This is my fourth year and the fifth production that I have been a part of here at EHS. Peter Pan was definitely so much different than the others because of the flying involved. I would say this was the most stressful play I have been part of for two reasons: First, due to the flying mechanism being very expensive, the equipment came in very late. This means full run-throughs did not happen until much later than they had usually taken place in previous years. The delay caused by the flying made me feel really nervous and unprepared, but luckily I was able to get the hang of the show in about four days and I think it went pretty smoothly.

The other reason why I was stressed is because this is the first show ever that I had to operate the lightboard all alone. For the previous shows I was accompanied by a friend, but they graduated in 2024 – which left me on my own. Thankfully, I was able to overcome both of these obstacles, and I would say the first weekend was rather successful.

Act 2 was my least favorite, but not for a reason you would expect. It had nothing to do with the actors, orchestra, or other crew members, it had to do with my lighting cues. There were three songs during the show where I needed to have my 100% attention focused on the stage and choreography as the timing of the cues changed every show. Unfortunately for me, all three of these songs were in Act 2, and two of them were back to back.

I got a little bit nervous, but I needed to trust my own judgment in order to make sure everyone on stage was lit. This may sound contradictory, but ironically my favorite song was in act 2 (it wasn’t one of my difficult songs). It was called “Hook’s Tarantella”, and something about Hook’s (James Nienstedt’s) singing and the music I just think is so good. I don’t even specifically know why I liked it so much, just something about it was so catchy and fun, in my opinion.

Four weeks ago I knew close to nothing about Peter Pan, but over this last month I’ve learned so much and grown to love it! I was really sad when it finished last weekend, but all good things must come to an end.  Until next year!