Meet The Cast of Athen Theatre's JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

It's Opening Weekend of "James and the Giant Peach"! Join the festivities: on Opening Night, a free champagne (or sparkling cider) toast. Then on Saturday evening, PHANTASMAGORIA will invade the Athens, greeting you with fire eaters, sword swallowers, and more!

Here we have just a few MORE reasons we're excited about our newest show: THE CAST!

Andrew LeJeune (Ladahlord)
is excited to be a part of this very talented cast, and for the opportunity to take part in this production of James and the Giant Peach! He has a degree in Music Education with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Appalachian State University, and currently lives in Orlando with his wonderful and awesome wife Elizabeth, who is the greatest partner and support he could ever ask for. He's performed in several groups/shows at both Universal Studios and Seaworld, and several of his favorite shows/roles have been LES MISERABLES (Enjolras), Into the Woods (Cinderella's Prince/Wolf), and The Music Man (Harold Hill). He was last seen in the inaugural production of the Orlando Light Opera, The Student Prince as Count Hugo Detlef. He'd like to thank Trevor and Chris for involving him in this production, and for all of the work they've put into it, and he hopes you thoroughly enjoy the show!

Christina Disla (Sponge)
is thrilled to be back for her second performance at the Athens Theatre. She made her debut last year as Alice Beineke in The Addams Family. She has previously appeared in Central Florida productions of Man of La Mancha, Big River, The Diary of Anne Frank, In the Heights, The Music Man, and Fiddler on the Roof, RENT, and Jekyll and Hyde. Christina is an alumnus of the NYU Steinhardt School where she studied Vocal Performance with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Originally from New York, she now lives in Celebration, Florida with her two poodles, Jolie and Oscar. She would like to thank the cast and production team for a great experience while working on this show!

Devin Skorupski (Grasshopper)
is thrilled to be working with such an incredibly talented cast in his first production at the Athens Theatre! Devin is a first year Elementary Education student at the University of Central Florida and is so happy to be performing in such a fun and exciting show geared toward the children he will soon be teaching. This past year, Devin has been seen in several productions across the Central Florida region including Warner in Legally Blonde and Buddy in Elf the Musical (Bay Street Players), Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors (Sharon Morse Performing Arts Center), Rapunzel's Prince in Into the Woods (Ocala Civic Theatre), and Linus in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for which he was awarded the title of "Best Supporting Actor" at the 2016 Florida Theatre Conference. He would like to thank his family and friends for their unconditional support and constant reminders to never give up on his dreams.

Jennifer Vose (Spiker)
is thrilled to be cast in her second show here at the Athens Theatre. Jen recently performed here in A Christmas Carol as Mrs. Mops/Scrooge's mom. After a long hiatus away from the stage, Jennifer returned last year performing in Mary Poppins with Spotlight Theater and Carrie: The Musical with Actors Reaching Out. Jennifer feels incredibly blessed to be working amongst such a talented cast and crew. She gives her thanks to the production staff for this amazing opportunity to perform. Finally, Jen would not be here without the unconditional love, support, and understanding of her husband and daughters: Wade, Emily, Isabella, and Olivia.

Monica Titus (Reporter/Spider)
is an Orlando based actress, singer, and writer. A graduate of Mercer University with a B.A. in Music and Theatre, a few of her favorite recent roles include Fastrada in Pippin, and The Mystic in the Cripple Creepshow at Thin Air Theatre Company in Cripple Creek Colorado. She is thrilled to be returning to the Athens Theatre having previously appeared here as Rachel Brown in Inherit the Wind, and Maria in Lend Me a Tenor.A native Floridian, Monica spends her free time writing, performing as a spoken word poet, playing her ukulele, and eagerly anticipating her next project!

Rachel Whittington (Ladybug)
is an Elon University graduate, and is thrilled to back at the Athens! She was featured in several operas with the Opera Academy of California led by Metropolitan Opera director Yefim Maizel. In 2012, she performed with multi-platinum singer/songwriter Ben Folds. Central Florida Credits: Gypsy (Louise), A Christmas Carol (Christmas Past), Into the Woods (Rapunzel), The Dead, Equus, The Philadelphia Story, 1776. Other Credits: The Music Man (U/S Marian), Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi (U/S Lauretta). Rachel would like to thank her family, friends, and everyone who chooses live theatre for making her dream job a reality!

Stephen Brandt (James)
is thrilled to bring James to life for you! He immediately loved the music and the script. Stephen has enjoyed many lead roles lately. You might remember Stephen, 9, as Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family (Athens Theatre). Other credits within the year include: Michael Banks, Mary Poppins the Musical (Little Theatre, New Smyrna); Mike Teavee, Willy Wonka (Little Theatre); Newsboy, Gypsy (Athens); Villager, Beauty & the Beast, Jr. (Athens); and Narrator and Uncle the Pig, Charlotte's Web (Little Theatre). Stephen attends St. Barnabas and enjoys sports statistics, basketball, and gaming. Being on stage feels like a second home to Stephen.

Taylor Wright (Centipede/Buzz/Matron Nurse)
is thrilled to make his Athens Theatre debut with his fellow creepy crawlies. From St. Petersburg, and a recent Rollins graduate, his notable roles include Jimmy from Reefer Madness, Cornelius from Hello, Dolly!, and Matt from The Fantasticks. Taylor would like to thank this wacky cast and crew for inspiring him to be his best, as well as his supportive family and friends. Continue to follow Taylor and relive childhood classics with Curious George this spring where he'll play the Man in the Yellow Hat at the Orlando REP.

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