“Peter Pan,” April 26 through May 4

Saturday, April 26, through Sunday, May 4

Davenport Junior Theatre, 2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA

From April 26 through May 4, high-flying fun will be on hand when the student talents of Davenport Junior Theatre present a brand-new take on J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan, an extraordinary tale of excitement and adventure written specifically for the Quad Cities company by Junior Theatre alum and St. Ambrose University graduate Brooke Galván.

With the show the final presentation in Davenport Junior Theatre's remarkable 73rd season, Peter Pan invites audiences to pledge allegiance to the Lost Boys and revisit the classic story of Peter, Wendy, Tinkerbell, and Captain Hook. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and a few happy thoughts, audiences will be transported on a magical journey they'll never forget. Created by Scottish novelist and playwright Barrie, Peter Pan, of course, is a free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up. He spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys, interacting with fairies, pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and also, occasionally, ordinary children from the world outside Neverland.

Peter Pan has become a cultural icon symbolizing youthful innocence and escapism. In addition to two distinct works by Barrie – The Little White Bird (1902, with chapters 13 to 18 published in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens in 1906), and the West End stage play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904, which expanded into the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy) – the character has been featured in a variety of media and merchandise, both adapting and expanding on Barrie's works. These include several films, television series, and many other works.

The author of Junior Theatre's new Peter Pan is company alumna and playwright Brooke Galván (née Schelly), who graduated from St. Ambrose University and has appeared in numerous area stage productions, including Working and The Importance of Being Earnest for her alma mater, The Pillowman for the QC Theatre Workshop, and Big Nate: The Musical and Junie B. Jones: The Musical for the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse. And directing Peter Pan is longtime Junior Theatre favorite Jessica Sheridan, a fellow St. Ambrose alum who helmed JT shows including The Wizard of Oz and Seussical Jr., and whose area stage credits include roles in the Prenzie Players' Tartuffe and the QC Theatre Workshop's Private Eyes and A Green River.

Junior Theatre student Luke Young, who plays Peter Pan, is sure audiences will love the show, stating, “It’s an amazing story with fun and exciting stage combat! I’ve enjoyed my time working on this show with my first ever lead role.”

Seven sstudents make up the technical crew team, including S Klipsch, who serves as assistant stage manager. In addition to keeping track of the actors’ blocking, or movements, S will also be calling the light and sound cues to the student board operators in the booth. It’s a very important job, says S, but it’s not all business. “The show is very funny ... . Every time we do a run through, I laugh.” S is excited for audiences to experience this entertaining show, adding, “The audience should expect endless fun and excitement.”

While this show won’t be Junior Theatre's last in the Nighswander Theatre, it is the final production with their full-time home on the Annie Wittenmyer campus. It consequently felt appropriate to pack the professional design and creative team with JT alum, including Roger Pavey Jr. (student 2008-2020) as sound designer. Pavey's  first (of nearly 30) JT productions was directed by Jess Sheridan, and he is grateful for this opportunity, sharing, “Getting to design for this has been a wonderful full-circle moment as I am working alongside my first directors and mentors and fellow DJT alums I grew up with.”

Pavey is currently a full-time Creative Content Associate at the two-time Tony-Winning and National Medal of Arts recipient Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. There he leads graphic design, creative content, and photography, but he still made it a priority to reinvest his talents back where he credits his creative foundation. “Returning to the QCs nearly a year after I graduated from Augustana to work at my first creative home has been special. Working on the design team supporting this generation of young, brave artists alongside some of the people who have shaped me has been wonderful.”

Director Sheridan is no stranger to the JT stage, having directed several productions, and enriched many lives, during her time as an instructor. “This has been such a fun directing experience!" says Sheridan. "It was so humbling sitting in tech last night next to two former students, one who is designing props and the other designing sound, for a show that was written by a former student! I am so proud of the students, past and current, who are bringing this show to life! There is so much talent on and off stage and it is so fun to be a part of!”

Peter Pan will be staged from April 26 through 4, with performances on Saturdays at 1 and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. (The April 27 performance will feature ASL interpretation.) Admission is free, though donations are gratefully accepted, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7862 and visiting DavenportJuniorTheatre.org.