“Peter Pan” Delights! Reaches For New Level In Creativity

PYT’s Peter Pan flies high into the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts this weekend and next (November 9-17) with Loryn Hatten directing! Along with the Darling Family, there’s a band of thieving pirates, a group of hopelessly lost lost boys and even some very pink flamingoes!

Spotlight was able to ask her a few questions about what’s in store for audiences, so check out the interview!

Spotlight: Peter Pan is such a classic show and there have been so many interpretations including several done by PYT over the years.  Is this the first time you’ve directed this show anywhere and if so, why did you want to direct it?

Loryn: Yes, this is the first time I’ve ever directed Peter Pan. When I read a script as the Producing Artistic Director, I’m always looking for certain things: what does the show need? how does it work? does it suit our performers? etc. Usually, the process is pretty technical the first time reading through a script. Occasionally, however, something just clicks, and the story begins to unfold in my imagination as I’m reading in a vibrant and detailed way. Those scripts are always the ones I’m drawn to, and I felt that way as I dove into Peter Pan.

Spotlight: How are you putting your personal stamp on the show – any surprises store for the audience? 

Loryn: This production will be unlike any production of Peter Pan you’ve seen before. During auditions I told the actors our goal with this production is to “surprise and delight.” Peter Pan is a timeless story, one that nearly everyone knows. Our job is to make it new again. We’ve been striving to make the show truly magical by solving the traditional challenges of staging Peter Pan in new and exciting ways.

In approaching this show, I wanted to play with the idea of “lost and found.” When meeting with the design team I asked them to work from the concept of a “found object” Peter Pan. Object theatre is where you take everyday objects and turn them into what you need to tell the story by how you use them. This was a fun jumping off point for our artistic team, and though the production has developed past the original concept, you can still see it as the starting place for the design work. Andrew Breithaupt and Giada Conte have come up with a deceptively simple, and incredibly elegant set, where everything we discover in Neverland comes directly from the Darling Family Nursery. Peter Pan must be magical, and my goal was to have the magic come from our creativity in turning things you wouldn’t expect into other things. Bunk beds will become a fort and then a pirate ship. The bedding for the nursery will become the crocodile. Everything we see in the nursery will become part of Neverland.

Spotlight: Flying is usually a big challenge for this show, especially for those characters who fly, how are you handling that and are there any other challenges you are dealing with? 

We’re shaking up everything in this production, including how we handle flight. The traditional way to do it is with harnesses and pulleys, but it is an incredibly time consuming and expensive process. Only a few kids get to fly, and it eats up a significant amount of time in a very compressed tech schedule. In a traditionally staged Peter Pan, it makes a lot of sense, but this staging is anything but traditional. Early on I came across a video on YouTube of dance lifts that give the feeling of flight. I knew right away I wanted to explore it. I spoke with our Choreographer, Jennifer Tipton, and she was onboard. When we came across this video by Frantic Assembly Artistic Director Scott Graham, we agreed it was the way to go. In the video of his masterclass Scott Graham leads a group of actors through the exercises and techniques used to create the lifts featured in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In addition to the fact that the lifts are visually stunning, I loved the symbolism of the actors holding each other up. That kind of support is something we work to infuse each PYT production with, and it’s been amazing to see it depicted so literally on stage.

Spotlight: Why should audiences come out and see this particular production of “Peter Pan”?  

Loryn: It’s a new take on an old classic, and we’re doing some very cool stuff. The lifts are stunning, and it’s really exciting to see the actors doing all the lifting themselves. You won’t believe what they’ve learned to do. I love the shadow play that we’ve worked into the staging with the help of our remarkably creative scenic designers, and the fight choreography done by Michael Daw of National Stage Armory, is fantastic! Jennifer Tipton’s dance choreography is absolutely charming and has really pushed our performers, and Holly Smolik, our Vocal Director has gone above and beyond to help our vocalists achieve things with their voices they didn’t think they could do. The real reason to see this production of Peter Pan, though, is our phenomenal cast. We’ve presented them with so many challenges and they’ve responded with an enthusiasm and a determination unlike any cast I’ve seen before. I’ve been truly inspired by their pursuit of excellence.

Spotlight: What are you most proud of about directing “Peter Pan”. 

Loryn: There are so many things in this production to be proud of, but if I had to choose one, it would be the cast as a whole.  I love how they’ve come together as a team; I love their enthusiasm and their work ethic. I love their willingness to take risks, their creativity and how they support each other. They’ve really been a delightful group to work with.

Spotlight: Anything else you would like to add? Any shout outs?

Loryn: I’d like to give a special shout-out to all our volunteers, especially those who have taken on significant responsibilities without kids performing in the show. Rick Van Mell,  Holly Mendel, Laurie Pimental, Giada Conte and Brad Ward. I simply don’t know what we would have done without you all. Your contributions to this production have been invaluable. To all the parents, teens, and community volunteers I offer my deepest gratitude. Because of you, these wonderful, talented, hardworking actors get to shine on stage in ways that are only possible because of your tremendous support. What you do for them, and for us here at PYT is truly inspiring.

Come out and see Peter Pan! Tickets are available online and at the Box Office at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (MVCPA).

By Barbie Koch