James and the Giant Peach

This was a great option for our first youth production. We had a wide range of ages from 6-18. There is a good mix of main characters and ensemble characters which gave all of our children something to do. There is a lot of room for creativity with the set and costumes and it could be done on little to now budget or could have an extensive set and costumes. You could pull off the show with a smaller cast, but it allows for extra roles in the ensemble if you have a larger cast.

Josh Lucia, Smokestack Theatre Company, Danville, Va.

This was an very enjoyable adaptation of the book. It only runs about 45 minutes and was perfect for middle school level.

Joseph Woodring, ST. Edmund's Academy, Pittsburgh, Pa.

This script allows for very flexible casting and staging. The production can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. You can't beat a story about flying produce!

Jason Goodreau, Pleasant Plains Middle School, Pleasant Plains, IL

Well received by student actors and family audiences. This play has just the right amount of "challenges" for student actors to learn while succeeding.

Grace Sayers, Storybook Theatre Co., DeLand, FL

James and the Giant Peach is a magical journey shared by the cast and audience. We had tremendous fun producing this play. The show was a success!

John Tilford, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL

I love the short running time. The characters are so diverse that the students can really take a leap and think outside the box. The set is also very flexible --> it can be whatever you like!

Scott Taylor, Flower Mound High School, Peters Mound, TX

It was great! Very fun for my high school students to perform for children. Our centipede "rapped" his song about the aunts. The audience loved it. So many opportunities for creativity in staging, publicity, characters.

Kathleen Hubka, Beatrice High School, Beatrice, Neb.

James and the Giant Peach is a popular title...we sold out all three performances. It was fun to use sound effects and strings from the catwalks to create the seagull scene. Young and old loved the production.

Jillynne Raymond, Red Wing High School, Red Wing, Minn.

We had a fabulous show with excellent attendance. The dialogue is funny and fast moving with plenty of opportunities for extras and laugh-out-loud prop use.

Judy Kegler, Immaculate Conception School, East Aurora, N.Y.

This show touched the hearts of young and old alike. We sent it as a trunk show to our elementary schools and they squealed in delight.

Alex DiGuiseppe, Coatesville High School, Coatesville, Pa.

This script is a great adaptation of Roald Dahl's book... It captures all of the excitement of the story, and my kids loved it!

Lindsey Ervi, Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Leander, Texas

James and the Giant Peach was both a challenge and a pleasure. My students enjoyed the freedom to use their imaginations in designing the set, makeup and costumes. Their creativity in that and in bringing the characters to life enthralled the audiences. Everyone had a great time!

Margie Thomson, Ida High School, Ida, Mich.

What an adventure! We had so much fun producing this wonderful play! The kids in the cast were encouraged to let their imaginations run wild in creating the costumes, props and sets, as well as developing their characters, which was largely due to the fantastical story itself. Thank you for the journey on/in the FANTASTIC Peach!!!

Jodi Prosser-Muller, St. Peter's UCC, Champaign, Ill.