Detour Company Theatre is bringing double the fun to Scottsdale with its production of “Little Shop of Horrors” and “James and the Giant Peach” June 9 through 11 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. Second St.
Detour Company Theatre provides theater training and performance experiences for adults with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities, providing them authentic opportunities to develop artistry, demonstrate courage and collaboration, experience joy and participate in the sharing of musical theater with the entire community.
“’James and the Giant Peach’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ are two stories about success, family and community,” says Detour Director Simon Ridley. “We are thrilled to be back at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to share these marvelous musicals!”
In the first of these two plays, “Little Shop of Horrors” follows meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn as he stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” after his coworker crush. This R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to Seymour as long as he keeps feeding it. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and intent toward global domination!
Sophie Stern, who plays Audrey in “Little Shop of Horrors,” is excited to perform a lead role in one of her favorite musicals.
“I love Detour, and I love how people come together and do shows,” Stern says. “I love acting with Detour because we are a big family and a big community. The audience will be impressed that we are doing such a hard show.”
Following “Little Shop of Horrors” will be “James and the Giant Peach,” a whimsical and magical journey about one boy out to change his life and find a real family. Based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, “James and the Giant Peach” features a wickedly tuneful score by the Tony Award-nominated team of Pasek and Paul and a curiously quirky book by Timothy Allen McDonald.
“James and the Giant Peach” actor Jessica Stamm has been acting with Detour since 2006 and previously acted as Marcy Park in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
“I love acting at Detour because I like to be different characters,” Stamm says. “I’m excited for the audience to see these next two shows: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘James and the Giant Peach.’ The audience will love it in ‘James in the Giant Peach’ when the two evil aunts come on stage!”
Director Andrea Head looks forward to using these shows as a space to explore, create, support, and enjoy theatre as a community.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to tell these stories on the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts stage,” Head says. “We hope the love we have as a theater company spills out into the audience and fills them with a newfound passion for the artistic process.”
Detour Company Theatre stages its productions in June and January of each year at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, where Detour is a resident company. Detour creates a vital space for honing creativity, building community, and shaping social progress. Detour is committed to elevating the voices of their artists by making theater and drama truly accessible for a community that is severely underrepresented in the visual and performing arts.
Detour will have two showings of “Little Shop of Horrors” on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, June 10, at 3 p.m. “James and the Giant Peach” has two showings on Saturday, June 10, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 11, at 3 p.m. Admission is free for all productions, but RSVP is mandatory for all planning to attend. To RSVP, visit scottsdaleperformingarts.org/events.
