This spring was a very laid back one… especially compared to the fall when I was in two shows and had no free time at all! Peter Pan was a blast! When I heard I was going to be Wendy, I was so excited to know that I would be doing another show with Davidson Community Players at the Armour Street Theatre. This is the same theatre where I did my first show EVER, Into The Woods! It felt so nice to back in the place where I started out and learned so much. It was also the place where I built my first family in theatre and learned that performing is my passion. I was so excited to work with a director that I have never worked with before, Benjamin Thomas. At first, his vision for the show was quite different from how it actually turned out. Our first take on this classic was to give the audience what they wanted to see, or in other words, perform the traditional “Peter Pan” with elaborate costumes and no modern interpretations of the script. But, soon Ben came up with the amazing idea that changed the show for the better, the application of the concept of “found theatre”. “Found theatre” basically describes when a show is being played as if the actors know they are putting on a show and use the resources they have as props. Mr. Thomas placed the show in a summer camp setting and everything took off from there! The pirates were camp counselors and the lost boys and brave girls were summer campers. The costumes were very minimalistic as if the characters took them out of their own suitcases! The set consisted of a picnic table, lots of boxes and a two story structure that became many things throughout the show. Like traditional productions of Peter Pan, the actor that played Peter was a girl. She was amazing and I had a wonderful time working with her. On the Wednesday before opening night, I came home with a stomach ache and that night I got sick. The next day I went to the doctor and I was diagnosed with a stomach bug…. but the show MUST go on! That night I went to the final dress rehearsal of Peter Pan and I performed the entire show with a face mask on. I sprayed Lysol on everything I touched afterwards. Even though there were some spots in the show where I was choreographed to touch another actor, I was gladly given permission by my director to not do those sections of the choreo that night. We had a guest audience that night, and even though I had to rush home after the performance to get some rest, I heard from my director that the audience was very impressed with my performance even with a face mask on! The rest of the show was smooth sailing and only 1 of the lost boys got sick after that. I had so much fun getting to know all of the younger cast members and I felt like a mother to them, just as Wendy is to the lost boys. “I WON’T GROW UP”! I also helped a little with the choreography. Our genius choreographer was a student and she allowed me to assist her in some of the choreography. This was an extremely educational experience and I loved every minute of it! I can’t wait until my next DCP production!