Adventure will take flights of fancy this weekend as the Big Foot High School Fine Arts Department stages its fantasy spring play production, “Peter Pan and Wendy,” on March 3-5 in the Big Foot High School Auditorium, 201 Devils Lane in Walworth.
Friday and Saturday performances will be at 7 p.m., with a Sunday matinee performance at 3 p.m.
Directing the fast-moving comedy adventure will be Lake Geneva resident Casey Sampson, a 2009 alumnus of Faith Christian School in Williams Bay and a 2013 Bachelor of Arts theatre graduate of North Central University in Minneapolis.
“This is my first production as the head director and also at the high school,” Sampson said. “I picked ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ because I think a lot of people have been forced to grow up rather quickly, especially in the last couple of years, with all the economic and global pressures. For an hour and a half, I want to take people back to their childhood and I want them to see the world again through the eyes of a child. That was my big heart behind it.”
Looking to help theater-goers recapture again that sense of child-like wonder and creative imagination, Sampson has chosen a simple, minimalistic and yet “creative” and “amazing” set that serves as a blank slate for the imagination to run wild.
“Some of the creative things we’re doing to portray that is we’re using a lot of cardboard boxes and the set is designed with coloring book page style,” Sampson explained. “To a child, a cardboard box is anything — it’s a boat, it’s a spaceship, it’s a rocket, a car. So we’re using cardboard boxes to take people and use their imaginations again, as if they were a kid.”
“Peter Pan and Wendy” is a based on Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie’s (1860-1937) classic childhood novel “Peter Pan,” first staged in 1904. The Doug Rand adaptation, “Peter Pan and Wendy,” was first published in 2006.
A new twist riff on the classic “Peter Pan” tale that casts aside dreary adulthood in favor of staying forever young in a fantasy world where make-believe is the norm and growing up is the tragedy, Sampson said Rand’s adaptation “does dive a little deeper” into main character back stories, particularly Peter Pan’s relationship with his mother.
“It’s kind of a story of Peter Pan can’t grow up,” Sampson said. “He’s abandoned. He’s stuck as a child. There’s that theme woven throughout the story. We see though that mothers never stop filling in those holes for Peter Pan. There’s a Never Bird character that is not in the traditional storyline that comes to the rescue of Peter Pan. Even though he doesn’t realize it, she comes to his rescue — kind of saves his life and gives him her nest ... It’s actually a lot about mothering and helping people overcome some of their traumas and hardships.”
Play-goers are invited are invited to rediscover the loopy fun and the darker corners of J.M. Barrie’s original novel with this faithful, fast-moving adaptation as they see the world again through the eyes of a child and enjoy the wonder of Neverland and see sword fights, pirates, fairies and the infamous Lost Boys.
When the carefree and careless Peter Pan flies into the nursery of the Darling home, Wendy follows her instincts for maternity and adventure, bringing her little brothers along to magical Neverland to take care of the motherless Lost Boys. Soon the Darling children are swept into Peter’s deadly battle with Captain Hook and his pirate crew. With so much excitement, why ever go home again?
Cast members are Kaden Rambatt, Narrator; Tristen Hilke, Peter Pan; Alexa Clary, Wendy Darling; Selah Sampson, Young Wendy; Destiny Gonzalez, Mrs. Darling/Cookson; Jonathan Slayton, Mr. Darling/Noodler; Evangeline Mouzakis, Nana/Tootles; Elijah Laing, John Darling; Silvana Alfano, Michael Darling; Jackson Hamburg, Curly; Lucy Goodman, Twin 1/Jane; Karly Duber, Twin 2; Halle Wiedenhoeft, Slightly/Liza; Lishi Palmer, Nibs; Braiden Bimrose, Captain Hook; Patrick Finnegan, Starkey; Timmy McIntyre, Smee; Molly Andersen, Jukes/Tiger Lily; James Buchanan, Cecco; Keegan Chadwick, Tick-Tock the Crocodile/Mullins; Lola Gonzales, Never Bird; and Chloe Weborg, Tinker Bell.
“They’ve been great,” Sampson said of the student cast and stage crew. “There’s been a lot of challenges we’re had to face ... and everyone’s really rallied around ... They’re a good group of kids that are excited about the show. It’s been good.”
First-year actor Tristen Hilke, a junior from Walworth, plays one of the title leads, forever boy character Peter Pan.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Hilke said of playing the iconic Peter Pan. “Most people that I know grew up watching Peter Pan as a kid, from the cartoon to the movie ‘Hook,’ the live-action version, and I know a few people who’ve read the story. I think everybody just knows Peter Pan, so being able to bring that character to life is an amazing feeling. It’s very fun, and I enjoy being here every day.”
Fourth-year actress Alexa Clary, a Walworth senior, is in her eighth production at Big Foot as title lead character Wendy Darling, surrogate Neverland mother to her siblings, the Lost Boys and, whether he knows it or not, Peter Pan.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Clary said of playing the “quite rewarding” and “very enjoyable” role of Wendy. “The past plays we’ve done here weren’t really fairy tale style. They were comedies and stuff. So doing a story everybody knows ... and is great for children has been very exciting, because it’s a character I know and has been a role model almost ... It’s been a lot of fun and a new experience.”
Clary enjoys the play’s unique perspective.
“You’re watching it from the eyes of a child,” she said. “A lot of it is about the way that children can see the world and how they feel...”
Sampson said the show, which includes a brief intermission, is suitable for all ages.
“There’s not been a lot of live theater the last couple of years and we’re getting the ball up and running again since COVID,” Sampson said. “Come out, see the show and see the world again through the eyes of a child for a short bit.”
Adds Hilke, “Coming to see ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ definitely will bring out the inner kid ... Being able to go back to your childhood will bring a lot of smiles to a lot of people’s faces.”
Far from being the same old same old, Clary said Rand’s adaptation of the Peter Pan offers a fresh perspective on the well-known story.
“People should come see the play this weekend, because although it’s something that you do know and maybe even have seen before, you see a different take on it,” she said. “It’s really great. I’ve seen the movie and I know the story, but it was new to me.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. There is limited priority reserved seating available in the front rows of the center sections for $30. All non-priority seating is on a first come, first served basis. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance.
To purchase tickets online, go to bigfootfinearts.ticketleap.com. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/696188815518497/696199188850793/.
Special children’s event
Area children ages 12 and under are invited to attend a “Morning in Neverland” interactive event with the cast of “Peter Pan and Wendy” this Saturday, March 4, from 10-11:30 a.m. at Big Foot High School.
“Morning in Neverland” will be held in the school’s auditorium and commons areas.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet “Peter Pan and Wendy” cast characters including Peter Pan; Tinkerbell; Captain Hook; siblings Wendy, John and Michael Darling; the Lost Boys; and Hook’s band of pirates.
Early registration is advised, with attendance limited to 75 participants and a sell-out crowd anticipated.
Tickets are $7 per child and will be payable, cash only, at the door. Advance registration is available online through Google Forms at https://forms.gle/uwa4XjArh9KACd3ZA.
The admission price includes one student ticket to the Big Foot High School production of “Peter Pan and Wendy” on either the Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, one snack option (popcorn or a fruit snack), one craft, an opportunity to meet the characters of Neverland, walking the plank with Captain Hook, feeding Tick-Tock the Crocodile, a pirate tattoo parlor, and more.
“There’s a plethora of different activities we’re gonna have available.” Sampson said.
Parents or guardians must remain with their child/children at all times, as this is not a drop-off event.
For more information, contact Sampson at cmsampson@bigfoot.k12.wi.us.
