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KENSINGTON GARDENS - Peter Pan

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J M BARRIE’S<strong>KENSINGTON</strong> <strong>GARDENS</strong>THE MAGICAL NEW STAGE PRODUCTIONBACKGROUND, ACTIVITYand RESOURCE PACKWritten and researchedby Kirsty Hoiles2


CONTENTSSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN J M BARRIE’S LIFEINSPIRATIONS FOR PETER PANPETER PAN ON STAGETANYA RONDER’S ADAPTATIONPETER PAN COMES HOMEREHEARSAL PROCESSSCENE BY SCENE SYNOPSISCHARACTER BREAKDOWNFOLLOW-UP WORKSUPPORTING EXTRACTSpage 34-55566-89-1516-2021-3536-412


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN J M BARRIE’S LIFE1860 James Matthew Barrie born at Kirriemuir in Angus, Scotland.1866 His older brother David dies in a skating accident.1873 Attends Dumfries Academy.1878 Enters Edinburgh University.1882 Graduates with an MA.1885 Moves to London to find work as a freelance writer.1888 Auld Licht Idylls and When a Man’s Single, Barrie’s first collections of stories are published.1891 His novel The Little Minister published and becomes very popular.1892 The Professor’s Love Story - his first play to open in New York.1894 Marries the actress Mary Ansell.1895 His mother dies.1896 He meets Charles Frohman, who was to become the producer of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, while on a trip to America.1896 Two novels, Magaret Ogilvy and Sentimental Tommy are published.1897 Meets the Llewelyn Davies family and their 5 children - a vital part of the development of the <strong>Peter</strong><strong>Pan</strong> story.1900 The novel Tommy and Grizel is published. The Wedding Guest premiered at the Garrick Theatre.1902 His father dies. The Little White Bird is published. Quality Street and The Admiral Crichton both receiveLondon premieres.1903 Little Mary first performed at the Wyndham’s Theatre, London.1904 <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> is first performed at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London.1905 Alice-sit-by-the-Fire premiers at the Duke of York’s.1906 The novel <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> in Kensington Gardens is published.1907 Arthur Llewelyn Davies dies. Barrie becomes involved in a campaign to reform the censorship lawsafter Waste by Harley Granville Barker is refused a performing licence.1908 The only performance in Barrie’s lifetime of When Wendy Grew Up – An Afterthought. What EveryWoman Knows is first performed at the Duke of York’s.1909 Divorces his wife on the grounds of her adultery. Receives an honorary degree from Edinburgh.1910 Sylvia Llewelyn dies.1911 Publication of the novel <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and Wendy.1913 Made a Baronet. The Adored One is performed at the Duke of York’s.1914 Visits the USA to raise support for the Allied war effort.1915 George Llewelyn Davies, the eldest of the boys, is killed in action in France.1917 Dear Brutus is premiered at the Wyndham’s Theatre.1919 Elected rector of St Andrew’s University.1920 Mary Rose first performed at the Haymarket Theatre.1921 Michael Llewelyn Davies, the fourth child of the family and Barrie’s favourite, drowns aged 20 inSandford Lock, Oxford.1922 Received Order of Merit.1928 The Plays of J M Barrie is first published; the first collection of his work including <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>.1930 Received an honorary degree from Cambridge and was made Chancellor of Edinburgh University.1931 Farewell, Miss Julia Logan published in the Times.1936 The Boy David performed at His Majesty’s Theatre.1937 Died of pneumonia on 19 th June. He is buried at Kirriemuir with his parents and two of his siblings.3


INSPIRATIONS FOR PETER PANBarrie himself could have been described as the ultimate <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> figure; he never lost his enthusiasm forgame playing and fun in both his personal life and in his writing and was a diminutive figure, only ever reaching5ft 3 inches in height. There were of course many other people, places and events in his life that helped Barrieto shape <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and his wonderful Never Land adventures.DAVID BARRIEHis elder brother, his mother’s favourite child, died on the eve of his 14 th birthday when Barrie was just 6. As Barriegrew up, his brother always remained a child in the memory of his mother and the rest of the family. In a strangeway this became a comfort to her; he would never grow up and leave her. As a young boy, Barrie tried valiantly tofill his brother’s shoes, sometimes even wearing his brother’s clothes and whistling just as his brother used to do.SCHOOL ADVENTURESAs a child Barrie became an avid reader and storyteller and, when he attended the Dumfries Academy, he andfriends spent time in the gardens of Moat Brae house playing pirates and creating magical worlds. They formeda drama club, which clearly sparked Barrie’s interest in theatre. With them he produced his first play, Bandelero,the Bandit, which caused a stir due to damning comments over its moral content made by a clergyman on theschool’s board of governors.THE LLEWELYN DAVIES FAMILYIn 1897 Barrie met a family who would have immeasurable impact on his life and on the creation of <strong>Peter</strong><strong>Pan</strong> – Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and their five sons George, John (known as Jack), <strong>Peter</strong>, Michaeland Nicholas. Whilst in Kensington Gardens walking his St Bernard dog, Porthos, (who was perhaps an earlymodel for Nana), he met the eldest two boys, their baby brother <strong>Peter</strong> and their Nanny, Mary Hodgeson. Heentertained them with his ability to wiggle his ears and his eyebrows and by telling stories. It was during gamesin Kensington Gardens that Barrie and the boys first shot an imaginary <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> down from a tree with ablunt arrow. Like the Wendy Bird in the story, he was dazed but unharmed! Barrie soon became a regular guestin their home and a companion to the boys and their mother. In 1901 he invited them to Black Lake Cottageand together they created a wealth of adventures in Never Land through their games. Barrie documented theirtime at the cottage with an album of photographs, called “The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island”. Only twocopies of this were ever made. Barrie kept one and the other he gave to the boys’ father Arthur, who left it on atrain. Sadly, Arthur died in 1907 after which Barrie’s role in their life took an on more formal tone as he providedfinancial help with education. With the death of their mother in 1910, following her final wishes, Uncle Jim, asBarrie was affectionately known, became a guardian of the children. He shared the role with their nanny MaryHodgeson, Sylvia’s mother and brother, Guy Du Maurier, and Arthur’s brother, Compton Llewelyn Davies. Barrieand Mary looked after them until all the boys were in school.MARGARET HENLEYThere were no girls, apart from the Mermaids, in the Never Land created by the five Llewelyn Davies boys andJ M Barrie. There was, however, the constant figure of their Nanny Mary, who would periodically whisk themoff to give them their medicine or to be washed and fed. Maybe then, Wendy in some form, was always there.In his play <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, Barrie brings her to the fore, but she retains all of these motherly qualities, becoming acarer for all the lost children including her own brothers.4


