Actors in flight: 'Peter Pan' at West Aurora
After a high school career filled with serious, modern rock operas like "Cats," "Miss Saigon" and "Rent," Theatre Troupe 2013 at West Aurora High School is ready to lighten things up with a play for the entire family.
Families have snapped up nearly all the tickets available for West High's spring musical, "Peter Pan" running at 7 p.m. today through Saturday, May 7-9, at 1201 W. New York St. in Aurora.
Senior Jessica Navarro, of Aurora, has had a part in all the West High productions since her freshman year. Navarro is following in the famous footsteps of Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby in playing the mischievous flying little boy Peter Pan.
During rehearsal last week Navarro placed her long hair under a wild mop of scruffy "boy" hair as she began her transformation from high school senior to forever young boy.
"I've never had to play a boy before. It's most difficult having to capture his spirit and bring him to life," she said.
Navarro is also preparing to fly during the three-performance run this weekend. She'll be wearing harness throughout the performance and will be hooked up to fly across the stage and even into the audience.
Director Ken Ruffalo is always looking for something different to try each spring at West High.
"We knew we wanted Peter to fly across the stage but we took bids from a lot of places to help us fly Peter out into the audience," Ruffalo said.
The cast had to wait until Sunday to get hooked up to the wires above the auditorium.
Ruffalo found a company that could get Peter Pan "all the way out to the soundboard in the middle of the theatre," he explained. Ruffalo is even contemplating flying Peter in from the audience and onto the stage for the curtain call.
During rehearsal, Navarro -- wearing blue jeans with wide cuffs, red and white striped canvas shoes and a green zip-up sweater and boy wig -- already was beginning to channel the mythical boy who never grows up.
The orchestra pit musicians contributed fast paced music during rehearsal and the cast members playing pirates and Indians cheered loudly as Navarro, as Peter, and junior Tyler Bachman, as Captain Hook rehearsed an action-filled sword fight from one end of the stage to the other.
"They say that Jessica is a natural. She could be a fencer," Bachman said.
"It's a big adrenaline rush with everyone on stage cheering for you during the sword fight," he added.
Bachman, of North Aurora, is in his first musical after appearing in Winter One Acts at the school since his freshman year.
"Playing Hook is a challenge," Bachman said. "Hook is both evil and he's a baby at the same time, so I have to find a balance between the two parts of his character."
Peter Pan marks the end of an era for one Aurora acting family. Heidi Schultz is "the last of the Schultzes," according to Theatre Troop 2013 business director Kerry Proczko.
Schultz and her older brother Jackson have been in all the productions at the school for the past six years. Their parents are mainstays at the Riverfront Playhouse in downtown Aurora.
"We've played some dramatic downers the past few years," Shultz said of "Miss Saigon" and "Rent." "It's like, hey, let's be little kids again this year."
Shultz is playing a pirate and Liza the maid in her final West High performance.
Emily Ledger, a junior from North Aurora, is cast as one of the Indians in her first musical part at West High.
"I love seeing the stage being transformed into this fantasy land," Ledger said. "I am so excited. The set is phenomenal and everything is just coming to life. I can't wait to see how it looks when we actually do the shows."
Tickets are $10 a seat for the three performance weekend set. Call (630) 301-5600 for information.