Fly to Well’s theater to see Peter Pan

Kiersten Fuhr - Staff Writer

Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, directed by Professor Todd Quick, will be the second show of the 2023-2024 season at Wells Theater. This adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s beloved story by the Royal Shakespeare Company follows Peter Pan, Wendy, Michael, and John Darling, Captain Hook, Smee, the lost boys, pirates, Tiger Lily, and Tinker Bell in their adventures in Neverland and “restores the play to J.M. Barrie’s original intentions.”

Peter Pan is a play for all ages. “In selecting a stage adaptation for production, I sought a version that would allow us as artists and audiences to embrace the quality that makes Peter so remarkable: his unwavering ability to transform the everyday into the extraordinary with the strength of his imagination,” said Quick. “And that is what this adaptation from the Royal Shakespeare Company does. With a little fairy dust, a bit of faith, and a whole lot of imagination, we can transform our little bit of stage here in the Wells Theater into a London nursery, a magical island, a lagoon, a pirate ship, and everywhere in between. We can make the everyday into the extraordinary. Through the Storyteller characters, we get to hear from J. M. Barrie himself, who reminds the actors and audience alike that they “must wear a child’s outlook on life as their only important adornment.” May we all be so lucky to hold fast to that outlook. For the last six weeks, the remarkable cast and creative team of Peter Pan have allowed me to do just that, and I am deeply grateful.”

The show is produced with the help of the department’s community partners: The Buchanan Center for the Arts, United Way of Greater Warren County, and the Galesburg Community Foundation. The cast is a mix of community members of all ages and Monmouth College students. This show will include live pre-show music performed by various cast members.

Parts of this show were possible thanks to On The Fly Productions LLC., based in St. Louis. They helped the department achieve a first for Wells Theater: allowing actors to fly.

Shows are November 16 – 18 at 7:30 pm and November 18 and 19 at 2 pm. Tickets are available through the box office at Well’s Theater or online at https://www.purplepass.com/#u61829/Monmouth_College_Department_of_Theater.html, however almost all shows are nearly sold out.