Peter And The Starcatcher

Peter and the Starcatcher

Directed by Eric Margerum
Produced by Linda Kingry

The Vanity Theater
Crawfordsville, IN

Friday, April 12, 2024 at 7:00pm
Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 7:00pm
Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 2:30pm

Friday, April 19, 2024 at 7:00pm
Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 2:30pm
Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 2:30pm

Cast List

Black StacheDaniel Simmons
MollyShaeleigh Hreskowsky
Boy (Peter)Ben Oppy
GrempkinAvery Hannum
MackMadilyn Biddle
SánchezAubrey Finney
Fighting PrawnJackson Persack
Mrs. BumbrakeNikki Grider
TeacherMiciah Maish
SlankJosh Hampton
Hawking ClamPhebie Heath
SmeeNathan Woosley
GreggorsAlivia Lowe
PrentissTovi Powell
AlfDustin Gardner
AsterSarah Sieferman
Captain ScottJudah Hoenshell
TedLily Mycroft
Puppets: (cat, bird, Mr. Grin)Keira Toomey
EnsembleEverleigh Morgan,
Braelin Goins,
Charlotte Powell,
Ada Simmons

Synopsis

Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair… and the bonds of friendship, duty and love.

A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure.

Character Descriptions

Ages are listed as a general guide/target.
All genders will be considered for all roles.

Black Stache (Age: 30 to 50)
A notorious pirate, terrorizing the seven seas in search of a worthy adversary. Heartless, hirsute, and suspiciously well read. Partial to the poetical and theatrical, which causes him to behave quite flamboyantly.

Molly Aster (Age: 13 to 25)
A young girl and Starcatcher apprentice who is taken aboard the Neverland as precious cargo. Curious and intelligent, she is only beginning to understand the confusing romantic longings that come with her age. She will risk anything for the sake of what is right.

Boy/Peter (Age: 13 to 25)
A lonely and hardened orphan who doesn’t miss much. Nameless, homeless, and friendless at the beginning of the play and a hero by the end. He wants a home and a family more than anything, and dreams of a life of being free.

Grempkin (Age: 40 to 60)
The schoolmaster of St. Norbert’s Orphanage for Lost Boys. Mean and malodorous, he revels in keeping his boys in the dark and malnourished. Optional Doublings include: FIGHTING PRAWN; MACK; SÁNCHEZ.

Mrs. Bumbrake (Age: 40 to 60)
Molly’s nanny, a stereotypical British cad and outfitted with the duty of teaching Molly about womanhood. She still has enough charm in her age to attract a sailor or two. Optional Doubling as TEACHER.

Bill Slank (Age: 35 to 55)
The vicious orphaned captain of the Neverland. Does not possess the capacity to lead anyone but himself, which puts himself constantly in disaster. Greedy enough to send boys to their doom for the chance of gaining starstuff. Optional Doubling as HAWKING CLAM.

Smee (Age: 25 to 55)
Black Stache’s first mate. He is single-mindedly dedicated to his captain’s every whim.

Prentiss (Age: 13 to 25)
An orphan, ambitious, hyper articulate, and logical. He yearns to be leader, even when he knows in his heart that he’ll never be one. A bit of a blowhard with a touch of cowardice.

Alf (Age: 50 to 65)
A seafarer, an old sea dog proud of his tenure. His kind heart gives him an appeal to the feminine sensibility.

Lord Leonard Aster (Age: 40 to 60)
Molly’s father, a loyal subject to the Queen. The very model of a Victorian English gentleman, he is a faithful friend and a secret Starcatcher.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott (Age: 35 to 45)
Lord Aster’s old school friend, the captain of the Wasp, Britain’s fastest frigate. Lives with nautical bravura and heroic patriotism.

Ted (Age: 13 to 25)
An orphan obsessed with food. A natural performer with easy wit and quite poetic language.

Puppeteer(s)
Cat, Bird, and/or Crocodile (Mr. Grin)

Ensemble
Sailors; Seamen; Seafarers; Orphans; Pirates; Mermaids; Mollusks; Narrators