The Arden Theatre Company Presents...

Adapted for the stage by Douglas IrvineFrom the books by J.M. BarrieDirected by David O’Connor

F. Otto Haas StageDecember 2, 2009 - January 24, 2010

What’s Inside?There are lots of really neat things that can be found in this study guide. Some pages will give you more information about the play and who helped make it happen; while others

have some fun activities related to the Neverland adventures of Peter Pan!

Just take a look…

* Bringing Neverland to Life!

* Peter’s Adventures Take Flight

* The Man Behind Imagination: J.M. Barrie

* What Does Your Neverland Look Like?

* STEAMPUNK!

* Behind the Scenes: Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews

* Puppet Friends!

* Flight from Neverland

* Telling Time with Peter Pan!

* Design Your Own Puppet

* Books vs. Movies vs. Theatre

* What do you think?

Bringing Neverland to Life!Ever wonder what it takes to put on a show? A lot of people…and A LOT of hard work! We get to see the people that say the words and bring the characters to life on stage, but we don’t always get to see

the many people who help behind the scenes, truly making the play a great success!

CastPeter Pan.....................................................................................Chris Bresky Hook.....................................................................................................Frank X Wendy.....................................................................................Jacqueline RealJane/ Nana/ Tinker Bell/ Twins/ Tiger Lily/ Bill Jukes..........Bi Jean NgoMrs. Darling/ Tootles/ Twins/ Starkey....................................Sarah SanfordMichael/ Slightly/ Smee............................................................David Sweeny

Creative TeamDirector..................................................................................David O’ConnorScenic Designer..........................................................................Tom GleesonCostume Designer.................................................................Richard St. ClairLighting Designer............................................................................Matt FreySound Designer & Composer....................................................Daniel KlugerPuppet Designer................................................Morgan FitzPatrick AndrewsStage Manager.........................................................................Stephanie Cook

Assistant Director..........................................................................Sarah Ollove

Peter’s Adventures Take Flight

The Story of Peter Pan

The scene now transports back in time. Wendy is a little girl. Her mother, Mrs. Darling, is questioning her about the unusal leaves left outside her window. Wendy is certain they are from Peter. Mrs. Darling does not believe her. According to Wendy, Peter flies through the window. This is impossible! The window is nearly three stories up...but the leaves are real...they had to appear somehow... One night, Mrs. Darling falls asleep. As she sleeps, she has a dream of strange place and a strange boy. The nursery windows fly open, and we can see Peter’s shadow! There is also a strange light that darts about the room. Peter gnashes his teeth at Mrs. Darling, and she awakes with a scream!

Mrs. Darling looks for the little boy, but all that’s left is his shadow. She balls it up and puts it safely in a drawer. Later that week, Wendy and Michael are tucked in bed. Mrs. Darling is just about to leave for dinner. Nana barks in the yard below. Wendy knows that is not Nana’s happy bark. She smells danger! Mrs. Darling turns out the nightlights and the adventure begins!

Once again, the strange light darts about the room. It is Peter’s fairy, Tinker Bell. Finding the shadow, silly Peter attempts to stick it on with soap. When this does not work, Peter begins to cry. Wendy wakes and helps Peter sew on his shadow and the two become friends. Peter tells Wendy that he and the lost boys live in a magical place called Neverland. Wendy and Michael agree to fly away with him!

We are transported to Neverland, a world of imagination, fairies, and pirates! We see the great Captain Hook and his men. Hook wants to catch all of boys, especially Peter Pan. It was Peter who cut off Hook’s hand a fed it to the crocodile. To this day, Hook has a terrifying fear of that croc, which follows him from land to sea, licking his lips for the rest of him! Luckily for Hook, the crocodile swallowed a clock…tick-tock-tick-tock… he can always hear the crocodile coming… The lost boys wait excitedly await Peter’s arrival. Nibs tells the boys that he has seen a great white bird. Tink tells Tootles that Peter wants them to shoot the Wendy. Tootles shoots her down. Suddenly, the boys realize that Wendy is not a bird, but rather, a lady. Peter has sent her to be their mother. Luckily, Wendy is saved. Angry, Peter sends Tink away. Together, the boys build a house for their mother.

