The Theatre Company’s summer production of Big Fish centers on the charismatic Edward Bloom, whose impossible stories of epic adventures frustrate his pragmatic son, Will. Bloom’s adventures make for a lively musical full of colorful characters as he tells tall tales of meeting a mermaid and a witch, befriending an agoraphobic giant, joining a circus with a werewolf ringmaster, pursuing the girl of his dreams, and saving a general from an assassin during the war.

Big Fish is told on two different timelines – one where Will is a boy whose father is often absent and another where an adult Will is an international journalist about to be married and start a family. As his father’s final chapter approaches, Will embarks on his own journey to find out who his father really is, separating the fact from fiction in the stories from his childhood.

The cast of Big Fish will perform the touching musical seven times with an opening on Friday, July 17 and continuing through Saturday, July 25. Audiences can now purchase tickets for five evening shows and two Saturday matinees at tcoe.org/TheatreCo/tickets.

Principle Characters

Edward Bloom
Leo Paez, 2026 graduate, Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center (Visalia)    

Sandra
Erin McDonnell, 2026 graduate, Redwood High School (Visalia)

Will Bloom
Connor West, 11^th grade, Redwood High School (Visalia)

Young Will
Camden Grissom, 4^th grade, Garden Elementary School (Tulare)

Josephine
Diana Padilla, 2026 graduate, El Diamante High School (Visalia)

The Witch
Leah Hansen, 2026 graduate, El Diamante High School (Visalia)

Karl
Nicholas Simpkins, 11^th grade, University Preparatory High School (Visalia)

Amos
Matthew Cole, 11^th grade, Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center (Visalia)

Jenny Hill
Allison Plumlee, 2026 graduate, Harmony Magnet Academy (Strathmore)

Don Price
Dumisani Mason, 2026 graduate, University Preparatory High School (Visalia)

Zacky Price
Lincoln Graves, 2026 graduate, University Preparatory High School (Visalia)

The Mermaid
Calvary Sears, 9^th grade, Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center (Visalia)

Over 40 student events will be held this year, including the debut of Middle School Mock Trial.

Dates for the events are now online at tcoe.org/StudentEvents. They are arranged chronologically. Along with the event date are dates for advisor trainings, if applicable.

Opportunities for middle school students continue to expand with Academic Pentathlon and TCOE Esports League returning for their second years. Along with the two events, Middle School Mock Trial will bring young legal minds together and make its debut in the spring.

An addition for high school students is Taste of Tulare-Kings. Hosted for the first time last year, the event brought together teams from culinary pathway programs in Tulare and Kings high schools showcasing their best hot and best cold hors d’oeuvres for judges.

Educators interested in participating in any of the events are encouraged to contact the coordinator listed for the event. 

Photo above:

~ Among the 2026-27 Student Future Ready Events now available are Academic Pentathlon (top) for middle school students and Taste of Tulare-Kings (bottom)

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, McKenna Friend-Hoffman, Bethany Rader, Paula Terrill