TheatreSquared presents Peter and the Starcatcher
Five-time Tony Award-winner is a grown-up prequel to Peter Pan
On stage in Fayetteville December 3, 2015–January 3, 2016
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — November 11, 2015 — On December 3, TheatreSquared will begin performances of the critically acclaimed Peter and the Starcatcher, a fast-paced theatrical adventure for audiences of all ages. Mark Shanahan (Around the World in 80 Days, The Quest for Don Quixote) will direct this new adaptation by Rick Elise, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, with music by Wayne Barker. Winner of five Tony Awards, the play is the innovative, grown-up retelling of how an angst-ridden orphan became the immortal Peter Pan. Performances are scheduled December 3, 2015 through January 3, 2016, Wednesdays through Sundays, at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios (505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville, AR 72701). Special holiday performances will be held at 2pm and 7:30pm on December 25, with free cookies and hot cocoa at intermission. Tickets range from $15-39 and are on sale now at (479) 443-5600 and theatre2.org. Following performances in Fayetteville, Peter and the Starcatcher will move to Little Rock as part of a co-production with the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
“Peter and the Starcatcher is full of wonderful belly laughs and extraordinary heart, and truly, it makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about Peter Pan,” said the play’s director, Mark Shanahan. “It’s a great joy in this digital age to sit in a theatre, alone with a group of strangers, and enjoy a good story well told. Our audience is in for an incredible adventure.”
Broadway veteran Mark Shanahan, who previously directed T2's "Around the World in 80 Days," returns to direct "Peter and the Starcatcher."
Peter and the Starcatcher will feature one of TheatreSquared’s largest casts to date, with 12 actors portraying more than 100 characters. The cast includes Seth Bridges (Proof), Marc Carver, Patrick Halley, Cary Hite, Bryce Kemph (Amadeus), Hugh Kennedy, Steve Pacek, Faith Sandberg, Nate Stahlke (Amadeus), Jason Shipman (Hamlet) and Bruce Warren (Around the World in 80 Days.) The production will also feature music and live foley effects performed by Jason Burrow and Cody Neilsen.
The lead creative team for Peter and the Starcatcher includes scenic designer James Fenton, lighting designer Martin Vreeland, music director Jason Burrow, fights director DC Wright, technical director Will Eubanks, costume designer Trish Clark, properties coordinator Brodie Jasch, and stage manager David Loranca.
Mark Shanahan returns to T2, where he has directed Around the World in 80 Daysand The Quest for Don Quixote. His directing work has been seen at The Alley Theatre, The Westport Country Playhouse, The Fulton Opera House, Merrimack Rep, Florida Rep, The Cape Playhouse, The Weston Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, Penguin Rep, The Hangar Theatre, and many more. As an actor, he has performed on Broadway and at theatres throughout New York (The 39 Steps, Tryst, Checkers) as well as numerous regional theaters including the Kennedy Center, The Denver Center, The Alley Theatre, Hartford Theatreworks, The Westport Country Playhouse and others. His play, The Dingdong, was developed at the 2015 Arkansas New Play Festival and opens off-Broadway at The Pearl Theatre in New York City in Spring 2016. He is a graduate of Brown University and holds an MA from Fordham University, where he also teaches.
The performance will run 2 hours and 20 minutes, including an intermission, and is suited for all ages. Tickets are on sale now at (479) 443-5600 and theatre2.org. The play is made possible in part by the Walmart Museum, Rosemary and George Faucette and Denise and Hershey Garner.