GRANTS, NM – Friday, March 10, was the unveiling of the new Peter Pan play – the non-flying version. If you were unable to attend the packed performance that ran March 10 and 11 at the Grants High Performing Arts Center, you missed a real treat. The adapted version was written by Jon Jory and includes a female Captain Hook and a nonflying Peter Pan and Wendy though the two were able to rise above the ground thanks to movable ladders and a strong stage crew dressed in black.
Captain Hook, played by Cheyenne Vernon, was cunning and believable as the cantankerous archenemy to Peter Pan, played craftily by newcomer Reid Lambson. The stage crew moved stealthily throughout the production, helping the audience to believe that Neverland was as real as Tinkerbell, the pirates of the Jolly Roger, the Lost Boys, and the wanderers.
The committed and reliable crew of actors included Grants High students, one elementary school student, and one non-student community member. Creative costumes that included full pirate regalia and Lost Boy gear as well as Peter’s green tunic and hat were designed by Patricia Downing. Peter Pan was directed by veteran drama instructor Anissa Shaver, who has directed over fifty plays.