In addition to AP exams, prom and commencement, an event to look forward to in May is Peddie’s spring play. Just like additional events in the spring term, the preparation process for the spring play is fast compared to others in the year due to the shorter term and students’ busy schedules. This year’s spring play, directed by Mr. Cirnigliaro, is “Peter and The Starcatcher,” which follows the story of Starcatcher apprentice Molly Aster and a nameless orphan boy, played by Brooke Truslow ’25 and Connor Pawliczack ’25, on their journeys to find a stolen trunk of starstuff and lessons they learn along the way. “Peter and The Starcatcher” is best described as a prequel to “Peter Pan,” a famous children’s tale best known for Disney’s movie adaptation.
Members of the cast shared their thoughts about the rehearsal process so far. “The rehearsal process has been pretty smooth,” said Truslow. “Everyone has been at rehearsal three hours a day for the entire process, and I have to admit it’s really tiring, but I’m happy to be a part of such a great show.”
A large portion of the show entails multiple actors not only acting but helping in the background by moving set pieces around and bringing quick location changes into reality. “A lot of my lines are large paragraphs, and learning them in such a short amount of time has certainly been difficult,” said Sarah Drake ’25, another actor in the play. “But I’ve enjoyed the challenge, and I feel ready to begin tech rehearsals next week!”
With opening night for the play quickly approaching, the cast answered the question: Why should the Peddie community go watch “Peter and The Starcatcher “First of all, the play is hilarious,” said Truslow. “During our first read-through, the cast couldn’t stop laughing because of the script. On top of that, you’ll get to listen to all of it in our attempted British accents.”
“You’ll see us do a lot of physical comedy,” Drake added. “There’s a lot of intentional blocking and miming that makes the show so much funnier than it already is.”
This play is quite different from Peddie’s previous plays; “Peter and The Starcatcher” is a play with music, featuring Mr. Krieger on piano and Dora Shen ’27 on percussion. The two musicians will be onstage with the cast, playing intensifying background music and realistic sound effects that bring the play to life. The play also features two very different songs sung by the whole cast, one about a shipwreck and the other about mermaids.
“Peter and The Starcatcher” runs from May 9-11. While this time could be very hectic for a Peddie student, watching the play for a night can serve as a good study break and a chance to support returning actors and those who are making their Peddie theater debut!