Gurnee actor conquers challenge of playing a spirit in 'For Peter Pan'

For Doug McDade, it's a fine line playing a spirit.

In the first scene of "For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday," audiences will experience the Gurnee resident playing out his character's death. In the second, he returns as a ghost.

"The challenge is to be as natural as possible," he says. "People understand I'm not really there, but they can still feel my presence."

The Shattered Globe Theatre production, from Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee Sarah Ruhl, runs through May 20 at Chicago's Theater Wit. Ruhl wrote the play for her mother, Kathleen, a Chicago actress who played Peter Pan onstage as a teen.

Directed by Jessica Thebus, the Chicago premiere explores themes of childhood, growing up and family.

After their father, George, passes, five siblings, including two doctors and three Republicans, attempt to reconnect with their childhood dreams and the passage of time. They find that in a world of make-believe, seen through adult eyes, there's still magic and wisdom for the young at heart.

Audiences will experience a "roller coaster of emotions," McDade says, "including joy and sadness, but it ends in a very uplifting moment."

Ultimately, the play is about family and how each member, despite differing religious and political views, experiences the ups and downs of life.

McDade, a founding ensemble member with Shattered Globe Theatre, is one of the area's top acting and theater coaches. But even for a seasoned actor, playing a spirit was "kind of creepy. It's a bit of a challenge to keep it as subtle and simple as possible and yet still emit a love for my children and family," he says.

There was another first - acting onstage with a dog. "Her disposition was absolutely delightful," McDade says. "She walks around onstage, and it's quite cute. Her stage presence is perfect, and she's the consummate professional."

Ruhl's mother, Kathleen, actually appears in the Chicago production, which was an opportunity for the actors to hear about the real-life experiences of the characters the play is based on. "It was a wonderful process," McDade says.