I have a Peter Pan problem. I always have. The youngest in very technically minded family (Accountant, Engineer, Architect, Economist) I know a thing or two about being the odd ball creative prone to day dreams and hyper-active imagination. The Peter Pan story enchanted me from the time I was a tiny human. I knew all the words to the musical and who Mary Martin was before I could tell you who was president. Robin Williams became my captain, my captain, because of Hook, not Mork & Mindy. The enormous framed portrait of Tinkerbell that hangs in the theatre office was a gift from my friends on my 21st Birthday. When other little girls dreamed of being Cinderella, I knew I was Peter Pan. Peter is scrappy. And empathetic. More importantly he is spared the merciless passage of time.
As an “adult” theatre maker Peter & the Starcatcher exploded my heart. I brought an early wave of B’DAT kids to see the New York Theatre Workshop production, and later the Broadway run. We were enchanted by its simplicity, the theatricality of the staging, cheeky humor, and the introduction of Wendy’s mother as the pint sized lady hero that gives Peter his wings. That said, I knew it would take a remarkable group of young men for Beacon to produce Peter & the Starcatcher as written. The play requires an ensemble of ten gents as diverse as they are brilliant with comic chops and physical agility to boot. That said, we couldn’t do a show with 10 gents and one Molly; so meet our Mermaid Band! I love live scoring and much of the sound effects you hear today are completely curated by the dames in the sea!
Some might argue that a “Peter Pan complex” is exactly why theatre folk choose a life of play. The constant cycle of creating, sustaining and deconstructing plays serves our insatiable curiosity and refusal to relinquish hope or imagination. I would argue though that this production grew us all up a little, but don’t hold it against us. Growing into ourselves as artists takes time, patience, passion and a whole lot of pluck. This crew’s got pluck in spades. We've embraced our growing pains like pros, with more than 50% of the team making their mainstage debuts. Special thanks to the hardworking upperclassman who welcomed their new colleagues to the fold with big hearts, and for not minding if said underclassmen were a little prone to fart jokes.
As of right now, B’DAT’s band of merry men and women come from all five boros and a few far away lands. China (Stanley!), Guinea (Hawa!), Australia (Jonah!), Denmark (Carmen!), England and Italy (Leandro!) and upstate…(Shane!). Happenstance brought them to Beacon, but what they do together is nothing short of magic. They are proof positive that starstuff is all around.
Looking back, I guess I’ve always been a Molly Aster, a bossy little storyteller that just wants everyone around me to feel at home. Sometimes we try a little too hard, I guess, but it certainly isn't for a lack of scrappy love and empathy. But growing up is hard and sometimes it just hurts. But it's "supposed to hurt”, "that's how you know it meant something!"
Thank you all for being part of our Neverland.
We hope you enjoy the show!
Big Love,
Cimato
