It’s that time of the year again! North Allegheny Intermediate High School is getting ready to perform their fall production, Peter and the Starcatcher, and a team of NASH students is playing a central role.
The show is a retelling of the origin story of Peter Pan. We follow a nameless orphan who meets Molly, the daughter of Lord Aster, the last star catcher, as they fight against the devious Black Stache and his right hand man, Smee, in an attempt to steal the queen’s treasure. They meet peculiar characters along the way — some who become friends, and others who become foes.
For faculty co-director Mr. Kiggins, Peter and the Starcatcher will be his 32nd play on the NAI stage.
“I have been involved since 2007, and I still love doing them and connecting with the students,” he said.
Faculty co-director Mrs. Lewis is particularly excited about next week’s show.
“Audiences can expect to laugh and enjoy every facet of this very entertaining show,” Lewis said. “The show will open audience’s eyes to the characters of Peter Pan and explore the story of Peter and Molly.”
I love collaborating with the other student directors to work towards a common goal.
— Ellen Milcoff, student director
Alongside Kiggins and Lewis, ten NASH students are heavily involved in the production of the NAI show. The student directors include Ellen Milcoff, Maia Miller, Emily Quinlan, Madison Emekter, Lucia Spevetz, Chris Petraglia, Gracie Durzo, Reagan Ball, and Charlie Palmer. For most of the student directors, this is their first year participating in directing one of NAI’s plays. However, most of them were once actors on the NAI stage and are now stepping up to the roles of directors. For Milcoff, Miller, and Petraglia, this is the third NAI production they are directing.
“I love collaborating with the other student directors to work towards a common goal,” Milcoff said.
Petraglia, the show’s technical director, is feeling especially positive about this fall’s show.
“This play is a lot different from all of our other plays,” he said. “The things we can do with the lights are a lot more vast and we have a lot more creative liberties to it.”
For Quinlan, the show’s complexity brings both challenges and rewards.
“It is very complicated because there are a lot of moving parts,” she said. “However, it is also very rewarding because we get to have fun throughout the process.”
Peter and the Starcatcher will take flight onto the stage Thursday, October 26th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, October 28th at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm at the NAI Auditorium. Staff and Gold Card Performances will be held on Thursday, October 25th at 3:30 pm. Tickets will be sold at the door for $8.00.
