Faith Conservatory Of The Fine Arts To Present PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

Faith Conservatory of the Fine Arts will present the Tony Award-winning play, "Peter and the Starcatcher," over two weekends Jan. 20 - 29, 2017. Based on the best-selling 2006 novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and adapted for the stage by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker, "Peter and the Starcatcher" explores how a young orphan ultimately became Peter Pan. The school invites audiences of all ages to see the show, which was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 2012.

An original show on its own, Faith Conservatory is adding its own unique spin to the play. Directed by Erik Ball, with choreography by Christine Harper, the school's interpretation of "Peter and the Starcatcher" is the prequel of Peter Pan as told by a backstage tech crew at the end of a production of "Peter Pan." While the crew is getting ready to close up for the evening, they start pondering about being a boy and tell the story about what could have happened for Peter to become Peter Pan. Using a minimal set and staging, the production features singing, dancing and surprises throughout, including turning the entire cast into makeshift mermaids at one point!

"Peter and the Starcatcher" is one of the school's conservatory productions, meaning that each of the 18 cast members is a theater major at Faith Conservatory, with a special class dedicated just to the production. Students started rehearsing for the play on the first day of school in August. The show also features 25 tech crew members, who are in charge of, among other things, the fly rails, lighting, sound, makeup, costumes, puppetry and props, many of which are everyday objects that are transformed into something magical.

"I think it's important that no matter what show we choose to perform, it should challenge the skills of the students, and teach them that anything they do, they need to have a passion for it," said Erik Ball, the show's director. "I have always been attached to the story of Peter Pan. It is so innocent and captivating. I like the idea of taking a familiar story and turning it upside down, and having the students look at the story through the eyes of someone else. This show allows students to embrace what it takes to tell the story from the perspective of the character they inhabit."

"'Peter and the Starcatcher' on its own is innovative," continued Ball. "But what we are doing with the production, especially the way in which we are telling the story, is really fun and different. The show brings a sense of imagination into the theater, allowing the audience to make believe right along with the cast."

Ball has served as the full-time head of Theatrical Arts at Faith Conservatory of the Fine Arts for 15 years, where he has directed over 35 plays and musicals including, most recently, "A Christmas Carol," as well as "Big Fish," "Crazy For You," "Pippin," "Beauty and the Beast," "Legally Blonde" and "Peter Pan," which was honored on both state and national levels, toured to Nebraska, and was featured on the International Thespian Society main stage. In 2015, Ball was nominated for The Excellence in Theatre Education Awards, presented by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, under his direction, Faith Conservatory won the Musical Theatre Competition of America in 2013 in Calif. An actor himself, Ball has performed in over 45 plays and musicals, including playing the role of King Arthur in Excalibur's Tournament of Kings, and he also toured with the musical production "Guys & Dolls."

Tickets for "Peter and the Starcatcher" range in price from $6 - $20. Tickets to the following performances are on sale now and may be purchased via FaithConservatory.com:

Friday, Jan. 20 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21 - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 22 - 4:00 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 27 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 28 - 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 29 - 4:00 p.m.

Faith Conservatory of the Fine Arts, a part of Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, offers an opportunity for students to grow in their God-given talents while providing challenging opportunities to strengthen their skill sets so that all offerings may bring glory to Him. Students interested in participating in the Fine Arts will find that Faith Conservatory of the Fine Arts is the exception to a traditional high school experience. With countless course variations and rewarding extra-curricular activities, students will discover structure, nurturing and guidance from an award-winning faculty and staff as they prepare for a post-high school career. Faith Lutheran High School offers Conservatory Majors in dance, instrumental performance, vocal performance, theatrical arts - performance, theatrical arts - technical and visual arts. Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School is located at 2015 South Hualapai, Las Vegas, NV 89117 and can be reached at 702-804-4400.

To post a comment, you must register and login.