As the lights come up, Wendy acts as the narrator. She is all grown up! Now, she is married and has Jane, a daughter of her own. Jane loves to play make-believe. Putting her daughter to bed, Jane begs her mother to tell her about Neverland and her fantastic adventures with Peter Pan. Curious to learn more, Jane snuggles into bed, as Wendy explains how she first heard of Peter Pan.

At Marooner’s Rock, Peter and Wendy see Smee, Starkey, and their captive, Tiger Lily. In the voice of Hook, Peter demands they set Tiger Lily free. The pirates obey “their” captain’s wishes. Across the water, they hear the real Hook. Thinking it is a joke, they pirates tell him they have released her. Hook has been tricked. Thinking it is a spirit, Hook cries out, and Peter tells Hook he is a “codfish!” Peter battles Hook. Within minutes, Hook is flailing in the water, dodging the croc and Peter and Wendy are left alone. Peter is injured and cannot fly or swim. Michael’s kite brushes against Peter. He ties the kite around Wendy and she sails away.

Wendy tells the story her family and their Neverland adventure. Wendy knows her mother will always leave the nursery window open. Jealous, Peter does not like the story. He tells the others his mother forgot about him and shut the window. Michael is scared and begs Wendy to go home! Refusing to argue, Peter agrees. Wendy is certain her parents will adopt all of the boys. But, Peter will not budge. Wendy and the boys say goodbye to Peter.

Suddenly, they hear the sound of a pirate and Indian attack! All of the children wait, silently under the ground to hear who has won. The tom-tom beats. The Indians have won! Once again, they say goodbye to Peter, leaving the house. Once outside, the pirates capture all of the children and take them to the pirate ship.

Peter falls asleep, and Hook sneaks into the house. He slips poison into Peter’s medicine. Tink returns and tells Peter it is poisoned. Peter does not believe her. He goes to drink the medicine, but Tinker Bell drinks it instead. Tink was right. It was poisoned. Peter cries out to all of the children, everywhere, asking them to clap their hands to show they believe. The applause roars and once again, Tinker Bell’s light shines brightly.

Just as Wendy is about to walk to the plank, Hook hears crocodile. Hook hides. It is not the crocodile, but rather, Peter. He hides inside the cabin. Once the sound passes, Hook tells his men to go into the cabin. It appears to be haunted. Hook enters to fetch the “doodle-doo.” A spirit blows out the light. The pirates place all of the boys in the cabin and let them fight the “doodle doo!”

Sneaking out of the cabin, Peter takes Wendy’s place. When the pirates return, they realize it is not Wendy, but Peter Pan! A battle erupts! Pan fights Hook. Furious, Hook goes to light the cannon. Peter and the boys wrestle the bomb from Hook. Tick-tock! The sound of the crocodile is heard. Hook knows he is defeated!

Back in the nursery, Mrs. Darling dreams night after night of seeing her children again. Although she doesn’t know, Wendy and Michael have returned. They surprise their mother. Suddenly, Wendy sees Peter at the window. Wendy’s mother will surly adopt him. Peter refuses. Mrs. Darling tells Wendy that she may visit Peter once a year for spring cleaning.

The scene once again transports to the present. Just as Wendy tucks Jane into bed, Peter appears at the window. He does not notice that Wendy has grown old. Peter looks in the bed for Michael. He discovers Jane. Jane begs her mother to go to Neverland with Peter. She agrees and the legend of Peter Pan lives on!

James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish author and dramatist. James was more commonly known as J.M. Barrie. He is most famous for writing the legendary story of Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up!

J.M. Barrie was born in Scotland on May 9, 1860. Being the nineth of ten children, J.M. clearly came from a very large family! His dad, David, was a successful weaver and mother, Margaret, worked in home, taking care of her many children. Although J.M. was a small child (he only grew to be 5ft. 3 ½in.), James drew attention to himself by telling fabulous stories. As a boy, James loved to read and play make believe games. His mother would tell him wonderful stories a great adventures and pirates! With his friends, he would play pirates. Together, they created many characters and ideas that would one day become the tale of Peter Pan. Unfortunately, when James was 6 years old his brother David passed away. David was only a year older than James. Barrie’s mother adored David and thought of him as her favorite son. When he passed away, James’ mother became terribly sad. J.M. would dress up and entertain his mother, attempting to fill his role and make her happy. Although, Margaret missed her son, she found comfort in the fact he would never have to grow up and could remain a boy forever.

