Paramount's BOLD Series Launches Third Season With PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Beginning in July

Season three of Paramount's BOLD Series will launch this summer with a new production of Peter and the Starcatcher. Climb aboard this wildly fun, all-ages prequel to J.M. Barrie's classic “Peter Pan,” packed with clever wordplay, magical stagecraft and swashbuckling escapades, infused with Paramount's dramatic flair. See why Peter and the Starcatcher was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and won five, performed in a space so intimate you're practically part of the action.

Previews start July 24. Press openings are Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1 at 7 p.m. Peter and the Starcatcher runs through September 1. Single tickets are $40-$55, and are on sale now. 

Or consider Paramount's BOLD Series package, starting at just $75. Subscribers save on tickets and get the best seats to three amazing shows: Peter and the Starcatcher, An Act of God (October 2-November 4) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (March 12-April 27, 2025).

Set sail for exotic lands, unbuckle your adult notions, and embrace the youthful bonds of camaraderie, love and duty in Peter and the Starcatcher. Learn the back stories of Peter Pan, and other iconic characters, including the notorious Captain Hook, on Peter's quest to protect something important — starstuff — and the cheerful spirit of youth itself. Experience Peter and the Starcatcher in Paramount's intimate Copley Theatre, as it morphs into a magical world made of faith, trust and pixie dust.

This whimsical prequel begins when, as a young orphan, Peter Pan is sold into servitude aboard the Wasp, a ship bound for Neverland. But bleak realities of the Victorian age and the British Empire's industrial complex can't force Peter to grow up. Instead, his enthusiasm is infectious, compelling every young person he meets, including the precocious Starcatcher apprentice, Molly Aster, and the audience too, to join this ageless adventure.

In the production's Playbill, director Nate Cohen and choreographer Binal Lital Schatsky, both making their Paramount debut, write, “Imagine, for a moment, that anything is possible. Imagine humans speaking to birds, pirates making a comeback and real, live mermaids. Now imagine that each and every one of us is born knowing how to fly. While most of us grew up, moved on, and forgot, this play returns us to the lost art of childhood and reminds us of what we've forgotten: that anyone, with the right dose of conviction, can remember how to fly.”

Paramount's Peter and the Starcatcher cast features Nick Sandys (Black Stache), Shelbi Voss (Molly Aster), Terry Bell (Boy/Peter), Josh Bernaski (Grempkin/Fighting Prawn/Mack/Sánchez), Gabriel Fries (Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher), Matt Miles (Bill Slank/Hawking Clam), Mark David Kaplan (Smee), Michaela Shapiro (Prentiss), Tamsen Glaser (Alf), Kevin Kantor (Lord Leonard Aster), Matt Bowdren (Captain Robert Falcon Scott), Brandon Acosta (Ted), and ensemble members Beck Damron, Matt Johnson, Nathan Karnik and Dana Pepowski. 

The full production team is Nate Cohen, director; Binal Lital Schatsky, choreographer and assistant director; Kory Danielson, music supervisor; Kevin Reeks, music director and conductor; Myra G. Reavis, scenic designer; Kotryna Hilko, costume designer; Jackie Fox, lighting designer; Eric Backus, sound designer; Ivy Treccani, properties designer; Kathy Logelin, dialect coach; Ethan Deppe, electronic music designer; Kira Nutter, fight and intimacy director; Isabella Isherwood, associate music director and associate conductor; Amber R. Dettmers, stage manager; and Christopher Lindquist, assistant stage manager.

Nate Cohen (director) holds an MFA from Northwestern University, where he now teaches. Chicago directing credits include The Minutes (Ghostlight), Heisenberg (Griffin), I Am a Camera (Porchlight), Winnie the Pooh, Angry Brigade, Midsummer: A Play with Songs (Wirtz Center), and Manspread Madness (Collaboraction). Other Chicago credits are dramaturg, Cabaret (Porchlight) and assisting at Northlight and Steppenwolf. Various regional credits include Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail, Theatre Vertigo, Action/Adventure, CoHo and the international tour of The Gun Show.

Peter and the Starcatcher is written by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, with music by Wayne Barker. It premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2009, transferred to Off Broadway in 2011, opened on Broadway on April 15, 2012, and went on to be nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning five, including Best Original Score.

Performance schedule

Peter and the Starcatcher starts previews on Wednesday, July 24. Opening Nights are Wednesday and Thursday, July 31 and August 1 at 7 p.m. Performances run through September 1: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. There are two Pay-What-You-Can Previews, Thursday, July 25 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, July 26 at 2 p.m. Content warning: adult language, fighting and discrimination toward women.

Paramount's BOLD Series productions are presented at the Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., in downtown Aurora. Go to ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666 to purchase tickets or subscriptions, or visit the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.

For the latest updates, follow @ParamountAurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn. 

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