Peter Pan is about a free-spirited young boy who can fly and never grows up. He goes on wild adventures on the mythical island of Neverland with his lost boys, fairies, pirates, mermaids, and many more. Pan visits the mainland in search of his lost shadow and finds Wendy Darling. He takes Wendy and her brothers back to Neverland, so she can be a mother to Peter Pan and his lost boys, caring for them and telling them stories. While out there, they go on wild adventures around Neverland and get into quarrels with Captain Hook.
Turning this magical tale into a musical makes it all the better. The songs and choreography added to it create a beautiful play. West High has not done a musical for up to 15 years, so while it produces a lot of new material to work with it also presents itself with lots of new challenges. Both actors and tech theater are having so much fun learning how to work with the new songs, choreography, and changing their work ethic when it comes to it. Assistant Student Director, Lily Gabe, also said it was “A test of patience.”
Preparing for the musical, the drama teacher Melinda Williams, drama students, and tech theater students prepare for months before hand and practice every day. They continue to stay late after school to work on staging and rehearsing continuously. Assistant Student Director, Lily Gabe, states “Besides staging and rehearsing and staging and rehearsing again, Tech Theater stays for tech rehearsals from 4:00pm to 8:30pm (sometimes 9:00pm) 2 weeks prior to opening night to practice with all elements of the show to code lights, sound, building and painting the sets, and costume/makeup designs. The last 2 weeks of opening night are spent rehearsing the show in full costume and makeup, full lighting and sound, and making sure the timing on set changes are correct, which means we have to practice twice every night until opening night. We will continue to tweak small things to ensure our performance is as best as it can be.”
When it comes to being in a play for the drama program, they love the way it feels at the end of their rehearsal to opening night because they love to see their show coming together. Actor of Captain hook, Nathan Distrajo, says “It’s really magical how it all comes together in the end, I love that so much. Seeing everything at the end of rehearsals is one of my favorite parts about drama.” Drama can be a life-changing and fun experience during high school. It is a diverse program that will help everyone get out of their own environment and figure out one’s own identity. Stage Manager, Shane Hackney, voices “Drama is for everyone, no matter who you are. We have kinds ranging from the JROTC program, SEA program, FFA program, and really just every single program, and they show how well it can bring people together. Everyone is welcome to join the theater program and the amazing kids in it whether you know how to act or not, don’t knock it ‘till you try it, it’ll be so much fun.”
The drama program treats each other like family and makes the best out of the time they have when preparing for Peter Pan the Musical.
