PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

A New Play by Rick Elice Directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson Friday, February 18th, 2011 Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Study Guide for Students and Teachers

Dear Educator, Thank you for bringing your students to New York Theatre Workshops production of Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers. In order to help you make this the fullest experience for your students, weve prepared this Study Guide with articles, background information, and jumping-off points for class discussion. We hope you find it useful! If you have any comments or suggestions for future Guides, please dont hesitate to contact me at BrynT@nytw.org. We welcome you and your students to our theatre, and we hope to see you at New York Theatre Workshop again soon. To learn more about our Education Initiatives, please visit www.nytw.org/education.asp. Enjoy the performance. Sincerely,

NYTWs Education Initiatives provide access to the vision and methods of the artist, and enable audiences of all ages to participate in a community of dynamic learning where the developmental process, the final production, and the surrounding exchange of ideas have a profound impact on all involved. These initiatives strive to bring all members of our artistic family, which includes our audience members, closer to the creative process. As we often collaborate with artists whose work takes risks and challenges theatrical forms, the artistic process at NYTW rarely follows a defined path. Our education initiatives embrace this iconoclastic approach, allowing us to craft each program and partnership with detail and creativity. Learning Workshop is NYTWs multidisciplinary theatre education program that supports middle and high school students creative development as artists and audience members by critically engaging them in the artistic process surrounding our productions. With continual input from New York City public school educators, theatre artists, community advocates, and NYTW staff members, Learning Workshop strives to achieve key goals: Promote students critical thinking through the medium of theatre By introducing students to provocative and challenging theatre and fostering their understanding and discussion of performances, NYTW aims to enrich young peoples visual, textual, and critical literacies. Increase cultural participation among young people By engaging students in the collaborative process of theatre-making and offering them the opportunity to connect theatre to their own coursework and lives, NYTW hopes to increase youth attendance at, involvement in, and advocacy for the performing arts. Build a greater sense of community By including students in meaningful conversations with our artists and the activities that make up the fabric of the organization, NYTW hopes to grow meaningful relationships with the students at our partner schools and encourage them to think of NYTW as a resource and creative space to return to in the future.
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Bryn Thorsson Director of Education NYTWs Education Initiatives are made possible through the generous encouragement of Con Edison, the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, the Michael Tuch Foundation, the Manhattan Borough Presidents Office, the Office of Council Member Margaret Chin and the New York State Council for the Arts-Empire State Partnership. Study Guide researched and written by Christine Drew Benjamin, Education Intern

An Insiders View of Rehearsals Photos: Stephanie Warren

A Brief History
Where did Peter Pan come from? A few years ago, this question was asked by the daughters of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson as they stood in line for the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland in Southern California. To answer this question, the two authors decided to create their own tale. It began as a bedtime story they told their daughters before they fell asleep, and quickly developed into a best selling childrens story within a few years time. In 2004, Barry and Pearsons novel Peter and the Starcatchers was released. Inspired by the book, playwright Rick Elice teamed up with directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers to create a play based on the adventures of Peter and his friend Molly. After a 2007 workshop at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the La Jolla Playhouse presented a workshop production of Peter and the Starcatchers in 2009. Since then, the creators have continued to develop the script, and are now bringing it to New York Theatre Workshop with a wonderful cast that truly illuminates this imaginative tale.

Christian Borle

Adam Chanler-Berat

Inside the Workshop

Check out a video of Andrew Keenan-Bolgers visit with Peter and the Starcatcher at New York Theatre Workshop: youtube.com/nytheatreworkshop79
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Creative team of Peter and the Starcatcher

The cast of Peter and the Starcatcher Photos: Stephanie Warren 3

Follow the course of J.M. Barries beloved character as his story develops throughout the ages.

Peter Pan Timeline

1860
J.M. Barrie was born in Scotland on May 9th, 1860. He was one of ten children. His brother, David, died at the age of fourteen, which greatly influenced Barries writing and the creation of the boy who lived forever.

1904
Peter Pan was first presented as a play at the Duke of Yorks Theatre in London on December 27th, 1904.

1911
Barrie adapted his own play of Peter Pan into a novel entitled Peter and Wendy.

Nina Boucicault played the part of Peter, which began a tradition of casting adult women in that role.

1929 - 1937
Around 1929, Barrie gave all rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond St. Hospital. The hospital has continued to earn royalties since Barries death in 1937.

1924
After Jerome Kern added two songs to the revival of Peter Pan in 1924, Leonard Bernstein added six songs to a new Broadway production in 1950. Jerome Robbins conceived and directed a new musical version starring Mary Martin. The production was broadcast on NBC in 1954.

