GTA Flies to Neverland to Learn the Origin of Peter and the Lost Boys in PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

In a few weeks, the Gainesville Theatre Alliance invites audiences to rediscover the magic of Neverland in a production of the Tony-Award winning play Peter and the Starcatcher. The adventure runs April 11 to 22 at UNG's Ed Cabell Theatre. Tickets are going fast, and like GTA's November production of Beauty and the Beast, the show is expected to sell out before opening. Waiting list tickets are still available.

Before the Darling children, Captain Hook and Pan, there was just a Boy who dreamed of a family. Enter Molly: a young starcatcher in training, guarding a secret treasure. Before long the Boy and Molly share the adventure of a lifetime complete with pirates, mermaids and a friendship more magical than pixie dust. An ensemble of a dozen talented actors bring to life 100 characters along the journey to answer one question: how did a lonely orphan become the boy who never grew up?

A grown-up's prequel to Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatcher is an adventure unlike prior theatre experiences, set in an elusive fantasy world. And we're not just talking about Neverland: Imagination is on the horizon with an expert creative team of artists at the helm of GTA's MainStage season finale. The Gainesville Theatre Alliance is a nationally acclaimed collaboration of the University of North Georgia, Brenau University, theatre professionals and the North Georgia community.

In a season full of fairy tale magic and creatively inspired story-telling that included mermaids and giant beasts, Peter and the Starcatcher is the perfect way to close the season.

"This production is pure joy. We are all drawn to the great adventure, uncharted territory and the triumphant quest," said director Jim Hammond, who is also GTA's Artistic and Managing Director. For the child in all of us, patrons have an invitation to play.

Audiences might be asking each other the same question: how much of the Peter Pan we know and love will we see onstage? Hammond's answer: "Expect the unexpected. Audiences will enjoy discovering the seeds for J.M. Barrie's classic tale." By the end of the play, patrons will believe that Neverland is still hanging in the sky waiting to bid new guests a welcome home.

As a theatrical production, the story moves incredibly fast, with actors performing multiple characters without leaving the stage while props and lighting help the audience to gallop alongside them through scenes.

"There's a scene break or location change almost every other minute it seems, and often there are two scenes playing right next to each other just a couple feet away," lighting designer Connor McVey explains.

The play moves in two directions. In one way, it's an exploration of one boy's becoming a child forever- perhaps something everyone ponders from time to time. Seen in a different way, the play is a coming-of-age story for young Molly Aster. A determined, spirited young woman, Molly discovers that she is more than capable of seizing the adventure in life.

Molly's pursuit of adventure offers audiences a happy reminder: though we must all grow up, we don't have to grow old. For GTA's newest faculty member and actor, Brenau alumnus Zechariah Pierce, the show is all about the inner child in all of us. Patrons will recognize from his many rolls during his student years at GTA.

"I watch my two oldest children play with abandon and complete commitment to their imaginative world, that I am often sucked into that world just through observation. This is essentially what we strive for on stage with Peter," said Pierce.

Pierce joins his students in a process that has already proved remarkably rewarding for the cast of performance majors. Just a dozen actors must bring to life 100 characters of Victorian England, the High Seas and eventually Neverland itself. The upperclassmen say this production is a worthwhile culmination of every skillset from their wide-ranging four years of training with GTA.

As Peter, Molly and the rest of the crew take to the seas, the artists of GTA tell a story that's playful, awe-inspiring and discovers the true cost of growing up. GTA's Peter and the Starcatcher encourages audiences to broaden their minds, open their hearts- and not to give up on childhood just yet.

Performances take flight at UNG's Ed Cabell Theatre April 11 - 22 with a special preview performance on Monday, April 10, which has $10 discounted tickets. There will be a FREE Opening Night Reception catered by Avocados in the lobby following the April 11 performance. Tickets are $18-20 for adults, $16-18 seniors (65 and up) and $12-14 for students, depending on seat location. Patrons can select their own seats - while there is still availability -- online at www.gainesvilleTHEATREalliance.org or by calling the Box Office at678.717.3624, Monday - Friday from 10am to 4pm.