About the Show

Director's Note:

A good story stays with you forever… 

and the Peter and the Starcatchers series has stuck with me since I was ten years old. I can remember sitting in the Oakland Elementary School library flipping through the pages of the first book. I fell in love with the characters, the humor, and the magic that went along with each hand drawn illustration. It was one of the pivotal books in piquing my interest in storytelling from a young age. Flash forward to seeing the stage adaptation at Illinois Shakespeare Festival during my transition from junior high to high school and my fate was sealed.

When asked what play I wanted to do for my first show at NCHS, it felt like a no-brainer. Not just as wish fulfillment for my adolescent self or a reflection on my own coming of age just like Peter and Molly, but as a way to apply my philosophy as an educator. Theatre takes a lot of passion and this is a show that I am very passionate about. While at times that may make me seem like a mad woman, it is that kind of love for what this story and the work that I do that I hope rubs off on my students. If I can lead by example by showing how important it is to care deeply about what you do, it's my hope that students will follow suit. I chose to go into teaching theatre because theatre kids are some of the most passionate and devoted people you will ever meet. I love getting to work with students as they fall in love with the same thing that I fell in love with at their age. Theatre that has that kind of heart behind it is like magic and I’ve been very fortunate to work with a company where my own passion for telling a good story is shared and even at times exceeded.

The original book ends with Peter walking along the shore of the beach as he reflects on his adventure. As he takes in his surroundings on Neverland Island, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I read the book describe his new home. Just as Peter started out as a lost boy, I look back on being a lonely kid with a library book who now has a wonderful place that welcomes them with open arms. While the NCHS auditorium may not have real life mermaids, starstuff, pirates, or flying boys, my new home is full of people who do magic that I could never have dreamed of on a daily basis. From a gorgeous set appearing practically overnight, lines or blocking changes that get memorized almost instantly, and every person I talk to taking my hair-brained ideas and running with them, the page-to-stage transformation of this show has been the work of magic I’d always dreamed it to be. This is truly a show that would not have been possible without the lovely, talented, starstuff-filled people I have found myself surrounded by. I’m honored to have found my Neverland.

I think this is gonna be one awfully big adventure. Thanks Vern!

-Cassie Adelman