The USU Eastern Theatre Department is excited to present a production of James and The Giant Peach on April 9 through 11, then again on April 15 through 18. This will take place at the Geary Event Center on the campus of USU Eastern.

“Well James and The Giant Peach is about an orphaned boy who parents are kills in extenuating circumstances; in the play they’re killed by a mystical creature known as the Rhino,” said Stage Manager, Christopher Vlamakis. The boy then has to go live with two aunts that he finds to be very horrible to live with as they treat him very unkindly.

“But he gets into a situation where a peach becomes magical gigantic like the size of a large building and the bugs within the peach grow to human size and it’s his adventures with these bugs, escaping from his aunts and crossing the ocean from London to the United States and it’s a beautiful whimsical story,” stated Vlamakis. This is not a musical but there are some musical aspects to the show but the production is closer to the 1961 novel by Roald Dahl.

The James and The Giant Peach production will be going on tour to several schools in the southeastern region of the state during the month of May. This is why the Theatre Department’s Elmo Club will be hosting a Dinner and Silent Auction to help raise funds. This event is open to the community and scheduled to take place at the Castle Valley Center located at 775 North Cedar Hills Drive in Price on March 28 at 6:00 pm. There has been tour venues and dates that have also be scheduled for Alberta Canada. The purpose of this tour is to provide a unique experience for the theatre students and to actively recruit new students to the university.

If any individuals would like more information on the production of James and The Giant Peach or about the theatre department’s fundraising efforts please contact the department at (435) 613-5202.