Local youngsters to stage 'James and the Giant Peach'

Local youth involved in the Fort Scott Community College Summer Children's Theater Workshop will perform "James and Giant Peach" for the public at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus, 2108 S. Horton.

Thirty-seven area youngsters, age 4-15, have worked for three weeks to learn theater skills, culminating in the performance of "James and the Giant Peach." The play is directly based on the children's classic by Roald Dahl and dramatized by Richard R. George.

According to web references, the plot centers on a young English orphan boy who enters a gigantic magical peach, and experiences a cross-world adventure with six insects he meets, such as the old green grasshopper and earthworm.

The production features freshman Fort Scott High School freshman Thomas Nighswonger as James, Fort Scott Middle School eighth-grader Mayson Lane as Old Green Grasshopper, Christian Heights Learning Center eighth- grader Alex Gilmore as the earthworm, FSMS sixth-grader Hunter Adamson as Aunt Spiker and West Bourbon Elementary School fifth-grader Kaitlyn Hanks as Aunt Sponge.

Director Angie Bin continues to be impressed with the diversity of the children involved in the workshop. "They represent every school in the county and some are also home-schooled. I'm grateful for this chance to introduce the children in the area to the world of theater and spark their interest in performing arts for the future," Bin said in a news release.

While attending the workshop, children learn how to create a character through their voice, facial expressions, gestures and movement on stage. They also help with costume design and set construction. This year, some even get to include their own singing, dancing and musical talents, the release said.

"The participants have to work very hard to put together a production in just three weeks. Impressively, many of them had their lines memorized within the first week. They also have to learn to work together as a team and help each other out backstage," Bin said in the release.

Others assisting in the production include FSCC students Addi Brown and Taylor Bailey; high school junior Savannah Schwab; and FSCC Theater Instructor Lawrence Alford.

Admission is $2 for adults and free for children under 18.

Tickets are available at the door and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.