JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Plays South Coast Rep, Now thru 2/23

A big hit with audiences during the 2006-07 season, James and the Giant Peach in 2014 will offer a memorable experience for new and returning playgoers as a part of SCR's Theatre for Young Audiences series. Casey Stangl, director of last season's Anastaisa Krupnik, returns to direct this adaptation by David Wood of the beloved children's book by Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach. The show runs tonight, Feb. 7-23 at South Coast Repertory on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are available online at www.scr.org.

"Although this will be the second time for James at SCR, we're completely re-imagining it - a whole new production with a different cast and creative team," says Associate Artistic Director John Glore. "Director Casey Stangl and her crackerjack designers have found a beautiful, imaginative way to recreate the world of James Trotter on stage in three dimensions."

James Henry Trotter's parents were eaten by a rhinoceros; to make matters worse, he is sent off to live with his horrid aunts. With little hope left, James discovers a giant magical peach which begins his journey across the Atlantic with six funny but fractious bugs.

The cast includes Richard Doyle, Wyatt Fenner, Derek Manson, Jennifer Parsons, Geoffery Wade and Amelia White.

The design and creative team includes Francois-Pierre Couture, scenic design; Angela Balogh Calin, costume design; Tom Ruzika, lighting design; Peter Bayne, sound design; Debra Wicks La Puma, musical director; Jackie Hill, production manager; and Jennifer Sherman, stage manager.

Tickets start at $20, with discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For complete information, visit: www.scr.org. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run Feb. 7-23. Ticket prices start at $20. Low-priced preview performances run Feb. 7-14.

South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is $10, available in the garage on Park Center Drive, off Anton Blvd.

Current and Upcoming Productions: The Light in the Piazza book by Craig Lucas, music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, based on the novel by ElizaBeth Spencer, Jan. 24-Feb. 23; James the Giant Peach, Theatre for Young Audiences, Feb. 7-23; Reunion by Gregory S Moss, Mar. 9-30; Rest by Samuel D. Hunter, Mar. 28-April 27; Five Mile Lake by Rachel Bond, April 13-May 4; Pacific Playwrights Festival, April 25-27; Tartuffe, May 9-June 8; and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Theatre for Young Audiences, May 23-June 8. More information is available online: www.scr.org.

ABOUT South Coast Repertory: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is celebrating its 50th Season. Now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, SCR is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theatres in the United States. SCR is committed to theatre that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its wide array of education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theatre, SCR is renowned for its extensive new-play development program, which includes the nation's largest commissioning program for emerging and established writers and composers. Each year, it showcases some of country's best new plays in the Pacific Playwrights Festival, which attracts theatre professionals from across the country. Of SCR's more than 460 productions, one-quarter have been world premieres, whose subsequent stagings achieved enormous success throughout America and around the world. Two SCR-developed works have won Pulitzer Prizes, and another eight were named Pulitzer finalists. In addition, SCR works have won several Obie Awards and scores of major new-play awards. Located in Costa Mesa, California, SCR's David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center is home to the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. Today, SCR produces 13 shows and eight public readings each season.

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