Sullivan, Lenk & More Announced For PETER PAN At The Alley Theatre, Opens 10/1

Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and artistic team for Alley Theatre's production of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, J.M. Barrie's rarely produced original fantasy, the first Hubbard Stage production in the 2010-11 Season.

Directed by Gregory Boyd, the 20 member cast features Jay Sullivan in the title role and making her Alley debut is Katrina Lenk as Mrs. Darling/Slightly. Elizabeth Bunch plays Wendy and James Black plays Mr. Darling/Capt. James Hook.

Jay Sullivan (Peter Pan) returns to the Alley Theatre having previously appeared as George Gibbs in last season's Our Town, and Orpheus in Eurydice. Sullivan appeared as Red Angel/Bob in the original production of Durango at The Public Theater and Long Wharf Theatre. He has appeared as Matt/Pigpen in DogSeesGod at the Soho Playhouse and as Grole Andacht in The Bilbao Effect at The Center for Architecture. He was also in Orestes: A Tragic Romp in the Folger and Two River Theatre's productions. He received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for outstanding supporting actor for his appearance as Dakin in The Studio Theatre's production of The History Boys.

Katrina Lenk (Mrs. Darling/Slightly) is making her Alley debut. She has just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where she was performing in Lovelace: A Rock Opera. She was in South Coast Repertory's production of Caucasian Chalk Circle as Grusha and the Mark Taper Forum's iWitness as Margaret. Lenk appeared at the Steppenwolf Theatre as Anna in Lost Land. In New York City she was in The Miracle Worker and played the title role in Camille.

Elizabeth Bunch (Wendy) is in her fifth season at the Alley Theatre and appeared in the 2009-2010 season productions of Boeing-Boeing as Gabriella, as Myrtle Mae Simmons in Harvey, as Emily Webb in Our Town and was the female actor in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. In New York City she was in The Keen Company and The Mint Theater's production of The Voice of the Turtle, Playwright Horizons' The Water Children, The Keen Company's production of Museum, and Bat Theater Company's The Light Outside. She was also in Little Foxes at The Denver Center, A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Guthrie Theater and a national tour of Goosebumps produced by Feld Entertainment.

James Black (Mr. Darling/ Captain James Hook) is the Associate Director at the Alley Theatre and is in his 23rd consecutive season at the Alley as an actor and occasional director. He most recently appeared in his first solo performance at the Alley Theatre in St. Nicholas. Black appeared in the 2009-2010 season productions of Boeing-Boeing as Bernard, Harvey as Elwood P. Dowd, Mrs. Mannerly as Jeffrey, and Our Town as Stage Manager. He has directed Alley Theatre productions of Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane and John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, among others. He received a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actor for Not About Nightingales. He also received a BackStage West Garland Award for his appearance as Eddie Carbone in the Alley's production of A View from the Bridge.
Completing this large cast (in alphabetical order) are Leraldo Anzaldua as Skylights, Jeffrey Bean as Smee, James Belcher as Cecco, Thomas Brazzle as Alsatian Fogerty, Brian Byrnes as George Scourie/Robt. Mullins, Patrick Damien Earl as Nana/Chay Turley/Bill Jukes, Luis Gonzalez as Nibs/The Crocodile, Dylan Godwin as Tootles, Chris Hutchison as Alf Mason, Julia Krohn as Liza/Curly, Kalob Martinez as Canary Robb, Emily Neves as Michael/Jane, David Rainey as Noodler/Cookson, John Tyson as The Storyteller, Adam Van Wagoner as John and Todd Waite as Gentleman Starkey.

