Southeastern Theatre is off to Neverland with the premiere performance of “Peter and Tink.”
The production will run from April 21-24 at Vonnie Borden Theatre located in D Vickers Hall. The play will begin at 7:30 p.m. each night. General admission tickets are $10; $5 for Southeastern faculty and staff, seniors and non-Southeastern students. Southeastern students are granted free admission with university ID.
The play tells the story of how Peter Pan met Tinkerbell and came to Neverland. There is a specific focus on the much-loved but rather mysterious Tinker Bell.
“I really wanted to focus on Tinker Bell. I love her character and feel that, while she is iconic, not enough people know much about her. However, I didn’t want her to be in competition with Wendy as a major character. So I decided to do a story about her and Peter’s friendship and thus a prequel instead of the same story we’re familiar with,” said Chelsea Krause, alumna and playwright whose previous work at the university includes a production of her original play, “Storybook Asylum.”
Krause has worked to intertwine references, characters and famous quotes from all versions of “Peter Pan,” including the original story by Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie and its famous 1953 Disney animated adaptation.
According to director James Winter, audience members can expect “songs, dances, lots of stage combat and some surprises I don’t want to let on about.”
Even though the play veers from the original story, some aspects have remained the same.
“It’s a prequel, so it’s not the same story everyone is used to seeing. The Darling children are not present. However, I’ve stayed pretty true to much of the original lore for any hardcore fans. I stray the most from Barrie’s lesser known novel ‘Peter in Kensington Gardens.’ It should be a good mix for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the original,” said Krause.
The cast includes Olivia Waguespack as Peter, Lindsay Picou as Tinkerbell, William Rushing as Captain James Hook and Ravello, Akria Brewer as Smee and Jaimee Rome as Shadow.
Everyone young and old is encouraged to watch the cast as they help to unfold the never told story of the origin of Peter and Tink’s friendship.
“‘Peter Pan’ has been entertaining audiences for around 100 years,” said Winter. “Whatever your favorite version of Peter Pan is, there’s something for you in this play, and who doesn’t like pirates, mermaids and magic?”