Jennifer Gerould is the guest director for Student Production Association’s upcoming play, “James and the Giant Peach.”
Gerould grew up in the theater and was originally an actor before working in film production in New York City for ten years. Afterward, she returned to the theater and stage-managed over 20 high school productions. This production is Gerould’s second LCC play. Her first show at LCC was with Siri Vik, who directed “Songs for a New World” in the 2022 spring term.
James and the Giant Peach is about James, a young boy left in the care of his mean aunts after his parents’ death. According to Gerould, James endures “Harry Potter under-the-stairs kind of treatment, but a little weirder because his parents died by rhinoceros.” One day, James receives a magic potion from a strange man, which he accidentally spills into the roots of a peach tree in his front yard. A giant peach grows, and James escapes from his life into the peach with some new insect friends. Gerould shares that the main themes for her are “Dreams do come true” and “You can trust your own instincts.” She notes the play also grapples with the dichotomy of good versus evil.
Gerould says that her creative vision for the play is “in the very early stages, but I have a bit of a vision board going.” She shares that she imagines the river James’ peach floats down as the Hudson River and the ultimate destination as New York City. “I’m headed in a Beetlejuice direction,” Gerould shares, “with big energy and stylized lighting.” A challenging but exciting part of the production will be figuring out how to make the peach grow, travel, and be dynamic on stage.
When asked what was next for her after “James and the Giant Peach,” Gerould said she plans to continue pursuing her grad studies and teaching Language Arts in the Springfield school district. She hopes to guest produce more LCC productions in the future.
For students who are curious about auditions, Gerould encourages anyone interested to just show up. No experience or memorization is required. Students should wear comfortable clothes and expect to play improv games.
Auditions for James and the Giant Peach will be on Jan. 25 and 26 at the Blue Door Theater. Interested people of all ages may come anytime from 5-8 p.m.
Contact Brian Haimback with questions at haimbachb@lanecc.edu.
