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Encore Theatrical Company’s (ETC) Young Stars have returned from the National Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia and are back at work with two upcoming performances.

The production of the classic “James and the Giant Peach” is the story of an orphaned boy who finds a giant peach and meets a gaggle of bug friends on a journey across the sea to find his place in the world. This family friendly show is a favorite of ETC.

The group recently travelled to the National Junior Theatre Festival in Georgia to compete alongside thousands of junior companies. Taking the hours- long script of the show and cutting it down to a 15-minute performance.

The company received a shout out on the main stage by several Broadway stars including Pasek and Paul who are the original songwriters of “James and the Giant Peach.”

The group of 7th-12th graders were more than proud of their performance and ETC is thrilled to have them turn production into a full-length version.

ETC’s Creative Director, Candace Moore, is excited for the community to see the hard work of the Young Stars.

“The kids have worked really hard on their performance for the Junior Theatre Festival, and it turned out great. They’ve been hard at work preparing for their performances,” Moore said. “They are all incredibly talented performers, and we want to share them with everyone.”

Performances of the full-length show will be held on February 18th at Manley Baptist Church in Morristown at 2 and 7 p.m. Both performances will be open to the public and tickets will be $5 at the door.