The Man Behind ImaginationJ.M. Barrie

J.M. wanted to go to school to become an author, but his family insisted he study to be a minister. Because of this, James went to the University of Edinburgh, where he wrote reviews of plays for a local news paper. James became greatly interested in the theatre. He would take books and turn them into plays for the stage.

James wrote Peter Pan as a tribute to the sons of his friends Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies. Before it was a play, Peter Pan was a small story in a 1902 book by Barrie called The Little White Bird. The play Peter Pan started out as skits acted out for (and with) the sons of Sylvia and Arthur. Because the skits were so popular, Barrie wrote the full-length play! However, Barrie’s script was originally rejected because it was so large and complicated. However, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up went on to become one of the most popular plays of all time! The play first premired at on December 27, 1904 a t the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. It was not until years later, in 1911 that J.M. finally turned his fantastic story into a book, Peter and Wendy.

Peter Pan is a fantasy, but not any mere fairy tale. Like Peter Pan himself, Barrie was a boy who refused to grow up. Barrie took his love of children, and his own longing for childhood and shaped them into one of the best-loved stories of all time. Later in life, Barrie received many great literary honors, and after a long life, he died on June 19, 1937.

What Does Your Neverland Look Like?

Without a doubt, many of you have seen or are very familiar with the story of Peter Pan. Maybe you saw the Disney movie? Or possibly, you have seen the movie Hook? Perhaps you have even read the book? Regardless, the Arden’s Peter Pan is certain to tell the story in a way you have NEVER seen before!!!!

STEAMPUNK!Our Fantasy-Grunge Concept

When creating a play, the director must select a concept or general vision for the show. Once this is decided, all of the designers work hand-in-hand with the director to bring this world to life. In our case, Peter Pan’s Director, David O’Connor, selected the concept of Steampunk. Together, with the help of the creative team, we are transported into a

Steampunk: What is it?!?!

What is steampunk, you might ask? Steampunk is a form of fantasy that became popular in the

1980s and early 90s. This world mixes advanced technology (think computers and mechanical gears…

right now!) with an altered past (think Victorian Era England…looong time ago!) Steampunk has a

grungy and rough, yet fantastical feel!

+ =

Modern Technology

Victorian Time Period

STEAMPUNK!

STEAMPUNK: Creative Team Makin’ It Happen!

As the director, it is David’s job to work with the actors, helping them to understand the story so they can tell the audience. The director may also help the actors decide where to go on stage or how

By designing the set, the scenic designer physically transports us into the world of the play. Tom’s design shows the steel steampunk gears we mentioned before. Our scenic painter, Kristina, worked hard to make the set seem old, painting with grungy-rust colors! With the help of Meredith, our props master, the set has been covered with tons of old fashioned trunks, books, toys, and even movie projectors!

Director: David O’Connor

Scenic Designer: Tom Gleeson

An extremely important part of lighting designer Matt Frey’s job is making sure the audience can actually see the actors on stage! In addition, he uses light to create the scene’s mood. Bright lights may make the scene seem happy or adventurous. While dark lighting may make us feel nervous or scared!

Lighting Designer: Matt Frey

As the costume designer, Richard St. Clair chooses each of the costumes the characters wear. For each character, he creates a “rendering” or costume sketch, like the one you see of Peter Pan. Sometimes the costumes are built specifically for the character, but sometimes the designer looks at many stores to shop for the perfect clothes!

Costume Designer: Richard St. Clair

Behind the Scenes: Puppet Desinger

Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews

What is the most challenging part of designing puppets for Peter Pan?

What puppet did you have the most fun creating?

The puppets in this production of Peter Pan are all made from found objects—kitchen gadgets, gardening tools, beauty supplies, cleaning products, and assorted bits of junk. It’s always a puzzle building puppets this way, looking at a hairbrush and wondering if it can be a hand or a shin or a mohawk or maybe all three. The objects that we used were each made for one purpose and one purpose alone—a wateringcan was originally meant to water houseplants, not to be someone’s head! As a result there’s a lot of testing out the puppets to see howthey move and if they get injured. We have to constantly take them back and forth between the rehearsal stage and the workshop, taking them apart and rebuilding them to meet the actors’ needs until we come up with the puppets that you finally see on stage.

