James and the Giant Peach is a magical story about an adventurous boy and an enormous peach tree. This past weekend, Homestead’s theatre department brought to life another production. This time it was James and the Giant Peach.

Through the engaging use of humor and bold characters, the audience follows as James is given a bag of magic which he accidentally spills on a peach tree in the garden that continues to grow larger and later becomes a city attraction to all local children. 

The cast takes the audience through a story full of frights, fun and adventure, appealing the audience as James, and an assortment of creatures he meets along the way, venture to New York City.

The actors gathered Sept. 3 to audition for the play and began rehearsals for their first performance the following week. 

Stage crew manager Julia Rowe, junior, had looked forward to the performance since the first day of rehearsal. 

“I was most excited to see how all pieces of cast and crew came together to create an amazing production for the audience to be a part of,” Rowe exclaimed.

Ethan Schlesinger, senior, portrayed the lead of James in the play. He anticipated a successful production since the start, enjoying the preparation before the performance which included traditions that have been around for years. 

“My favorite part for prepping for the play is pre-show. We do theatre traditions and warm ups that get us pumped up and ready to perform,” Schlesinger stated. 

New to theatre this year, Ben Stull, freshman, loved his first acting experience. 

“The show gave me lots of opportunities to meet people, learn about acting and gave me the opportunity to learn new skills like the silks,” Stull stated.