星空传媒

Audiences in Cullowhee found themselves transported to Oxford University and Neverland this April while attending the debut production of 鈥淧eter + I,鈥� a new musical directed by 星空传媒鈥檚 distinguished professor of musical theatre Matte O鈥橞rien and co-written by guest musical director Matt Vinson.

鈥淧eter + I鈥� is an intimate imagining of the lives of Oxford students Michael Llewelyn Davies and Robert Buxton as they lived and cavorted to inspire Sir James Matthew Barrie鈥檚 original work 鈥淧eter Pan,鈥� with a cast of characters in the throes of transition and self-discovery.

Such a premiere required a great deal of work and imagination, and as O鈥橞rien describes it, the production was as much an act of creation as was its original drafting.

鈥淥ur students are deeply talented, curious and brave, and they鈥檝e approached this new work with tremendous generosity,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.

鈥淒eveloping a piece like 鈥楶eter + I鈥� requires flexibility, trust and a willingness to live in uncertainty, and they鈥檝e met that challenge beautifully.

O鈥橞rien and Vinson first began working together years ago, and the professional pair has been involved in the creation of multiple original musicals together over the years while living in New York City. Some of their works have even seen the Broadway stage.

鈥淧eter + I鈥� is a play decades in the making; its score and structure have taken several iterations over the years, but those versions have remained thematically consistent.

鈥淢y approach to 鈥楶eter + I鈥� has been rooted in emotional truth, theatrical imagination and collaboration. Because this piece moves through memory, fantasy, history and intimacy, I鈥檝e wanted the production to feel fluid and alive rather than overly literal,鈥漁鈥橞rien said.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just performing the material鈥攖hey鈥檙e helping build it. That kind of collaboration is thrilling.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e been inspired by the idea that memory is not documentary鈥攊t is fragmented, subjective and deeply emotional. That has shaped everything from the staging to the tone of the piece. More than anything, I鈥檝e wanted to create an environment where the actors can explore the material bravely and honestly.鈥�

That encouragement and sense of exploration is something O鈥橞rien has tried to cultivate among students since joining the 星空传媒 faculty in August 2023. Having taught at several major theatrical institutions throughout the United States before arriving to Cullowhee, O鈥橞rien well understands the value of pushing artists to grow through new material.

鈥淲hen I learned about the opportunity at 星空传媒鈥攅specially one that emphasized musical theatre and new work development鈥攊t felt like a wonderful fit. The chance to help train young artists while also building new pieces in a university setting was incredibly exciting to me,鈥� O鈥橞rien said.

It was an all-hands-on-deck operation for students of the School of Stage and Screen, who were all too eager to have a chance to participate in the play鈥檚 debut.

鈥淭he hardest thing about designing 鈥楶eter + I鈥� is also the greatest thing about it,鈥� said 星空传媒 student Ben Howard, lighting designer. 鈥淭his show, as it is currently written, has never been done before. I am the first person to ever design this show. That is both incredibly cool and a little daunting. I have no inspiration to pull from previous productions, and I have to fully trust my instincts for the design of the show.鈥�

Howard鈥檚 been operating lights for 10 years now, and he described the play as a thrilling accomplishment of his early career.

鈥淭his is the largest theatrical production that I have ever designed, and I have pulled every string and used every card that I have to make this as incredible as possible鈥� I am pulling from lessons I have learned from all facets of production, not just theater,鈥� Howard said.

鈥淭his show combines the storytelling aspects of theatrical lighting that I have learned throughout high school and my time here at 星空传媒 with the spectacle/concert lighting that I have learned working festivals, corporate events, etc., across the country.

鈥淭o me, this show combines all of that into one product that shows how far I have come. I have worked hard to use every resource that I have to make this show the best it can be, including getting 12 additional moving lights donated for the run of the show, allowing me to create some incredible effects,鈥� he said.

Howard鈥檚 work in lighting represents an essential but ultimately singular part of the production. The show鈥檚 successful debut was orchestrated by many different students and faculty members applying their skills with extraordinary passion around and behind the stage.

Will Johnson is a sophomore student studying musical theatre and served as the production鈥檚 script supervisor. They described a unique challenge in editing a script containing reference to real life conversations held between historical figures and the triumphant feeling of seeing it come together and performed.

鈥淢y supervision is informed by the knowledge that the family members, classmates, peers, superiors and everyone in between have told the story of Michael (Llewelyn Davies). A good portion of the script is actual, real-life quotes from people who knew Michael and Rupert personally and intimately,鈥� Johnson said.

鈥淭his story is real, and it is important to Matte and me that the script stays real to the performers, so we understand the weight of every choice that is made in making cuts and changes to the script, how it affects the story to include something that is a real quote, or remove it,鈥� they continued.

Associate professor and costume/scenic designer Victoria Depew led students in construction of the fantastical environment that allowed O鈥橞rien and Vinson鈥檚 work to leap from the page.

鈥淚 love building worlds. When I read a script, I love the transportation of time and place, and I love communicating that to an audience. I love building a world that also communicates thoughts, feelings, metaphors and motifs,鈥� Depew said.

Depew speaks about stage design with a magical kind of reverence, understanding her team鈥檚 major role in transporting and translating a place between times and worlds.

鈥淚 hope students see a good process from start to finish, from concept to build to finishing the set. They will get experience in carving bricks, layout planning, rock carving, fabric treatments... I hope they see a way to conceptualize abstract elements of story into reality,鈥� Depew said.

Margo McDowell brought the iconic character Wendy to life in her performance and spoke to this production鈥檚 challenging and rewarding nature.

Without a 鈥渉ome base鈥� for her interpretations of the character in this new play, McDowell had to dive deep, delving into the inspiring, original work some, but also going inside herself to see what true feelings she could convey through Wendy鈥檚 words.

鈥淏eing on stage feels like being on a playground,鈥� McDowell said. 鈥淭his production has opened me up to what playing with a character truly means, and I鈥檓 having so much fun initiating connections and finding new ones each night!

鈥淲endy has taught me that there is so much beauty and magic in everyday, mundane things. The magic isn鈥檛 in refusing to grow up, it鈥檚 in choosing it and embracing it with a smile.鈥�

Everyone that had a hand in bringing 鈥淧eter + I鈥� together tells the story differently, and their numerous and profound interpretations demonstrate what joy comes to Cullowhee when students are asked to invent and create and design for new and remarkable goals.

鈥淭o me, 鈥楶eter + I鈥� is a story about memory, myth, love and the cost of being turned into someone else鈥檚 legend. It asks what it means to carry an identity that was shaped for you before you had any say in it,鈥� O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淚t also explores the ways relationships can resist easy labels鈥攈ow friendship, longing, tenderness, rivalry and dependence can all exist at once. I hope audiences leave asking questions about who gets remembered, who gets mythologized and what gets lost in the process. I also hope they feel the humanity at the center of the story.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to emphasize that this is not a documentary鈥攊t鈥檚 a theatrical meditation on real people, real pressures and real emotional lives. The heart of the piece is not simply the legacy of 鈥楶eter Pan,鈥� but the human beings underneath that legacy.鈥