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To our audience,                                                                                                             March 2023

Welcome to Hempfield High School in Landisville, PA! Over the past 60+ years, Hempfield has proudly presented musical productions full of theatrical excellence. Since November 2023, the entire production team has been working tirelessly to provide you this unforgettable musical experience. While our journey has had its fair share of glows and grows, we have arrived at our final destination; eager to show you the talent within the Hempfield High School Performing Arts Center.

Originally premiering in London, England in 1904, the story of Peter Pan has become a timeless classic that has entertained millions of audience members throughout the years. Peter Pan first opened as a Christmas pantomime designed for families, expressing extravagant and exaggerated mime gestures accompanied by music - hence the name Peter Pan. Over 119 years later, there have been countless literary, cinematic, musical, satirical, and choreographed adaptations, including a new Disney+ movie set to release in April 2023, Peter Pan & Wendy. As a director, it has been such a joy connecting all of these interpretations to deliver the traditional, ethereal, and whimsical magic of Peter Pan. Tonight, you will experience our production’s mission to think about dreams, past and present, and how “thinking lovely thoughts” can transport you into a world of flying on your ambitions and escaping to far off places, with a little help from fairy dust.

No matter your preferred artistic medium of Peter Pan, children have remained the central core of driving the plot and message forward to audiences around the world. Allowing children to remain curious has been one of the most inspiring messages I’ve learned this year. Children are young artists designed to create and explore the world of options around them. When we as adults command children to tidy up their bedroom, sit up straight at the dinner table, or drink medicine when they’re sick, often the reaction is full of resistance and impulse. Wendy & Peter instantly bond with their childlike instincts to play, solve problems, and create worlds of endless possibilities, expanding their curiosity together. Their journey is faced with villains, challenges, and hardships, yet this does not stop an ensemble of friends and family to naturally join them along their voyage to Neverland - “a place where dreams are born and time is never planned”; a perfect place for all children. This powerful image can inspire us to further understand and lead our children.

Offering an inclusive space to create the perfect place for children is our vision within the HHS Performing Arts Center; guiding dreams and aspirations can embrace mischievous adventures of life. Thank you to my amazing production staff members who made this vision become a reality for our children. What you are about to experience tonight is the holistic process from opening the script to opening night - “this way to Neverland!”

With a grateful and humble heart,

Alejandro L. Ramos

Music Director