Summer Stage's James & the Giant Peach Director's Big Adventure with Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble

James & the Giant Peach,Jr. Director, Grace Szczepkowski, recentlyhad her own adventure; it
included traveling, albeit not on a giant peach. This spring, Szczepkwoski served as an intern for Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE). This consisted of three projects:

First, she played the Nurse and Sampson in BTE's production of Romeo and Juliet. This was a production in which sponsors paid for schools to send students to see the show and the schools based part of their
curriculum on it.
Then she co-created and acted in BTE's touring show Finding Our Voices, which toured to schools, community centers and senior living homes. This production was about Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony and their friendship which fueled the women's movement.

“This was a really great experience. We toured for ten weeks and got to bringthis story in the form of theatre to a lot of kids who may never learn about this story and who may never get the chance to see theatre. It
was also a great experience to tour the state of Pennsylvania,” said Szczepkowski.Her last project was playing Vanda Jordan in Venus in Fur. As her intern project, Szczepkowski was able to select this project.

“Vanda has been one of my dream roles ever since I saw the show when it was first on Broadway. It's been so much fun performing this role. I also got to use my Summer Stage production team skills and be the show's
sound designer.Myself and the other actor and our director also were the "costume designers" prop masters "set designers" "lighting designers" and all that stuff! Just like at Summer Stage we all pitched in to make
the show happen,” she said.

Szczepkowski added, “ The opportunity to experience different directors, actors, and production teams always
helpsto add to my knowledge of those areas . I can see what other people do and then choose what I like and don't like to bring into my other work.”

This is the first time Mainstage will present James and Giant Peach. Szczepkowski, who graduated from Arcadia University in 2015 with a BFA in Acting, spoke about the opportunity.

“It’s exciting to direct a new show that most local audiences have never seen before. There are so many little pieces that require a lot of pre-planning. Also each number of the show seems to have 3 or 4 different parts to it. It’s been a challenge to choreograph,plan and teach each number almost 4 times because we have
to teach each different track for each different group in the number, make sure they all fit together and then put the whole number together,”said Szczpkowski. “But I've loved working on this new material and
havingfun with no preconceived notions of what the show is supposed to look like. We get to make our mark on this new show, which is exciting!”

James and the Giant Peach, Jr. runs July 27 and 28, 7:30 p.m., and July 29, 10:30 am Dennis Flyer Theatre, Lincoln Hall, Camden County College,Blackwood, NJ. Ticket prices are $11 for adults, $10 senior
citizens/children 12 and under. Group prices are available. For tickets and more information, please visit www.mainstage.org or call (856) 227-3091.

James and the Giant Peach is sponsored by Precision Power Wash and First Bank; the Children’s Theatre program is sponsored by McDonald’s of Blackwood and Hurfville; and Summer Stage is sponsored by Econsult Solutions; AP Construction, Inc; and Investors Bank.