All of them were really fun because each one is different. Slightly and Nibs came first and were built to be lanky and loose and full of bits and pieces of junk. The Twins and Tootles came next and are stouter, sturdier puppets with fewer elements in their makeup. Somewhere in there came Tink, envisioned as a light-up bug made from plastic bottles and bubble wrap. There are also shadow puppets which are some of the most ancient and universal sorts of puppets that appear in puppet plays all over the world. There’s never a dull moment in puppet making!

What made you decide to become a puppet designer?

How long does it take to create a puppet?

A puppet can be made over the course of one minute, one day, one week or one year depending on the complexity of its design. My favorite puppets are just flat characters cut out of cardboard, or taking utensils from the kitchen drawer and using them to put on plays. It’s fun to make things like Tinkerbell or the Lost Boys that you see in this production of Peter Pan, but it doesn’t need to be that complicated to achieve the same effect of using everyday object to tell stories.

My love for making these sorts of puppets comes from my passion for recycling. The recycling symbol—the three arrows that point to each other in a triangle—means “Reduce” and “Re-use” as well as “Recycle.” By making puppets out of used bits of junk we’re not just re-using these items, but also reducing the amount of new things that need to manufactured—we don’t have to go to the store and buy things when our recycling bins and basements are full of old things that are just waiting to be given new life! Yesterday an old teapot, a washboard and a garden hose each served a certain purpose and today they are puppets. It makes me wonder: What will these things become tomorrow?

Puppet Friends!

Draw a line to Match Peter’s Puppet Friends with their Character

TOOTLES

NIBS

TWINS

SLIGHTLY

Flight from Neverland

Help Wendy & Michael Find Their Way Back to their Nursery Window!

Neverland

Nusery

Telling Time with Peter Pan!

Directions: Read each word problem. Figure out what time the answer to the word problem is and draw the hands into the clock to represent that time.

Peter Pan arrives at the Darlings’ window at 5pm. It takes him twenty minutes to wake Wendy, Michael and John. Ten minutes after that, they think of happy thoughts and are able to fly. After a short flight of fifteen minutes they land. What time do they arrive in Neverland?

Captain Hook is waiting for Peter Pan. It is 3:25 in the afternoon. He paces on the deck of his pirate ship for five minutes. He talks to Smee for ten minutes. He then eats dinner for thirty-five minutes. He yells to Smee and asks what time it is. What time is it?

Tinkerbell plays with the Lost Boys for forty – five minutes. She jealously watches Peter and Wendy for fifteen minutes. She gets very tired and her light goes out at 9PM. What time did she start playing with the Lost Boys?

Design Your Own Puppet

Pick your favorite Peter Pan Character and design your own puppet at home. You only need a few

household objects and a whole lot of CREATIVITY!

MATERIALS• A Clean Sock• Yarn• Scrap Paper• Wiggly Eyes• Craft Glue• Felt• Scissors• Markers• Craft Pompoms• Creativity!

Directions:

1. Save a single clean sock that will fit loosely over your hand.

2. Gather your craft supplies such as yarn, scrap paper, wiggly eyes, craft glue, felt scissors, markers, or pompoms!

3. Sketch your puppet! Similar to costume sketches; draw what you want your puppet to look like.

4. Place hand in sock with thumb and fore fingers working like a mouth.

5. Mark lightly with the marker where you would like your eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.

6. Cut ears and mouth from felt and glue in marked areas with fabric glue.

7. Glue wiggly eyes in marked areas8. Add additional pompoms or yarn to create

your character.9. Use your imagination to bring your puppet to

life!

Arden Theatre Company’s Production

Books vs. Movies vs. Theatre

J.M. Barrie’s Novel

Walt Disney’s Movie

What do you think?Here are some questions that will get you thinking about the play and the story of Peter Pan just a little bit more. These are good to talk about in a group or to write

out what you think.

1. How did you feel when you first came into the theatre? Did your opinion change when you left?

2. Place yourself in the shoes of the Darling children, would you choose to fly off to Neverland with Peter? Why or why not?

3. If you could play any character in our production of Peter Pan, what part would you like to play?

4. Peter explains that if you want to fly, you must think lovely thoughts. What are your lovely thoughts?

5. As you saw, the creative team plays a big role in any theatrical production. What was your favorite creative element? (Costumes, Scenic, Lighting, Puppets)

6. Think back to the performance, what was your favorite moment of the show? Why was it your favorite and how did it make you feel?

7. If you had the choice, would you stay young forever, like Peter Pan, or would you grow-up?