As the 2021 academic and sports year has begun so has the Theatre department. As always, they are kicking things off with a Fall play. This year the Wooster Theatre Department has chosen Peter and the Starcatcher. This play, written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson based on a series of books, was made specifically for a smaller and more intimate theatre company which works perfectly for the Black Box.

Around 12 people auditioned for the play on September 8th and 9th. This smaller group of people actually worked out for the better according to senior Alex Ancona. She has been participating in Wooster theatre since 6th grade and will be playing the role of Molly Darling. She says, "The great thing about Wooster theatre is that everyone gets a part." The audition process started with each person auditioning with a prepared short story or monologue and a sea shanty (a sea shanty is a type of traditional folk song that was often sung to accompany labor on ships and boats). The next day was used for improv games. This allowed the auditioners to show their strengths in areas such as physical comedy which is an important aspect of this play. The final day was callbacks where each member was given a specific part to read for. This ultimately helped the director, Ms. Simard, cast the show.

For those not familiar with this play, it is essentially a prequel to Peter Pan. It features characters such as Molly Darling, the mother of Wendy, John, and Michael. Without giving too much away, this play addresses the backstory of characters like Molly but also the adventures Peter had before he met the Darling children. Music Theatre International (linked below) describes this play as "playfully explores the depth of greed and despair...and the bonds of friendship, duty, and love." This play includes evil Kings, otherworldly cargo, starcatchers, and pirates! Click the link below to learn more about this exciting play.

The Theatre department has been through a lot regarding COVID. This year, rules and regulations have been a lot different than last year. The cast and crew follow the same 'mask off outside if vaccinated but on while inside' rules. Sophomore Will Thaler mentions, "We are a mostly-vaccinated community now. We're actually able to do an in-person, onstage show, which is great." He will play the role of Peter Pan. The only precaution planned for the shows is that actors will wear clear masks to protect other cast members, audience members, and themselves while still being able to display their facial expressions accurately.

Rehearsals are everyday 4:00 to 5:30 and the 3 shows will be November 12th and 13th. One on the 12th at 7:30 and two on the 13th at 2:00 and 7:30.

https://www.mtishows.com/peter-and-the-starcatcher

^more information on what Peter and the Starcatcher is about