Willowbrook's 'Peter Pan' looks to soar to new heights

It takes more than a sprinkling of Tinker Bell's fairy dust to make Peter Pan fly.

This ooh- and ahh-inspiring form of theatrical magic requires professionally installed rigging, custom harnesses, expert choreography - and for the high school actors, a lot of trust in their classmates on the flying crew.

It all comes together starting tonight in Willowbrook High School's production of "Peter Pan" - a family friendly fantasy that director Regina Wathier calls "my homage to childhood."

Peter, Wendy, John and Michael - and later in the show, Wendy's daughter, Jane - will soar 15 or so feet above the stage on their journey to Never Land.

Many school productions leave the "flying" to the audience's imagination, but Wathier, an English and theater teacher, wasn't about to keep her young actors grounded. So she contracted with Hall Associated Flying Effects of DeKalb, which provides the equipment, choreographs the flights and trains the actors and crew.

"The day they first installed it and rehearsed it, it was like watching a dozen kids on Christmas morning," Wathier said. "It's something I'll never forget, that's for sure.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone involved in this production," she said.

Senior Hayley Camire, 17, who plays Peter, expected to be a little scared the first time her feet left the ground.

"I feel so comfortable in the air now, I'm more comfortable in the air than on the floor!" she said.

Senior Alison Tazelaar, 17, is the member of the six-student flying crew that actually makes Peter move through the air and lands the character atop a fireplace and on the bed.

"It's a lot of coordination because I have to make sure Peter lands on center," she said. "It took a lot of practice."

The flying isn't the only challenge in the Villa Park school's production of "Peter Pan." There are 58 students in the cast, including 16 from local elementary and middle schools.

"There are always two things going on at once - the pirates are in once place and the Lost Boys are in another place," said junior Amy Trapani, 16, the assistant director.

This "Peter Pan" is the Broadway version, not Disney's. In addition to Nana the Dog and the crocodile, there are other animals written in the script as inhabitants of Never Land - a lion, an ostrich, a kangaroo - but often left out when schools perform the show.

For Wathier, "Peter Pan" has a personal significance. She was 6 when she saw Sandy Duncan in the role.

"That was the show that made me want to become an actor, a teacher and a theater artist," she said. "I want to give everyone the same wonderful experience I had 30 years ago."

She also wanted to do a show that would appeal to all ages, after two shows geared to a more adult audience - "Sweeney Todd" and "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum,"

Cast members include junior Tova Bergsten as Wendy; senior Jacob Storck as John; 11-year-old Matthew Petersen from Pleasant Lane Elementary School in Lombard as Michael; junior Katie Schremp as Jane and junior Jake Robertson as Captain Hook.

"This is the biggest show I've ever been in," Bergsten said, "and I love it."

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>If you go</b></p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What:</b> "Peter Pan" </p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>When:</b> 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 11 to 13</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Where:</b> Willowbrook High School, 1250 S. Ardmore Ave., Villa Park</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Tickets:</b> $6 for adults; $5 for students 13 and older; $3 for ages 5-12 and Willowbrook students with school activity pass; free for children younger than 5 and senior citizens with a District 88 Gold Card</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Info:</b> (630) 530-3400</p>