Open Auditions for “Page to Stage” 2024 Production of “James and the Giant Peach (TYA Edition)” – December 1-3, 2023

The Yadkin Arts Council will hold open auditions for their 2024 Page-to-Stage musical “ James and the Giant Peach” on December 1st from 6-9pm & December 2nd from 2 -5pm in the Willingham Performing Arts Academy.

ROALD DAHL’S JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (TYA EDITION) – AUDITION NOTICE

Words and Music by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

Book by Timothy Allen McDonald

Based on the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

 

Director: Nick Zayas

Music Director: Edward C. Kluttz III

 

AGE RANGE: ***Auditions open to Middle School and High School aged actors with possible roles available for Adult performers as well***

 

AUDITION DATES:

Friday December 1st, 6-9pm @ WPAA

Saturday December 2nd, 2-5pm @ WPAA

Sunday December 3rd, Possible Callbacks @ WPAA

 

REHEARSAL DATES:

Rehearsals begin with a meet and greet / workshop in December, then regular rehearsals begin at the top of January.

 

SHOW DATES: Monday February 26 through Friday March 1st each day at 9am (school performances) and Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30pm (only public performance)

 

***We will arrange for permission for all students from the Yadkin County School system to be excused from classes on the morning of the performances – If you are coming from a different school system, we can provide written documentation to help you request to be excused from your school.

 

PREPARE:

Auditionees should prepare to sing 32-bars (or 1 minute) of a song from the Musical Theatre genre. Please provide your own sheet music for our accompanist or plan to use a karaoke track online (YouTube, Spotify, etc.) Auditionees will also cold-read from the show’s script and may be asked to perform a basic dance combination to see how well they move.

SYNOPSIS:

When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a tremendous peach… and launches a journey of enormous proportions. Suddenly, James finds himself in the center of the gigantic peach – among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities – but, after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James’ quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family. The dangerous voyage is a success, but the adventure takes a whole new twist once they land on the Empire State Building.

A delightfully offbeat adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl adventure, the creative possibilities with James and the Giant Peach are endless. Actors will love playing the outlandish characters and performing brand new material from one of Broadway’s hottest duos.

 

AVAILABLE ROLES:

Ladahlord (Baritone) (Range: A2-A4)

A strange, magical storyteller. Often inserts himself into the story, in disguise, to help push the action forward.

James (Tenor / Boy Soprano) (Range: C4-G5)

A lonely young boy who lacks confidence. Having lost both his parents in a freak accident, he feels he belongs nowhere in the world. However, when given the right encouragement he becomes resourceful and innovative. A good friend.

Spiker (Mezzo-Soprano) (Range: F3-D5)

James’ mean aunt. A thief and a scoundrel. Shrewd and opportunistic. Towering and menacing.

Gender: Female

Sponge (Mezzo-Soprano) (Range: F3-D5)

James’ other mean aunt. Also a thief and a scoundrel, but not nearly as bright as her sister. Very corpulent, she often has her mind on food.

Spider (Mezzo-Soprano) (Range: E3-Eb5)

A normal spider who has become human-sized after eating a crocodile tongue. Her husband was killed and eaten by Spiker and Sponge. She is warm and friendly to James.

Green Grasshopper (Bari-Tenor) (Range: B2-Gb4)

A wizened grasshopper who has become human-sized after eating a crocodile tongue. An excellent musician. Has his eye on Ladybug.

Centipede (Bari-Tenor) (Range: B2-G4)

An ornery centipede who becomes human-sized after eating a crocodile tongue. Hates humans, in part because Spiker and Sponge fumigated his family. Prickly and rude, everyone thinks he is a pest. This actor also plays Buzz, the Hollywood agent.

Ladybug (Mezzo-Soprano) (Range: E3-F5)

A motherly ladybug who has become human-sized after eating a crocodile tongue. Respectable and classy, she has a warm, caring heart. Has her eye on Grasshopper.

Earthworm (Bari-Tenor) (Range: C3-G#4)

An earthworm who has become human-sized after eating a crocodile tongue. A bit of a scaredy-cat. He is neurotic and worried about everything, but is very friendly and brave when called upon.

Questions can be directed to info@yadkinarts.org

Additional Information

What: “James and the Giant Peach” Open Auditions

When: December 1st @ 6-9pm & December 2nd  @ 2-5pm / Possible Callbacks December 3rd

Where: Willingham Performing Arts Academy – 221 E. Main Street, Yadkinville, NC 27055

More About Page to Stage:

This year will mark our fifth annual Page to Stage production. This program is based on the concept of taking a popular children’s book and bringing it to life on stage as a play or musical on the Willingham Theater stage. Prior to bringing the students over to our theater for the live performance, we purchase the actual book or sets of books that the production is based on and provide copies to the individual classrooms and school libraries so that the students have access to read the featured story (or be read to) in preparation before they experience the show. These books are given to the schools to keep so that there is the additional benefit of adding to their literary collections each year. In the past we have alternated between producing this program in-house as well as contracting outside theater companies to perform. This year we are bringing it back in-house and enlisting the services of the Willingham Performing Arts Academy to take lead on this production.  In addition to presenting these productions to the Yadkin County School System, we also put a heavy focus on casting local and regional high school students to perform in the available roles.