Written as a prequel to J.M Barrie’s “Peter & Wendy” (or “Peter Pan”), “Peter and the Starcatcher” was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson in 2004. Reconceived by directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, writer Rick Elice, and composer Wayne Barker, “Peter & the Starcatcher” ran in NY (both off- and on-Broadway) from 2011-2014, where it received critical acclaim and won 5 Tony Awards. The story gives us all the answers as to how Neverland and all its inhabitants came to be. Through its story-theatre style, this play creates magical spaces and scenes through ensemble work and minimal sets. This forces the audience to use their imagination, which is essential both to the play and the story itself.
Personally, the story of “Peter Pan” has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember: the magical world of Neverland; the good versus evil played out by Lost Boys and Pirates; the magical notions of flying, fairies, and a never-ending childhood. These adventures hit on all the essential components of a captivating children’s story. But the themes throughout this fun and fantastical story are what give it its timelessness and ability to resonate with so many different generations: the coming of age, the struggle of growing up, and the importance of family. In my opinion the play “Peter and the Starcatcher” brilliantly weaves these same themes together. And combined with the same lovable characters (plus several great additions) the backstory is explained through the same lens of magical curiosity as the original “Peter Pan”.
Neverland is a magical place, and I am so grateful to my team who helped to create it: Robyn Watson, who designed wonderful costumes to highlight the personalities of each character; Naomi Haus-Roth (and her team), who took all my hopes and dreams and created magical sets, lighting, and props that exceeded all expectations; Ivy Synnestvedt, who kept the machine running with such competence and grace; and Todd Bunce, who tackled the music essential to the spirit of this non-musical. A huge thank you to my assistant director and co-producer, Phoenix Fritch. Phoenix tackled everything that needed attention, including coaching actors on music, choreography, acting, and dialects, as well as learning and running the sound system. I couldn’t have done this show without Phoenix and am grateful for his camaraderie and artistic input throughout the process.
This ensemble has been a pleasure to work with. They jump fully into every aspect of this show, learning complex blocking, multiple dialects, and embracing physical comedy, just to name a few elements essential to this specific piece of work. I appreciate their trust, humor, and collaborative nature throughout this process.
This show has been especially poignant in that it is the final performances for Sonja Kistner and Brandy Rose as BAC students. These two have been critical forces in the success of the past three years. Brandy has appeared on stage in major roles in every show: Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Pamela in The 39 Steps, and John/Ensemble in Godspell. Her professionalism, talent, and humor has contributed to the success of every show and, more importantly, the fun through every process. Sonja has filled several roles behind the scenes, including Stage Manager, Costume Designer, Assistant Director and Set/Prop Design assistant.
Sonja is incredibly gifted in all aspects of theatre she has tackled, and I am thrilled she is finally taking her moment ON stage so everyone else can enjoy her gift as an actor (even though she was possibly forced on stage by her professor…). I will continue to try to convince these two to do every show I direct in the future, but regardless, I will treasure the memories of every show we have done together. As Molly explains when she says goodbye to Peter, “It’s supposed to hurt, that’s how you know it meant something.” I love and appreciate you both tons and I look forward to a continued friendship beyond the theatre!
~Jessica Bostock, Director
