Peter Pan is back!
Peter Pan is back, bigger and more raucous than ever before!
This August our terrifically modern and delightful adaptation of Peter Pan's much-loved tale will be perfoemed at beautiful and historic Powderham Castle that has over 600 year of history.
Embark on a journey to Neverland with the boy who never grew up, his trusty sidekick Tinkerbell, his unlikely partners Great White Panther and the Neverlanders, and the cunning, cowardly Captain Hook with his motley crew of pirates. BYMT’s acclaimed creative team and exceptional young company of emerging talent, will recreate the vivid and magical world of Neverland, a place where children become adults and adults become children again.
Director Tiffany King says: "Our imaginations didn’t stop when the theatres closed, in fact for many of us, we became more creative, we reimagined and redefined what is possible. Peter Pan is the perfect show for this season, a story that grows in richness and colour if only you dare to imagine. From the dog-eared pages of a well-read book to a long-forgotten toy hidden in the back of the cupboard or a dusty ornament high up on the shelf, nothing escapes Wendy’s imagination. Neverland is both the stuff of pleasant dreams and nightmares with the comforting knowledge that you will wake up. Life is what you make it and what starts out as a neatly organised unimaginative monochrome nursery space, soon becomes filled with beautiful colour and energy when you are open to new possibilities. Nothing is impossible when you believe.
I keep mentioning the importance of re-discovering our childlike imaginations to capture the fun filled sense of child's play that is woven into the fabric of Neverland. It is a world of make-believe and it has been joyous exploring the possibilities of creating this child-led adventure - from books which flutter out from the window as birds to the pillows which combined with a highly physical movement vocabularly create the clouds in the sky, or the papier mache crocodile's eyes which appear from the trapdoors to haunt Hook or the giant pencils which are used by the Neverlanders to defend their land. This version of Neverland takes games, imagery, toys, kid's party dances and cleverly twists them, giving it new meaning - the rules are constantly changing."
And she adds about her work with BYMT's young company: "The commitment to the work is impressive and we really fostered the professional expectations from day 1. We have already achieved a full stagger through of the whole show - a quick rehearsal process which challenged the YP to be prepared, disciplined and trust the process that they would have a strong show product early in the process to allow us to reach a new depth of the show - the discover more nuances, to develop the pace of the show - the character's arcs - the use of the thrust stage with audience on three sides. Exciting challenges!
The importance of the ensemble is key to my work, allowing each creative in the cast to understand their important role in creating moments of magic - it takes everyone to create that magic! I love to explore the physical language of each world - I love a challenge and the YP have certainly gone on that explorative journey with me from Day 1 - whether that was finding new ways to 'fly' or discovering the pirates rope in its many forms and how it could be used to threaten, entertain and ultimately create the Jolly Roger on stage!"
This truly memorable and delightful family show was created by Jimmy Jewell and Nick Stimson and features a fabulous pop-rock score and the stunning ensemble work for which BYMT has become renowned. Moreover, one of the creators of this show, Jimmy Jewell at the age of 21 (pretty much like our young performers now) performed at Powderham Castle with with The Who, Paul Young, Procol Harum and Darlene Love, and you can see him on this video playing piano:
The show opens today, 5 August and will be running until 8 August. It's a must-see family show with the songs like An Awfully Big Adventure, If I’d Stayed at Home with Mother, You Must Believe in Magic and many more – we guarantee you’ll be humming these tunes all the way home!