Lost in Neverland

(Performance May 11, 2pm and 6pm the Historic Carolina Theater, Durham NC)

 

 Teetering a pile of mats about five feet high with a heavy metal sword in one hand, a metal hook in the other, I was sporting a massive burgundy hat with a black plume feather swooshing off the top. Peter Pan had just set Tiger Lilly free, and Peter and I were about to engage in an epic battle perched on this imaginary rock, swinging from aerial silks. I marveled at it all. How often does a father get to dress up and play Peter Pan with his children in costume?

            I am Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in Legacy Repertory Company’s production of Peter Pan. My  son  Caleb is “John,” my other son Nate is “Michael.” My four year old son, Liam, is a “Flower Fairy,” and my daughter Genevieve is a “bird of Neverland.” Each weekend we spend hours in the studio rehearsing, practicing, acting, dancing, pretending, playing, waiting, listening, and doing art together and with our cast members.



We are sharing the magic of the story of Peter Pan.  We are also experiencing the magic of being part of a cast and a production team. We are bonding into a community that feels more and more like a family the longer we work together. We catch rides, share food, battle on the deck of the ship, and fly into Neverland on streams of cloth. We are each important parts of this dazzling collaboration, regardless of our age or role.

            I am fortunate to get to share the magic of Peter Pan, the magic of performing a show, with all of my own children, and several other children who are becoming like family. Legacy Repertory Company has brought us all together, a group diverse in backgrounds and age, to share the work of this magic. Opened in 2009, Legacy Repertory Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that can receive tax deductible gifts. The company’s mission is to bring diverse individuals of all ages and physical abilities to participate in productions, and to share with  an equally  diverse community – some folks who can afford to pay, and others who cannot.   Our final dress rehearsal will be for a group of  children and adults   with special needs. It is inspiring and rejuvenating to escape to Neverland with a hilarious group of our “lost boys” (and girls) . We cherish these young performers and watch in awe as they light up our  studio during rehearsal.    As we work to re-create the magic of the Pan story, we are also blurring the lines between young and old, lost and found, accepted and excluded.        

                   You can share some magic and meet some of our performers, instructors, choreographers, production designers at upcoming community events.  Mrs. Darling will take her story and cast to another location for more story time and acting. On April 14, 2013 at 3:00 pm there is story time with Captain Hook at Durham South Regional Library where there will be more cast members and acting. On April 19, 2013 at 11:00 am at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital at UNC Chapel Hill, there will be a dance demonstration and mini-performance for children.  On April 27, 2013 at the Durham Farmer’s Market, Peter Pan Characters are likely to appear, and then re-appear May 4, 2013, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm in Downtown Durham.

            Our production needs your support and the support of our community, to bring our magic to the Carolina Theater on May 11, 2013 (2 Shows 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM). Financial resources are needed to bring our vision to the community and share the magic we are practicing. There are several ways to support our work. You can make a tax deductible gift by clicking on the “DONATE” button on the website. (http://www.legacyrepertory.org/index.htm ). You can mail a check out to “Legacy Repertory Company”, 608 N. Duke Street, Durham, NC 27701.  No donation is too small; it is amazing how quickly it adds up. You can call the Company at 919-680-4363 or write to the Company to buy or reserve advance tickets.

I am selling tickets to my friends. Advance prices are $18.00 for Adults, $15.00 for youth, ages 11-18 and seniors, and $12 for children 10 and under.  If you want to buy a ticket from me, email me at scott.holmes@bpm-law.com

You can buy an advertisement for our handbill for your business, church, or organization beginning at $50 for a quarter page black and white advertisement, up to $150 for a full page color advertisement.  I can arrange for advanced tickets, adds, and donations if you want to email me directly at scott.holmes@bpm-law.com

 

 Most importantly, you can help support art in the Triangle, a troupe of performers from age 4 to 40, aiming at reminding us all of the magic of youth, and the joy of being lost, and then being found. You can help us share our magic , and show that you too believe in fairies.