Ƶ University Theatre Presents “Peter and the Starcatcher” February 23 to March 2
The Ƶ University Theatre and Dance Program will present “Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, February 23 to March 2 in the William Granger Ryan Theatre, Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. Tickets are $15, with student, senior citizen and group rates available. Call the Ƶ Performing Arts Center Box Office for tickets at 724-552-2929 or purchase tickets online.
Performances: February 23, 24, March 1 and 2: 8 p.m.; February 25 and March 2: 2 p.m.
Winner of six Tony awards, Peter and the Starcatcher features menacing musical mollusks, Molly the sea-farin’ heroine of the orphan boys, a trunk full of formidable secret starstuff, and lots of “piratey” parlance. This story theatre prequel to the beloved J.M. Barrie classic Peter Pan is a fantasy must-see for kids of all ages who refuse to grow up.
The 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, February 25 will feature audio description and ASL interpretation. During an Audio Described performance, patrons with vision loss are provided commentary and narration which guides the listener through the show with descriptions of scenes, settings, costumes, etc. in between dialogue or songs. Two ASL interpreters will be on hand to provide American Sign Language interpretation of the performance.
The 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, March 2 will be relaxed/sensory friendly. This performance will have a Quiet Room where patrons can choose to go during the performance.There will also be adjusted sound and lighting effects and the house lights will be left on during the performance.
The Ƶ student cast of “Peter and the Starcatcher” includes Dimitri Apodiakos as Boy (Peter); Channing Griffin as Ted; Colby Miller as Prentiss; Penelope Zamborsky as Molly Aster; Kate McCarty as Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher; Donovan Smith as Alf; Connery Brown as Lord Leonard Aster; Mya Clay as Captain Robert Falcon Scott; Gabriel M. List as Stache; TJ Betzner as Smee; Theresa Gygi as Bill Slank/Hawking Clam and understudy for Molly and Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher; Riss Hotton as Grempkin/Fighting Prawn; Taylor Humenay as Mack/Sanchez/Ensemble and Ben Sanner as understudy for Boy (Peter), Ted and Prentiss.
The Ƶ student technical staff includes Madison Buckley, stage manager; Devon Young, assistant director; Paige Mcconlogue, choreography; Carolyn Jerz, assistant fight choreographer; Channing Griffin, intimacy/fight captain assistant; Tara Doughtery, associate technical designer; Christopher Brown, lighting design; Emma Corall, light board operator; Alex Tompkins, sound board operator/mixer: Run Crew members Gianna Fleck and Taryn Yutzy; Daniel Velasquez, mic tech; Electricians Christopher Brown, Mya Clay, Gianna Fleck, Kelly Long, Colby Miller and Alex Tompkins; Costume Shop crew Jake Carnahan-Curcio, Peyton Corsetti, Riss Hotton, Rachel Lamison, Taylor Montalbano, Sofie Poborski, Lumen Roach, BellaMae Stanley, Sarah Wells and Penelope Zamborsky; Dressers Aaliyah Hallisey, Kaycie Miller, Grace Moore, Tori Mostoller, Sofie Proborski, and Emma Roby; Shop & Production Crew.McKenna Yutzy, Madison Faux, Devon Young, Tara Doughtery, Christopher Brown, Juliana Gorsuch, Emma Corall, Andrew Minerva, and Stephanie Price; Scenic Paint and Props Production Crew Leads Tess Stiffler, Taylor Humenay, Gabriel M. List and Larissa Walker; Scenic Paint and Props Production Crew Assistants Colby Miller and Emma Corall and Scenic Paint and Props Production Crew Production Lab Saffron White and Roman D’Antonio.
The Ƶ University production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” is directed by Cheyenne Barboza, an award-winning director and playwright hailing from Waterbury, CT. Directing credits: Unbecoming Tragedy: A Ritual Journey Toward Destiny (LWT) Looking Over The President's Shoulder (Millbrook Playhouse), Sandblasted (Theatre Horizon), Passing Strange (Long Wharf Theatre), The Secret Life of Wonder: A Prologue in G (Antipodes Theatre, NSW), Grace (IAMA), The Agitators (Theatre Horizon), The Wiz (Theatre in the X), The Last Seven Shakers (InterAct Theatre Co.), Cartons of Ultrasounds (ReFocus Fest), Trade (Inis Nua Theatre Co.), Directors JAM (Pirronne Yousefzadeh & Directors Gathering), The Secret Life of Wonder: A Prologue in G (ReFocus Fest). Assistant Directing: How I Learned What I Learned (Dir. Malika Oyetimein, Arden Theatre Co.), The Mountaintop (Dir. Patricia McGregor, PTC). Playwriting: Running Numbers (Playwright, Theatre in the X). In addition, Cheyenne is an arts administrator and co-founder of AudienceHelp Consultants. Cheyenne holds a BFA in Directing, Playwriting & Production from The University of the Arts.
Artistic and Production Staff include Denise Pullen, artistic director; Michelle Walters, music director; Karen Glass, charge scenic artist/properties manager and set design; lisa leibering, costume design and costume director; Ken Clothier, lighting coordinator and mentor master electrician; Elaine Montgomery, wardrobe manager; Caila Yates, technical director and production manager; Katie Borsuk, box office manager; Stacy DiPasquale, staff house manager; Lane Palmer, sound design; Michael Petyak, intimacy consultant/fight choreographer. The band includes Michelle Walters, keyboard and conductor; and Lindsey Lamagna, drums and percussion.
Venue Information: All Ƶ Theatre performances are held in the William Granger Ryan Theatre in Ƶ’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. The Performing Arts Center is a fully accessible and climate-controlled facility. Parking is available in four nearby Greensburg parking areas: the Bell Parking Garage on North Otterman Street (across the street from the Performing Arts Center), the Hellman-Ghrist lot on North Main Street, the Albert Grillo lot on Ƶ Drive and the Wib Albright lot off West Otterman Street.
Ticket Information: Single admission tickets are $15. Ƶ students (with valid ID) can purchase tickets for $5. Non-Ƶ students (with a valid school ID) can purchase advance tickets for $10. Students from any school can purchase rush tickets five minutes before curtain, subject to availability, for $5 (with valid school ID). Groups of six or more can purchase tickets at a rate of $11 each with a reservation and advance payment. Order tickets online at http://www.setonhill.edu/tickets by phone at 724-552-2929, or by mail at SHUPAC Box Office, Ƶ University, 1 Ƶ Drive, Greensburg, Pa., 15601-1599. Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. and three hours before a performance.
Ƶ University’s Performing Arts Center is 73,000 square feet of everything a performing arts major needs to move from student to professional. The Center houses two dedicated, flexible performance spaces, the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall and the William Granger Ryan Theatre. The Center also includes a performance studio, new classrooms, rehearsal rooms and technical areas that include the best equipment for learning and performing, from Steinway pianos to the latest in lighting, sound, video and acoustics. The Center is located in downtown Greensburg, putting it squarely in the middle of the city’s cultural district yet still only minutes from Ƶ’s main hilltop campus.
The Ƶ University Theatre and Dance Program has a long history of educating performing arts majors for professional careers while playing a vital role in the educational life of the campus. Ƶ’s Theatre and Dance Program offers five full-length productions (as well as a number of shorter works) each year that generate audiences of over 3,500 and speak to topics addressed in courses across Ƶ’s curriculum. For more information on the Theatre Program at Ƶ, please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 724-552-2934.
Photo: Ƶ students Dimitri Apodiakos, Donovan Smith, Taylor Humena, TJ Betzner, Connery Brown, and Gabriel M. List, in a scene from “Peter and the Starcatcher”
