, Texas), Michael Pere as Earthworm (from Roland, Ark.), Garrett Sayers as Grasshopper (from Greenwood, Ark.), Kenderick Scorza as Centipede (from North Little Rock, Ark.) and Nat Williams as Ladybug (from Maumelle, Ark.).
Vanja Bogetic, Hunter Brown, Micah Brooks, Tara Clem, Hannah Fender, Stacy Hawking, Jacob Hemsath, Zach Myers, Phillip Robinson, Bret Sanders, Scotty Scott and Lauren Terry will also join the acting company.
Current Ouachita students can receive one free ticket if they show their student ID at the box office. For more information about tickets or to order them, you can contact the box office at 87-245-5555 or visit obu.edu/boxoffice.
