More than 50 fourth and fifth graders at Pavilion Central School are getting their first exposure to musical theater with a production of Peter Pan Jr., and show director Rebecca Marczyk said the students have been doing a great job getting ready for Thursday's debut.
Tryouts were in January, with much of the preparation and rehearsal until recently in classrooms.
"I find they have improved a lot from where we first started," Marczyk said. "I've seen them grow a lot. They've never been on stage before. And we've only been on the stage here for a month."
It's a full production, too, with costumes, stage props (including a big ship), and all the singing and dancing a young troupe of performers might want.
"It's just fun. There are like fun dances that are in the musical," said fourth grader Essie Michau, who plays Tigerlilly.
"I just thought it would be fun because I've never acted before," Essie said. "I thought it would be fun to try something new. And it's like, I knew a bunch of my friends were doing it, so it'd be like a chance to hang out with them."
She said he was already a dancer and she loves singing.
Singing and dancing is fun, but it's better doing it with friends, many of the performers said.
"I love the movie Peter Pan," said fifth-grader Adelaide Noble. "This is fun, and I love being with my friends and doing stuff with them."
Eleanor Logsdon, who plays Wendy said her favorite part of the production is, "I get to hang out with all my friends."
Connor Smart, who plays Peter Pan, said, "I like getting all the lines and saying a lot."
He said he plans on continuing with musicals through school because "I just like musical stuff. I like music."
Brooklynn Bannister, who plays Capt. Hook, thinks she has a special role.
"I find it really fun because I've never like really thought of me as a villain," Brooklynn said. "But now that I'm doing it, it's like really fun. And I just like the costume and stuff. And I enjoy being a leader of some people."
Student involvement extends beyond the cast. There are student members of the stage crew and two sixth graders who were in last year's musical and are helping out this year as assistant directors.
They are Emma Tillotson and Leah Banister.
They have different views of how the production is going so far this year.
"It's a lot different than last year," Emma said. "They're definitely a little bit behind. But I think that it will be a really good one."
Leah said last year's Frozen cast had less time to practice.
"With more time practicing, I honestly think it's better," Leah said. "And I think it's perfect. I think it helps to have us around."
Getting a lot of kids involved is important to Marczyk. Staging a musical is about more than singing and dancing.
"It teaches them responsibility," Marczyk said. "That's a big thing. It also teaches them good character. We respect each other and are kind to each other because they don't always know how to do that. They get mad at each other. And they have to take ownership. They have to take ownership for their parts. We talked about being a family. Being a family is just like being on a team for softball or soccer. We all have to work together to have a wonderful production."
Showtimes are at 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
