La Jolla Playhouse Presents 'Peter and Starcatchers' This Winter

La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as part of its Page to Stage program in the Winter of 2009, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Based on the popular novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers - a prequel to Peter Pan - will play in La Jolla Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre from February 13 through March 8, 2009.

Written by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and co-directed by Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatchers reveals the wonderful story that precedes J. M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan.  Young orphan Peter and his mates sail aboard the Never Land in a high seas adventure, battling pirates to keep secret a mysterious and dangerous cargo.

"I'm really thrilled to have Roger Rees and Alex Timbers working on this project and at La Jolla Playhouse for the first time," says Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, "And of course we're delighted to have Rick Elice back. Page to Stage will provide Peter and the Starcatchers' artistic team with nightly feedback from the audience as they rehearse and refine the production throughout the run."

"La Jolla really knows how to encourage everyone who works in the theater – from the directors to the writers to the actors and the entire creative team, to the producers, to the interns," says writer, Rick Elice.  "I've been the beneficiary of that support on Jersey Boys, and I can't wait to come back to the Playhouse for Peter.  It feels just like coming home."

"Ever since I first read the unpublished galley back in 2004, I have hoped to bring this beautiful story to life," says Thomas Schumacher, Producer and President of Disney Theatrical Productions.  "I have always admired the wonderful work that has emanated from La Jolla Playhouse, particularly their prestigious Page to Stage program.  I am supremely honored to have Peter take his next steps on their stage."

Now in its seventh year, Page to Stage is La Jolla Playhouse's signature new development program in which audiences experience the "birth" of a play. Throughout the rehearsals and run of the show, the playwright and director make constant changes in response to audience reactions and direct feedback.  Previous Page To Stage productions include The Farnsworth Invention, Zhivago, the Tony Award-winning 700 Sundays and I Am My Own Wife, which went on to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Tickets for Peter and the Starcatchers will go on sale in September. Performance times will be Wednesday and Thursday 7:30pm; Friday and Saturday, 8:00pm and Sundays 7:30pm. Matinees will be on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. For information: call (858) 550-1010 or go online to www.lajollaplayhouse.org.