1977
Neverland, a futuristic, sci-fi, rock nroll version of Peter Pan debuted at the Kennedy Center Music Lab in Washington, D.C. It was written by Jim Steinman, and some songs were later included on Meat Loafs album Bat Out of Hell.

1989
Peter Pan no Boken, a Japanese animated TV series, premiered.

1991
Steven Spielberg directed Hook, a live-action movie about an adult Peter Pan (played by Robin Williams) who returns to Neverland.

1997
Mabou Mines experimental stage production employing puppets premiered in New York. Peter and Wendy will return to the New Victory Theater and run from May 6-22, 2011.

2004
Johnny Depp starred as J.M. Barrie in the biographical movie Finding Neverland. The film was based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee and the book J. M. Barrie and the Lost Boys by Andrew Birkin.

2004
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearsons novel Peter and the Starcatchers was published.

2009
The stage adaptation of Peter and the Starcatchers by Rick Elice was first staged at La Jolla Playhouse.

2011
Peter and the Starcatcher begins rehearsals at New York Theatre Workshop and runs from March 9, 2011 April 3, 2011.

Adaptations
Peter Pan is an iconic character who has been represented by a variety of artists and emerged in many different literary forms over the past century. J. M. Barrie himself even adapted his original play into an expanded story of Peter Pan, the novel Peter and Wendy. Since then, we have seen him portrayed in cartoons, featured in films, represented as a puppet, and played on stage by men and women of all ages. Artists have set his story to music and discussed his origins, such as in Finding Neverland. He has even appeared as an adult in Hook and a young orphan in Peter and the Starcatchers, the prequel to J. M. Barries original novel. Through these various adaptations, it is interesting to see the influence Peter Pan has had on artists, and the many different stories that are derived from the classic tale. ACTIVITY Compare and contrast two different adaptations of the Peter Pan story (many prominent examples are noted on the Timeline.) What do you think makes Peter such a compelling character for so many artists? Why are we attracted to the Boy Who Never Grows Up? How is he represented in each adaptation? What common themes do you see? From the stage to screen to novel to cartoon what are the strengths and disadvantages of each story-telling medium? What choices do you think an adaptor needs to make when constructing a story in each various medium? Where are these choices apparent in each adaptation?

Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel, or an origin story, in which the authors imagine how an orphan without a name became Peter Pan. ACTIVITY Ask your students to brainstorm a list of their favorite childhood stories. Working individually or in groups, ask students to come up with a prequel to a story of their choice. Then ask students to select the most dramatic moment of their prequel story to write as a scene from a play. It should include two characters (minimum) and be about 3 - 5 pages in length. Reflection: How did you select the most dramatic moment of your piece? How do you think playwrights craft a dramatic text adapted from a longer novel? What choices do they make about what to show on stage?
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What is a Prequel?

A Pirates Life for Me

In the performance of Peter and the Starcatcher, the actors create the world of the play pirate ships, fantastical creatures, magical islands using only their bodies, voices, imaginations, and a few minimal props. ACTIVITY Create a Pirate Ship Out of Thin Air! 1. Ask one student to begin a pantomimed, repeated motion that you might find on a pirate ship (such as swabbing the deck, hoisting the sails, or being on lookout.) 2. The next student enters the scene, contributing with another action they believe is associated with the environment they see before them. 3. One by one, each student enters the scene by investing in a new action. 4. Continue until each student is invested in the scene. 5. Ask students to work together to improvise movements that would occur during a storm or rocky waves. What choices can they make as an ensemble to make the ship come to life? 6. Repeat the activity above, but ask each student to add a sound to their motion or activity, creating a soundscape of a pirates life.

Throughout the script of Peter and the Starcatcher, Peter and Molly come face to face with many pirates in search of a valuable treasure chest. Below are some activities that incorporate the theme of piracy and sailing the high seas!
ACTIVITY How To Become a Pirate 1. Make paper pirate hats

Instructions: Start with a piece of paper. (Preferably a sheet of newspaper!) Fold the sheet of paper in half. Fold the top corners down towards the center of the page. Lift the front bottom flap and fold it up. Flip the paper over, then lift the bottom flap and fold it up. Your pirate hat is complete! 2. Choosing the right name for a pirate is very important. In Peter and the Starcatcher, the captain of the Sea Devil is named Black Stache, a reference to his facial hair! What other characteristics could be used to give a pirate a proper name? Remember, these names should be intimidating and fearful to anyone who utters them! 3. Find specific movements and gestures for your pirate. How do you walk? Do you have a wooden leg? Maybe you have one eye or a crooked back? Move around the classroom and interact with one another as the pirate you have become. 4. Begin speaking like a pirate using language such as Avast, ye maties! (Note: September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!)

