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The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

    Captain Hook, played by William Rushing, faces off with Peter Pan,
    played by Olivia Waguespack, in an epic battle between Hook’s crew and Pan’s loyal
    Lost Boys. Pan holds a frying pan in defense against Hook’s sword.
    Playwright Chelsea Krause used Pan’s frying pan as a means of Pan
    being dubbed the name, ‘Peter Pan.’ The Lion's Roar/Megan Ferrando
     

    Southeastern Theatre hosted a sold-out four-night run, which had people embracing their inner child by flying them out to the second star to the right. The play “Peter and Tink” told the story of how Tinkerbell brought Peter Pan to Neverland. 

    The play was a combination of different versions of the Peter Pan story, including the 1911 J.M. Barrie novel and classic Disney movie. This prequel story of the young orphan Peter, played by Olivia Waguespack, and his new fairy friend Tink, played by Lindsay Picou, was written by Chelsea Krause, a Southeastern alumna who worked on many productions during her undergraduate career. 

    “Chelsea’s script was really the inspiration for the production concept because she uses references, parts of quotes, ideas from all of the Peter Pan lore: the live action films, the cartoons, the original play and stories,” said Jim Winter, theatre professor and director of “Peter and Tink.” “We said let’s take components from all of those that we like and put them together in a cohesive way.”  

    Once Tinkerbell took Peter to Neverland, the two went on an adventure, encountering mermaids, a ticking crocodile and the natives. This tale included several fight sequences between Peter and Captain Hook, who schemes to rid the world of fairies. In Krause’s story, the audience learns why Hook hates fairies, why Peter Pan never ages and how Hook lost his hand. 

    “The challenge was making it our own Neverland and not copying Disney or something else, but still having those iconic moments that make Captain Hook and Peter Pan,” said Winter. 

    In Krause’s prequel play, she offers her own take on the origin of Peter’s surname. Peter carries a frying pan as a weapon for much of the story, thus Captain Hook refers to the boy as “Peter with a pan” until one of his pirate cohorts insists that “Peter Pan” sounds better. 

    “I did a lot of research for the show, and I didn’t stumble upon that,” said Winter. “I think that might be a Chelsea Krause original. I think somewhere in my research there’s reference to the spirit, the god Pan, who’s in the woods and plays the pipe.” 

    Krause, a huge Disney fan, wanted to write a story that made Tinkerbell more prominent without conflicting with Wendy, so she decided to write a prequel. The idea was developed into a screenplay in Fall 2013 while taking a theatre course. The theatre honor society Alpha Psi Omega, the improv troupe and Winter helped her go over the draft and prepare it for the stage. 

    “She came to us with a really strong script to begin with,” said Winter. “We did a reading with some actors, some who were in the show, many who weren’t. We got feedback from them, and then Chelsea went back and did revisions. It’s been a really fun process. She’s a fearless writer, and she’s such a student of theatre. I think it helps her as a playwright.”

    Winter said it was interesting to give the work of a former student over to a student crew of actors, choreographers, directors and designers to bring the work to life. He could see the program growing stronger while the team prepared for “Peter and Tink.” 

    “I was probably the most nervous person in the audience because I knew exactly what was going to happen, but I had no idea what was going to happen,” said Krause. “It’s incredibly exciting, thrilling and overwhelming. I absolutely loved being able to come down and see it. They did a fantastic job.” 

     
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