Apalachee Elementary

Countdown to Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach Jr Auditions.

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September 28, 2026

Welcome to James and the Giant Peach Jr. Auditions!

Thank you for your interest in this year's musical, James and the Giant Peach Jr. We are excited to provide students of all experience levels and grade levels the opportunity to gain experience, grow, and shine both on and off the stage.

Being part of a musical production is a rewarding experience that requires dedication, responsibility, teamwork, and a positive attitude. This website contains everything you need to prepare for auditions, including the auduiton form, audition expectations, audition options, a show synopsis, character descriptions, monologues, songs, and the general rehearsal schedule.

Important Dates

Audition Recording Deadline: Friday, September 25
Live Auditions (during school): Beginning Monday, September 28
Cast List Posted: Monday, October 5
Parent Meeting & Script Distribution: Wednesday, October 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Casting decisions are based on more than talent alone. We value students who demonstrate preparation, responsibility, creativity, teamwork, effort, and a positive attitude. Remember, a successful audition is not about being perfect. It is about showing your best effort and demonstrating that you are ready to be a dependable member of the cast.

We look forward to seeing your talents and bringing this giant adventure to life!

Questions? Contact Mr. Mitchell at mitchellb3@leonschools.net.

Audition Expectation

Familiarize yourself with the show! Read the synopsis, listen to the music, learn about the characters, and review all audition materials before your audition.
Consider several roles. Think about which characters best fit your strengths but remain open to any role the directors may see for you.
Make strong character choices. Consider who your character is, what they want, and how they feel in the moment. Use your voice, facial expressions, and movement to bring the character to life.
Memorize your material. Audition songs and monologues should be memorized to the best of your ability.
Practice! Rehearse with family and friends to build confidence and improve your performance.
Use good stage etiquette. Enter confidently, introduce yourself clearly, and give your full effort from beginning to end.
Have fun! We are looking for students who are enthusiastic, creative, and willing to take risks.

Audition Options

A traditional audition. Perform a prepared audition live at school in front of Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Hillman, and a third impartial guest.
Submit a recording for the audition. Below are instructions for sending.

VIDEO AUDITION

Students unable to attend a live audition may submit a recorded audition.

Submission Requirements:

One video containing both the monologue and song.
Begin by stating your name, grade, and characters of interest.
Record in a quiet, well-lit location where you can be clearly seen and heard.
Videos may be submitted as:

A Public or Unlisted YouTube link
A downloadable video file
A shared cloud-storage link (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.)

Email all video submissions to:

mitchellb3@leonschools.net

Subject Line:

James and the Giant Peach Jr. Audition

Please ensure all links and files are accessible and do not require special permission. Videos should be submitted as a single recording whenever possible. Video Auditions are due by September 29.

Show Information

Show Synopsis

When young James is sent to live with his two dreadful aunts, life seems hopeless. Everything changes when a mysterious encounter leads to a giant peach growing in his backyard. Inside the peach, James discovers a group of extraordinary insect friends. Together they embark on an unforgettable adventure across the ocean, facing challenges, forming friendships, and learning the power of courage, kindness, and imagination.When young James is sent to live with his two dreadful aunts, life seems hopeless. Everything changes when a mysterious encounter leads to a giant peach growing in his backyard. Inside the peach, James discovers a group of extraordinary insect friends. Together they embark on an unforgettable adventure across the ocean, facing challenges, forming friendships, and learning the power of courage, kindness, and imagination.

Character List

Character description & grade requirement.

Character	Grade	Description
James	3^rd - 5^th	A lonely but imaginative young boy who discovers courage, leadership, and friendship during an incredible adventure. Strong actor and singer.
Ladahlord	4^th - 5^th	A mysterious storyteller who guides the audience through the tale. Charismatic, expressive, and comfortable speaking directly to the audience.
Aunt Spiker	3^rd - 5^th	One of James's cruel aunts. Self-centered, greedy, and dramatic. Strong comic acting required.
Aunt Sponge	3^rd - 5^th	James's other aunt. Lazy, selfish, and easily excitable. Strong comic acting required.
Grasshopper	3^rd - 5^th	Wise, kind, and encouraging. Acts as a mentor to James. Strong singer and actor.
Spider	3^rd - 5^th	Elegant, thoughtful, and caring. One of James's closest friends inside the peach. Strong singer and actor.
Ladybug	3^rd - 5^th	Warm-hearted, nurturing, and optimistic. Serves as a motherly figure to the group.
Centipede	3^rd - 5^th	Energetic, mischievous, a bit of a grouch, and outspoken. Loves adventure and often creates excitement. Strong comic character role.
Earthworm	3^rd - 5^th	Nervous, cautious, and humorous. Often worried about danger but deeply loyal to his friends.
Featured Ensemble	K – 5^th	Matron Nurse, Billy and Bobby Bobby-Cop, Bitsy Botana, Buzz, Mr. Trotter, Mrs. Trotter, Karl Kreatour, Lucille Van Kooglestein, Bunny Mackenzie the Third, Jake, and Joe, and many more
Ensemble	K - 5^th	Includes citizens, reporters, sailors, animals, seagulls, sharks, and other characters. Many opportunities for singing, movement, and acting.

