Arcadia Stage's First In-Person Production Since 2019
Peter and the Starcatcher Cast and Stagecraft Crew have a full dress and tech rehearsal days before showtime.
(Photo Courtesy of AUSD Digital Communications Intern Lauryn Chao)
After a year of virtual performances, the Arcadia Stage Theatre Company had its first fully in-person production since 2019: Peter and the Starcatcher. And while the production turned out to be an excellent success with over 700 guests on opening night alone, the journey was long and critical.
The cast and crew began preparing for this production at the beginning of August 2021. For those unfamiliar with Peter and the Starcatcher, the play is a prequel to the beloved story of Peter Pan, following a whimsical and humorous adventure of a young orphan boy (Peter) who started off with no name and no family and centers on themes related to overcoming obstacles and finding belonging.
Step 1: Auditions. For context on what an Arcadia Stage audition process entails, here’s the breakdown:
- On the first day of auditions, students tried out for their desired characters by performing pre-prepared excerpts, including a short monologue and a song.
- The second day consisted of actors reading an excerpt from the play assigned either only the night before or the same day of the audition with the purpose of testing the chemistry between actors.
- The third and final day was for “callbacks”, which is the industry term for when the director would like to see an actor again, most commonly to hear them read from the script or see them next to another actor.
Shortly after being assigned characters, the cast jumped right into practicing the play almost daily at school to piece together an unforgettable experience for fellow students, their families, and other members of the Arcadia community.
Rehearsals not only entailed polishing actors' acting skills but also other components, such as choreography and working on British accents. Professionals, like dialect coach Adam Michael Rose from AMR Accents, came in to train with the cast. After learning various accent techniques and honing in on the voices that best suited their characters, the students of Arcadia Stage were able to perfect the Cockney accent, which was used substantially throughout the show.
Although Arcadia Stage was able to successfully hold the production in person this fall, COVID-19 was certainly still a challenge to sail through.
“Some things as simple as keeping our distance during rehearsals to having to avoid movement with blocking due to too much closeness are examples of what we’ve had to practice with,” shared cast member and Arcadia High junior Katie Siriani, who played "Slank," a malicious pirate that Peter and his friends work to defeat throughout the story.
Aspects of costumes and audio had also been altered to ensure the safety of all members on set. For example, the actors’ costumes and microphones were frequently sanitized and kept separate from one another. Despite enduring these obstacles, Siriani was still overjoyed to perform live on stage for the first time.
“To say I would be excited for having an in-person production after a year of virtual setting and previous cancellations would be a complete understatement,” expressed Siriani.
Siriani has been in Arcadia High's advanced theater program for two years, yet this production is the first show she's performed live on the Arcadia Performing Arts Center Stage due to various restrictions created throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another key contributor to the production of Peter and the Starcarcher is Arcadia High School’s Stagecraft class, which had also been hard-at-work since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
Stagecraft students partake in construction, sound, lighting, costumes, and stage management, playing an integral role in the success of the production. They build extravagant sets and props that bring the audience closer to the story and add to the audience’s experience by producing mesmerizing visuals and carefully constructed pieces.
Stagecraft students closely monitor rehearsal of Peter and the Starcatcher.
(Photo courtesy of AUSD Digital Communications Intern Rachel Saw)
“We started preparing for the play at the beginning of the school year,” said Stagecraft student Janell Wang.
“There's a schedule that needs to be followed [; ...] the actual building for the set doesn't begin until about a month before the play and then after the set is built, rehearsals begin," elaborated Wang.
“The role of the stage manager is to manage everything, so all the actors, all the lights, all the sound, and we create cues for them too,” explained Stagecraft Stage Manager Joseph Juranko.
“The sounds and lights are very important because it changes the mood for the audience. For instance, during a singing scene, a spotlight on the actor would be better suited than a plain light.”
If you missed this stunning production of Peter and the Starcatcher at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center, the DVD recording can be purchased by emailing Apache News at [email protected]. For more information about the Arcadia Stage Theatre Company, visit www.arcadiastage.com, and to learn more about the Stagecraft Class at Arcadia High School, visit https://apac.ausd.net/resident-companies/stagecraft.