Creators Bios
RICK ELICE Text Broadway: JERSEY BOYS (with Marshall Brickman; Tony, Olivier Awards Best Musical), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (with Marshall Brickman & Andrew Lippa). Regional: TURN OF THE CENTURY (with Marshall Brickman), DOUBLE DOUBLE (with Roger Rees; Williamstown, London), DOG AND PONY (New York Stage & Film). Film: Jersey Boys. ROGER REES Director Off-Broadway: MUD, RIVER, STONE (Playwrights Horizons), ARMS AND THE MAN (Roundabout), HERE LIES JENNY (Zipper). Regional: TAMING OF THE SHREW, RIVALS, LATE MIDDLE CLASSES, ANYTHING GOES, FILM SOCIETY, DOUBLE DOUBLE, HERRINGBONE (Williamstown); HERRINGBONE (La Jolla Playhouse); MERRY WIVES, LOVES LABOURS (Old Globe); TREEMONISHA, JUNIPER TREE, WHITE HOUSE CANTATA (Collegiate Chorale at Lincoln Center). TV: OZ (HBO). Roger Rees Director Off-Broadway: MUD, RIVER, STONE (Playwrights Horizons), ARMS AND THE MAN (Roundabout), HERE LIES JENNY (Zipper). Regional: TAMING OF THE SHREW, RIVALS, LATE MIDDLE CLASSES, ANYTHING GOES, FILM SOCIETY, DOUBLE DOUBLE, HERRINGBONE (Williamstown Theatre Festival); HERRINGBONE (La Jolla Playhouse); MERRY WIVES, LOVES LABOURS (Old Globe); TREEMON ISHA, FIREBRAND OF FLORENCE, WHITE HOUSE CANTATA (Collegiate Chorale). TV: OZ (HBO).

ALEX TIMBERS Director NYTW: A VERY MERRY UNAUTHORIZED CHIDRENS SCIENTOLOGY PAGEANT (OBIE Award). Broadway: BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON (Drama Desk, OCC Awards), THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW. Off-Broadway: HELL HOUSE (Drama Desk nom.), GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! (Drama Desk nom.), HEDDATRON, BOOZY, DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION (Les Freres Corbusier), THE LANGUAGE OF TREES (Roundabout). Artistic Director: Les Freres Corbusier.

DAVE BARRY Original Novel Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author of more than two dozen books, most recently Ill Mature When Im Dead. Along with Ridley Pearson, he is the co-author of Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, Peter and the Sword of Mercy, and Science Fair. Their newest collaboration is The Bridge to Never Land.

RIDLEY PEARSON Original Novel Ridley Pearson co-author of Peter and the Starcatchers with Dave Barry, is the award-winning author of the Kingdom Keepers series. (Kingdom Keepers IVPower Play hits bookstores on April 5). The recipient of the Raymond Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in Detective Fiction at Oxford University. Ridley has also written more than 25 best selling crime novels.

References and Further Reading

Barry, Dave and Ridley Pearson. Peter and the Starcatchers, New York: Dave Barry and Page One, Inc. and Disney Editions, 2004. Birkin, Andrew. J M Barrie and the Lost Boys, USA: Yale University Press and The Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity, 2003. Chasing the Frog. Finding Neverland (2004). Accessed February 2, 2011. http://chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/findingneverland.php Jmbarrie.co.uk. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Childrens Charity and Laurentic Wave Machine, 2009. http://www.jmbarrie.co.uk Knee, Allan. The Man Who Was Peter Pan. New York: 42nd Street Workshop, OffBroadway, March 1998. Knee, Allan and David Magee. Finding Neverland, USA: Miramax, 2004. Mabou Mines. Peter & Wendy. Accessed February 2, 2011. http://www.maboumines.org/productions/peter-and-wendy. Neverpedia. Neverpedia. Accessed February 2, 2011. http://www.neverpedia.com/pan/Main_Page

Videos and Podcasts

If you are interested in seeing Mary Martins performance in Peter Pan from the NBC broadcast in 1954, the majority of the film is available on YouTube. To hear writer Jack Hitt speak of a production of Peter Pan where everything you can possibly imagine goes awry, check out Act One. Opening Night. in This American Lifes podcast entitled FIASCO!.