PETER PAN to Fly Into the Arden Theatre Company This Winter

Arden Theatre Company celebrates the 20th Anniversary Season of Arden Children's Theatre with PETER PAN, adapted to the stage by Douglas Irvine from the books by J.M. Barrie. Whit MacLaughlin directs on the Arden's F. Otto Haas Stage at 40 N. 2nd Street in Philadelphia. The Honorary Producer is the Hamilton Family Foundation.

Ever since J.M. Barrie's story first appeared in 1904, countless versions have been produced on stage and in film. This version by Scottish playwright, Douglas Irvine, gets at the heart of J.M. Barrie's stories with bold theatricality, and celebrates the joy of storytelling and the power of imagination.

This is the Arden's 20th Anniversary of Arden Children's Theatre and Director, Whit MacLaughlin's, 20th Arden Children's Theatre production.

Arden Producing Artistic Director Terrence J. Nolen says, "We have been very fortunate to have a director of Whit's caliber to help us tell these stories over the past 20 years. He is committed to finding the most inventive and honest way possible to bring these classics to life in new and imaginative ways."

Director Whit MacLaughlin says, "When I started directing for Arden Children's Theatre, my kids were very young and I felt like I was making a show for them every year. It's been a wonderful bond for our family, and I like being a hero once a year for my daughters."

He adds, "I have always approached children's theatre in the same way I approach any other work. Always with respect for the story that is being told. It's important to find ways to honor the adult in the child, as well as the child in the adult. In this version of Peter Pan, you'll find that both the boys and girls are heroic and everyone gets to be a swashbuckler. This is definitely a Peter Pan like you've never seen before."

The role of Captain Hook is being played by Barrymore Award-winning actress Catherine Slusar. Slusar has extensive experience on local stages and has appeared previously in Arden Children's Theatre productions including The Borrowers, the BFG and Sideways Stories from the Wayside School. She is the winner of the 2001 F. Otto Haas for an Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist and the 2015 Barrymore Award for Leading Actress in a Play for her role as Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Theatre Exile.

The rest of the cast includes Jo Vito Ramirez as Peter and Emilie Krause as Wendy. Eliana Fabiyi, Brandon Pierce and Leah Walton round out the cast.

Previews of PETER PAN begin on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 and continue through Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 12noon. The show opens on Saturday, December 2, 2016 at 7pm and runs through Sunday, January 21, 2017. A full calendar of events can be found here. Opening Night Sponsors are Harmelin Media, Franklin Fountain and Whole Foods Market.

PETER PAN includes weekday matinee performances for students and weekend performances for families. Single ticket prices start at $34 for adults and $18 for children, with discounts available for groups of 20 or more, seniors, students, military, and educators. Arden Children's Theatre 2-play subscriptions are available for $26 - $50. Call the Arden Box Office at 215.922.1122, visit www.ardentheatre.org or walk-up at the box office at 40 N. 2nd Street in Old City, Philadelphia.

Post-show question and answer sessions follow each performance. Audience members can also meet and greet cast members in the lobby following each performance.

The Arden is wheelchair accessible and provides assisted listening devices and large-print programs at every performance. Open Captioned and Audio Described performances will take place on Friday, January 12 at 10am and Saturday, January 13 at 4pm. Reservations are required for accessible seating and may be made by calling the Arden's Box Office at 215.922.1122.

Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company is dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers-on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. Five productions are staged each season as part of the Mainstage series and two productions through Arden Children's Theatre, the city's first resident professional children's theatre program. New work is produced through the Independence Foundation New Play Showcase. The Arden's Education Department includes: Arden for All (AFA), a theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, the after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers; and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program. The Hamilton Family Arts Center is the new facility dedicated to education programs and new play development.

The Arden has received numerous honors including 63 awards and 331 nominations from the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre. The Arden is a winner of four "Theatre Company of the Year" designations (Philadelphia Inquirer), six Philadelphia Magazine "Best of Philly" awards and three "Best of Philly Kids" awards, the City Paper's Reader's Choice Award and the prestigious "Great Friend to Kids Award" from the Please Touch Museum for Arden Children's Theatre work. For accessibility efforts, the Arden was named a "Keystone of Accessibility" by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Arden Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit 501(c)(3) theatre company and a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the League of Resident Theatres, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Old City Arts Association. The Arden also participates in The Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia.