It’s that time of year, when the West Bend Children’s Theatre puts on its annual show for school children around the county (and everyone else who loves good theater, too.)

You may notice something different this year. There are men in the cast. And children. When the group began, back in the 1930’s, it was as a women’s group. It later evolved into a theater group, and for many years the shows have had all-women casts. This year the group decided to add men and children.

Director Graham Killeen said that it’s been a positive change, because now whole families can be in the show together. He also believes it’s important for the children in the audience to see children like themselves on stage. If they start to think about theater as something that interests them, they can see that there are opportunities for them to try it. And they can see role models they can identify with.

Killeen has an impressive resume in theater. He graduated with honors from UW-Milwaukee with a B.A. in theater, and has extensive acting and directing experience. He is also an award-winning independent filmmaker. And he is excited to be bringing that cinematic aesthetic to children’s theater.

According to Killeen, theater audiences are changing, in large part due to the widespread use of video games, YouTube, NetFlix, and so on. Kids these days are used to getting a lot of their entertainment on a screen. “How do we do something that will pull kids away from the screen to the theater, and make them love the experience?” Killeen asks. “You have about five to ten seconds before the audience gets bored. So every ten seconds or so, something new, exciting or magical needs to happen on stage.”

Some of the magic in this year’s show, James and the Giant Peach, involves some impressive special effects. In one scene, for example, the giant peach is pulled out to sea by a flock of seagulls, while simultaneously being threatened by a group of sharks. According to Killeen, that one scene alone requires 18 people backstage to make all the special effects work, from the flock of flying seagulls, to the fog machine, to the circling remote controlled sharks. And through it all, the characters are dancing on the peach, and singing in three-part harmony.

Killeen said he was drawn to the show because of the size and challenge of it, from both an acting and a technical point of view. The story is complex, and artistically rich. The music is interesting and challenging too. It was written by the same team that wrote the music for the critically acclaimed movie La La Land. The show is accompanied by a live band, which includes electric guitar, bass, drummer, and keyboards.

Part of what he likes about the show is that it’s a modern fairy tale. Killeen said he thinks about it this way. “When kids see Snow White or Prince Charming, they want to be a prince or princess. But I hope when they see James, they see themselves in the story.”

But it’s not all about great entertainment. The group takes its educational mission seriously as well, and provides a framework to schools for class discussions before and after the show. In addition, this summer, for the first time, the West Bend Children’s Theatre will also be offering children’s summer camps with acting opportunities, and also workshops on technical aspects of putting on a show, such as building sets, lighting, etc. More information about that will be coming on the group’s website (www.wbchildrenstheatre.com).

The cast of 30-some has been practicing since January. They will put on an intense eight performances over three days, at the high school’s Silver Lining Arts Center. All performances are open to the public.

James and the Giant Peach
Wednesday, April 19 – 9:30am and 12:45pm
Thursday, April 20 – 9:30am, 12:45pm and 7:00pm
Friday, April 21 – 9:30am, 12:45pm and 7:00pm
At the West Bend High School Silver Lining Arts Center
www.wbchildrenstheatre.com