Playful, forgetful, a boastful daredevil, and self-centered; Peter Pan has been described in many ways. But one thing is for sure; he’s one of the most well loved childhood characters from the past century. Created by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan is a mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up. He’s also the main focus of St. Augustine Ballet’s upcoming performance of the same name ready to take the stage on Saturday, May 14th and Sunday, May 15th at Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium.
“It’s approximately a cast of 55 of what we like to call students, local celebrities and professionals,” explains Joy D’Elia, SAB’s production manager and communications director. “It’s really a fun show. Actually, the fun begins in the lobby because William McRea, known as Captain William Mayhem, plays Captain Hook again. Last year, he invited a lot of his pirate crew and they greeted audience members as they came in the lobby. Last year, as well as this year, we’re encouraging everybody to come dressed as a pirate or another character from Peter Pan.”
St. Augustine Ballet, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to creating dance opportunities for the community, opened rehearsals to all ballet students in the area. Says D’Elia, “Most of our cast is local student dancers. One thing about St. Augustine Ballet is that anybody who is currently taking ballet at any school or anywhere is free to join our cast.”
This is the second year that SAB has performed Peter Pan. D’Elia assures that there will be a few additions and surprises from last year’s performance.
“It’s quite the undertaking. Our set designer, Robert O’Leary, he works at Florida School for the Arts. He’s a professor of lighting and design and our scenic designer and the sets are just absolutely gorgeous. We’ll build upon last year’s set to make it even more exciting,” she says. “We don’t want it to be the same show that people saw last year. We want to keep it fresh like we do with the Nutcracker. It’s never the exact same show twice.”
St. Augustine Ballet’s Peter Pan will be held on Saturday, May 14th at 2pm and 7:30pm and Sunday, May 15th at 2pm in Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, located at 14 Granada Street. Tickets are $25 each can be purchased online or over the phone (855-222-2849). Last minute planners can purchase their tickets one hour prior to each shoe at the Lewis Auditorium, cash or checks only.
For more information on St. Augustine Ballet, visit them online.