Casting Note:
All students who audition will be considered for both principal and ensemble roles unless stated otherwise on the audition form. Some roles may be double-cast or expanded to accommodate the production's needs and talents. Everyone plays an important part in bringing this magical adventure to life!

Character Monologues

Featured Ensemble: The peach broke out of the garden and over the edge of the hill, rolling and bouncing down the steep slope at a terrific pace. Faster and faster, flattening fences and hedges, scattering sheep. Through villages, over bridges, down, down, down. People screamed, animals stampeded. It hurtled towards the towering white cliffs… a hundred yards… fifty, ten, five… it reached the edges! The giant peach was unstoppable!

Lahdalord: Little Boy. Come over here. I will show you something wonderful. Don’t be afraid. my dear. Come. See this my dear? Do you know what’s inside this little bag? Tiny green things! See them sparkle. Listen to them moving, stirring. Thousands of them. There’s more magic, more power in them than in all the rest of the world put together. Crocodile tongues! One Thousand long slimy crocodile tongues! They’re for you!

James: There is something that I believe we might try. We’d need hundreds of yards of string to make this work. Miss Spider, can you do it? I’m going to lift this peach clear out of the water! Look at the seagulls. The sky is full of them! I’m going to take a long silk string and I’m going to loop one end of it around a seagull’s neck and tie the other end to the stem of the peach. Then I’m going to get another seagull and do the same thing again and again. All we need to get their attention (looking at Earthworm) is some bait.

Sponge and Spiker: What’s good about it, you disgusting little beast? Your parents selfishly get eaten, leaving us to bring up their brat and you call it a good day? It’s a bad day, a revolting day.Now, clear up all that filth and litter they left. Banana skins, bits of paper, drink cans. Don’t interrupt! Five hundred and.... ah! You wretch! You’ve made me lose count. Stop interfering and clean up that mess!

Spider: I am not loved at all. And yet I do nothing but good. All day long I catch flies and mosquitoes in my webs. I am a decent person. It is very unfair the way we Spiders are treated. Why only last week your own horrible Aunt Sponge flushed my poor dear father down the plughole in the bathtub. I watched the whole thing from a corner up in the ceiling. It was awful!

Ladybug: Oh dear, I do worry about everything. A dark cloud, a strange noise, a bump in the road... they all make my wings tremble! But I've learned that being brave doesn't mean you're never scared. It means you keep going anyway. When I met James, I saw someone who needed a friend, and together we discovered that even the biggest adventure isn't so frightening when you're surrounded by people who care. Now, let's spread our wings and see where the wind takes us!

Earthworm: (talking about Centipede) Oh, there he goes again. Lies, lies! He’s got nowhere near a hundred legs. Forty-two that’s all he’s got. You count them. A hundred! And anyway, there’s nothing marvelous, you know, about having lots of legs. In my opinion, the really marvelous thing is to have no legs at all and to be able to walk just the same. Like me!

Centipede: Well, of course I know what I'm doing! I'm Centipede, aren't I? I've got a hundred feet, a hundred ideas, and at least a hundred reasons why my plan is the best one. Sure, maybe I brag a little. Maybe I take a few risks. But life's too exciting to sit around being careful all the time! The world's full of adventures, and I'm not about to miss them. So who's coming with me? Don't worry, it'll be fun... probably!

Grasshopper: Ah, what a beautiful day! You know, life is a lot like music. Sometimes the melody is light and cheerful, and sometimes it grows a bit dramatic. But every note has its place. When challenges come along, we can either complain about them or learn from them. I prefer to keep playing the tune and trust that things will work out. After all, every great adventure deserves a little courage, a little hope, and perhaps a bit of music along the wa

James and the Giant Peach Jr!