In keeping with their mandate to nurture and support the next generation of theatre artists, Entr’Acte Theatrix and The Peter Halmos Foundation will collaborate with a brand new company – Theatre of Collaborative Arts – to present the award-winning musical play Peter and the Starcatcher. The production will run from October 6 – 16 at the William G. Skaff Center in West Palm Beach.
The winner of numerous honors, including five 2012 Tony Awards, Peter and the Starcatcher was named one of the New York Times, New York Magazine, New Yorker’s Top 10 shows of the year. The play is based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and was conceived for the stage by a multiple award-winning creative team including directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, writer Rick Elice, and composer Wayne Barker.
Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair, and the bonds of friendship, duty, and love.
A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, containing a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training, who realizes the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure.
Carlo-Rufino Sabusap will direct the production: “Peter and the Starcatcher is by far my favorite play,” Sabusap explains. “I saw it on Broadway a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with its magic and inventive use of the theatrical experience. It uses some of the oldest, most traditional methods of stage craft, but uses it in a way that is totally inventive and fresh. I’m sure audiences of all ages who appreciate true, live theatre will enjoy every moment.
“We’re working with Entr’Acte Theatrix to bring this show to life,” he continues, “And I’m very grateful for their help and support – something that Entr’Acte has been doing as part of their mission from the beginning.”
“Yes, indeed,” says Vicki Halmos, Entr’Acte Theatrix’ founder and Executive Producer. “Entr’Acte and the Halmos Foundation are pleased to facilitate the launching of this new theatre venture -TCA – in West Palm Beach. It will bring further opportunities for young people interested in theatrical arts to hone their skills and gain performance experience. Part of our goal, of course, is always to add resume building to their theatrical cache.”
Several of Peter and the Starcatcher’s cast members have been part of Entr’Acte Theatrix’ troupe; others are new to the group and to the stage.
Veteran cast members are Devin Tupler as Molly Aster, David W. Lamphier as Lord Leonard Aster, Rosseroni Paris as Black Stache, and Greg Halmos as Smee, Nik Rosa as Bill Slank/Fighting Prawn, Christopher Lam as Mrs. Bumbrake. New cast members include Tom Matthews as Peter, Matthew Cejmer as Ted, Brayan Betancourt as Prentiss, Alex Fine as Alf/Captain Scott, Amada Ruggiero as Grempkin, and Ben Shaevitz as Hawking Clam/Mack/Sanchez.
Entr’Acte Theatrix is a not-for-profit, semi-professional, showcase company providing opportunities for emerging theatre artists, both on-stage and backstage. The fifteen-year-old company gives students with a goal of working in the theatrical profession a chance to gain experience in their area of training or interest. Entr’Acte, as the name suggests, is the “next step,” from classroom to career, and provides the young theatre artist with one of his or her all-important resume-building credits.
Peter and the Starcatcher will run from October 6 – 16 at the William G. Skaff Center in West Palm Beach. Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased on line at: http://www.theatreca.com or by phone at 561-255-8362. Tickets are $25; student and senior tickets are $15.
