Amelia Dewberry & Jay Erickson-

Next weekend, Gustavus will be putting on the play Peter and the Starcatcher. Performances will run May 9th, 10th, and 11th at 8:00 p.m. and May 11th and 12th at 2:00 p.m. in the Rob and Judy Gardner Laboratory Theatre. The May 12th performance is intended for families, with a scavenger hunt for kids beginning at 1:00 p.m. outside the theater and an opportunity to take photos with the cast after the show.

Peter and the Starcatcher is a Tony-winning play, adapted from the book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In an exciting story involving pirates and magic, the play tells the origins of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and other familiar characters. The play is intended for ages 8 and up, which doesn’t happen often in Gustavus’s performances. Tickets are still available but are quickly selling out.

The play is directed by Associate Professor in Theatre and Dance and LALACS Henry MacCarthy. MacCarthy chose Peter and the Starcatcher because he wanted to put on a show with good music, that provided good performance opportunities to students as well as an opening for interesting costume and stage designs. He landed on Peter as he felt it was a “…great piece to share with [the] wider community, including families”, MacCarthy said. Many plays at Gustavus are targeted towards older audiences, so having a show with a wider audience will hopefully increase the show’s turnout.

Beyond the acting seen on stage, lots of work goes on leading up to the performance. Senior Continuing Assistant Professor in Theatre and Dance Larissa McConnell led the costume design and production team. She appreciates that her costume shop student employees “are eager to tackle any project thrown at them, from Alf’s body padding to Mollusk padding, to mermaid skirts and wigs. No matter what it is, there is a willingness to jump in and make the best costumes they can.”

McConnell praised Senior Mar Rodriguez-Guzman, the Associate Costume Designer who designed the mermaids Alf, Ted, and Mrs. Bumbrake. “I loved guiding her through the design process and watching her learn to collaborate, research, design, re-evaluate her decisions, and then bring her designs through the costume shop for the workers to bring to life,” McConnell said.

She also mentioned Senior Myra Nelson who worked on Mrs. Bumbrake’s skirt as her Costume Technology focus. “She was able to interpret the design, create the pattern, and then sew it all together. The skirt is much more complicated than it may appear and Myra was able to make it look amazing,” McConnell said.

MacCarthy invites everyone to come see Peter and the Starcatcher. “Theater is one of the few things that we do as a community and come and experience together”, MacCarthy said. He hopes that people will come to the show and, through watching the characters “go through a journey of transformation”, will “learn a little bit about themselves.”

So bring your family and come on down to see Peter and the Starcatcher next week!