PACE Youth Theatre’s Young Company will take to the stage with an exciting new production of Wendy and Peter Pan by acclaimed playwright Ella Hickson; a magical tale of pirates, fairies, friendship, and endless adventure for all the family.
First performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013, this version of J.M. Barrie’s much-loved story puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage, in an adaptation that is refreshingly modern but never loses the charm of the original.
Winter, 1909. Wendy Darling and her brothers sleep peacefully in their bedroom and as their parents bicker downstairs, their window suddenly blows open, and into their lives tumbles a mischievous boy called Peter, followed by a fractious fairy called Tink. With the aid of a little fairy dust, Wendy agrees to fly with Peter to Neverland, seeing not only the promise of an awfully big adventure, but also the chance to rediscover the key to her parents’ lost happiness. Once there, she will give the Lost Boys a run for their money, defeat Captain Hook and his pirate crew, and ultimately, learn what it means to grow up.
Wendy and Peter Pan will perform in PACE’s pop-up Art Department Theatre, based in a town centre shopping department, and will feature over 80 young actors aged 12-21. PACE Young Company is designed for young people who have shown exceptional skill in performance and/or another area of theatre and are focused and ready to work on a more demanding programme of theatre and performance.
There is also a group of young people assisting with the production design of the show as part of its Theatre Production Arts course, giving them practical experience of theatre set design, scenic painting, prop making and costume. Each of them will also be guided through the process of developing their own costume and set designs, which will then be displayed in an exhibition that audiences will also get to enjoy during the run.
The production is directed by PACE Artistic Director, Jenni Mason and Associate Director, Angela Orr. The production will feature original music by PACE’s Musical Director, Alan Orr, who has written and arranged music for PACE’s annual panto for over 15 years as well as for events and projects, and for several of Hopscotch Theatre’s productions.
PACE Artistic Director, Jenni Mason said: “Staging a production like this is exciting because it creates an opportunity for lots of our young people to have the experience of taking part in a fully staged show, in some cases for the first time, and to learn all the different skills involved with that.
“This is the first time our youth theatre members have had a chance to do something on this scale this for several years now, due to covid, so it feels especially important. This version of the Peter Pan story is fresh and contemporary and all the young people are involved are working really hard, so we can’t wait to share the finished production!”