Fly away to Neverland: Woodburn High School’s 'Peter/Wendy' premieres soon

Prepare to embark on a journey to Neverland.

At the end of the month, the Woodburn High School Theatre will debut its fall production of Jeremy Bloom's play "Peter/Wendy."

Opening night will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Woodburn High School auditorium. There will be another performance at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and two shows at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 26.

The production is part of Woodburn High School’s after-school theater program, which puts on three plays a year, ranging from musicals to comedies and dramas. The student actors have been rehearsing for this fall play every day after school since the beginning of September.

The play’s cast and crew include more than 40 students from across the high school’s campus, including Abigail Vazquez as Wendy, Julia Carreno Hernandez as Peter Pan and Kaelynn Carroll as Captain Hook.

Caleb Thurston, the play’s director and Woodburn High's theater teacher, is excited for the audience to see what the students have been working on and their interpretation of the play.

“Most people know the story of Peter Pan, but I think they're going to be surprised at how it's told,” Thurston said. “The story hasn't changed, but this adaptation is a more modern take on it and very imaginative. The idea is that we're like in Wendy's imagination, so it's like this very playful, and looks at it from the perspective of what if kids told this story? What if the kids staged this story?”

The production is set to have a modern twist while still featuring the familiar adventure-filled journey to Neverland. Wendy will leave her nursery to join Peter Pan and his group of Lost Boys to travel through the night sky, encounter new friends and face off against the infamous Captain Hook and his pirate crew.

Thurston said he is also excited for audiences to see some of the creative production elements of the show.

“I think the audience is gonna be pleasantly delighted by how we represent flying in the play,” Thurston said. “Obviously, we're not strapping the kids into million-dollar technology and flying them up in the air, but I'm really pleased with what we've come up with and how we've represented flying in a really creative way.”

Tickets for the show are $8 and can be bought at the box office starting 30 minutes before each performance.

Thurston encourages audiences of all ages to attend the play, which is family friendly in both content and its short 90-minute production length.

Ticket sales are also a significant part of what allows the Woodburn High School theater program to operate. While the district funds the program, sales from the previous show help fund the next student production and allow the program to purchase new materials and equipment.

For more information on Woodburn High School’s upcoming production or to reserve seats, contact Caleb Thurston at cthurston@woodburnsd.org.