The scenic designer for Peter Pan is Hugh Landwehr (Alley's Harvey, Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Rock 'n' Roll, Eurydice), the costume designer is Constance Hoffman (Alley Theatre's Treasure Island, Hamlet, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Beauty Queen of Leenane), the lighting designer is Beverly Emmons (Alley's Our Town), and the music composition and sound design is by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (Alley's Rock 'n' Roll, Cyrano, Top Dog Underdog, Twelfth Night). Dramaturgs for this production are Mark Bly (Alley's Intelligence-Slave, Harvey, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Our Town) and Lauren Halvorsen (Alley's A Behanding in Spokane, Mrs. Mannerly, Our Town, Sherlock Holmes and The Crucifer of Blood). The fight director is Brian Byrnes (Alley's Intelligence-Slave, Cyrano de Bergerac, Othello, The Pillowman) and the flying effects are by ZFX, Inc.

J.M. Barrie didn't publish his play until it had been produced for almost 25 seasons - and when he finally did, in 1928, he had many alternate scripts. About fifty prose versions appeared between 1904 and 1910 all based on Barrie's play. The play takes off with the sudden arrival of Peter into the lives of Wendy, John and Michael and together they embark on a fantastical flight to the Never Land, a magical place of vivid dangers and unsettling beauty. During their thrilling adventure they meet the Lost Boys, Tinkerbell, and a horde of pirates headed by Captain Hook, the wickedest villain of all time. Ideal for families with children over six, this story will captivate grownups as the darker undertones and loses of the boy who won't grow up are revealed.

Gregory Boyd's selection of this particular version of the play for the Alley was based on his experience with it more than two decades ago. "I was astonished," he explained, "when I visited the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 while they were preparing a new version of the play and realized how much I didn't know about it. The directors of that production, Trevor Nunn and John Caird, had decided to include a character called the Storyteller based on Barrie himself, as a way of setting the scenes of the play in a larger context. And in doing this, they let the audiences hear for the first time, through the Storyteller's voice, some of the things Barrie thought about the play, or included in the stage directions. They are some of the most evocative stage directions ever - and their inclusion in the performed play is a great innovation."

Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, a fantasy by J.M. Barrie, in a new version by John Caird and Trevor Nunn, directed by Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd, begins performances Friday, October 1, opens officially Wednesday, October 6 and runs through Sunday, October 31 on the Hubbard Stage.

Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up is generously sponsored by Premiere Sponsor The Humphreys Foundation, Lead Sponsor Enbridge Energy Company, Inc. and Supporting Sponsors Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Alley Theatre is supported by the 2010-2011 season sponsor Continental Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up start at $21. All tickets to Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up are available for purchase at www.alleytheatre.org, at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.315.3346. The added convenience of reservations by phone or Internet is available for a nominal fee. Tickets purchased in person at the Alley Theatre Box Office have a $1 building restoration fee.

MECA $10 TIX
Saturday, October 2
The Alley Theatre continues its efforts to make the theatre affordable to patrons. Partnering with other social non-profit organizations, the Alley seeks to generate in-kind donations and reward patrons with $10 Tix for Saturday October 2, 2:30 PM; Tuesday, October 5, 7:30 PM or Thursday, October 7, 7:30 PM performances. The $10 Tix are available in person, on Saturday October 2 only and are limited to two tickets per person. Purchase in person at the box office (615 Texas Ave.) on Saturday October beginning at noon. Cash or check only. Limited availability. Bring donations of art supplies.

CAPTIONED AND AUDIO DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE
Sunday October 3, 7:30 PM
The Alley Theatre is pleased to offer open captioning and audio description for many of our productions throughout the season. To ensure that your seats will accommodate your needs, please call the box office 713.220.5700 when ordering tickets to this performance. Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more. Call 713.315.3346 for more information.

TALKBACK
Saturday, October 9, 2:30 PM
Tuesday, October 12, 7:30 PM
Members of the cast return to the stage following the performance to take questions from the audience. TalkBacks are led by a member of the Alley Artistic Staff.

ACTOUT
Thursday, October 14, 6:00 - 7:15 PM
Houston's premiere theatre group for gay and lesbian theatre fans and their friends celebrate the Alley Theatre's production of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. To find out more visit www.alleytheatre.org. For tickets call 713.220.5700 and mention "ActOUT." Participants must have a ticket to the performance in order to attend this pre-show event.

 

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