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"Peter/Wendy"

Jeremy Bloom's adaptation of Peter Pan draws it's text from two different J.M. Barrie classics: "Peter Pan" and "The Little White Bird". The language is very poetic and the narrative has a non-linear flow to create a unique and magical theatrical space. Our production explores some of the deeper and darker themes that lie under the surface of the Peter Pan story. I found inspiration for this production in the world of alternative spiritualism, cults, and modern tribalism. These belief systems all seek to create community, typically built around the teachings of a powerful central leader or guru.

As followers of Peter Pan, the Lost Boys are a tribe with a cultish devotion to their leader. Peter promises magic, adventure, and eternal youth in Neverland -- but there is an exchange that must be made. To be a Lost Boy you must forsake your life and live with the group. Your identity becomes one with the tribe. Your name is no longer yours. Much of your autonomy and personal identity is sacrificed at the altar of Neverland.

While alternative systems of belief and communities are not inherently bad, we know that often isolated groups like the Lost Boys become breeding grounds for abuses of power. Peter occupies an almost god-like position within his group, with Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily as his lieutenants. As former members, Hook and Smee are "pirates" attempting to curb Peter's power and help those still inside the group. Wendy is brought to Neverland as the newest Lost Boy. We follow her journey as she is promised the beauty of life in Neverland, joins the tribe, begins to see the cracks in the facade, and ultimately forces the group to schism when she is no longer willing to pay the price that Peter has asked. She returns to the nursery forever changed, but knowing who she is and having learned the important lesson of: "all that glitters is not gold".

While our story may take some deep twists away from the classical "Peter Pan", it teaches us important concepts. Through seeing the darkness we appreciate the light that we have. We value our lives and our families, be they blood related or chosen. We nourish the healthy relationships we have with those we love. And just as Wendy learns to fly, we cling to our happy thoughts to lift us up when we get pulled into the darkness.

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