Before writing <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, Barrie had become acquainted with a young girl called Margaret Henley, the daughterof poet W E Henley, who referred to him as “Friendy”. She struggled to pronounce the letter “r”, and so italways sounded like she was saying “Fwendy”. Thus the name Wendy was made famous and quickly becamea popular girl’s name. Many claim Barrie invented it. There is also a photo of Margaret wearing a little cloak,much like the one worn by Wendy Darling in the story. Margaret died at the age of 5 and it would be nice tothink that his central character was created in her memory.PETER PAN ON STAGEThe character of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> first appeared in several chapters of a novel for adults called The Little White Bird,published in 1902. The novel is located in London with these specific chapters being set, unsurprisingly, inKensington Gardens. These were later published separately as a children’s book, <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> in Kensington Gardens.Before this book however, the boy who never grew up made his stage debut on 27 th December 1904 at the Dukeof York’s Theatre in his most famous adventure: <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. In this production,the role of <strong>Peter</strong> was actually played by a female actress, called Nina Boucicault. This was the first, but by nomeans the last, version of the play. Barrie was constantly rewriting and editing the piece. Any production ofhis plays, while he was alive and able to get involved, was an active collaboration between writer, director andcompany. He was always open to suggestions and keen to make improvements based on what worked in front ofa live audience.Arguably the most significant addition to the play came at the final performance off the 4 th London season of<strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. Barrie included a new scene at the end of the play entitled An Afterthought in which we find outwhat happened when Wendy grows up. The actress who had played a baby Mermaid introduced this scene tothe audience. She played Wendy’s daughter. The play was only performed with this addition once in Barrie’slifetime but it has now become the most popular ending for the play. It emphasizes the tension that alreadyexists in the story between change, represented by Wendy, and changelessness, represented by <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>.There is sadness in that fact that his eternal youth continues at the expense of the friendships that outgrowhim. It also illustrates that every child, in turn, must have their Never Land adventure as part of growing up andevery parent must allow it, saddened by the knowledge that it is part of letting them go.TANYA RONDER’S ADAPTATIONJust as Barrie’s original play was constantly evolving in his lifetime, it is still evolving during ours. I’m sure he wouldwholeheartedly approve of its many re-inventions as it means that the story stays relevant and alive for audiences.There have been several musical versions of the story, many films based on it, and many stage versions.Tanya Ronder has created many successful versions of classic plays including Ionesco’s Macbett, (RSC,2007), Lorca’s Blood Wedding ( Almeida 2005), Night Flight adapted from Saint Exupery’s novella Vol de Nuit(Munztheater, Amsterdam 2003) and Lope de Vega’s Peribanez (Young Vic 2003). Tanya’s version of <strong>Peter</strong><strong>Pan</strong> is vibrant and exciting, and it works in harmony with the ambitious visual aspects of this production- she doesn’t sweeten or censor the dark side of the tale; the threat of the bloodthirsty Pirates and the wildanimals of Never Land are a very real danger for <strong>Peter</strong> and the children. The characters speak with distinctand individual voices, from the petulant expletives of Tinkerbell to the florid musings of Hook. The dialoguecombines lines directly from the published Barrie version with those of a more contemporary tone, making thepiece both of its time and totally accessible.5


PETER PAN COMES HOME“All perambulators lead to Kensington Gardens”Barrie, J. M. (2006). The Little White Bird. First World Library.For the first time since it was first conceived, <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> has come to home to the place in which it wasoriginally created. Barrie saw Kensington Gardens as the home of childhood adventures. The statue of <strong>Peter</strong>is already here and now his friends are joining him to re-enact his adventure. It is therefore the most perfectlocation for a production of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. This could be described as a site-specific performance, designedspecifically for both Kensington Gardens and for the Never Land Pavilion. Site-specific theatre is concernedwith exploring the boundaries of theatrical experience. Generally, a site-specific performance fully exploitsthe properties, qualities and meanings of a given site. This type of live performance can take place in anylocation from bus depots to old factories. The one thing they have in common is that they are staged in anon-conventional space. The Never Land Pavilion does have some of the trappings of a more conventionaltheatre but its technical possibilities are greater. Elements of Bill Dudley’s stunning design are inspired by thegeography of the gardens and, at first sight, Never Land looks like Bird Island in the Serpentine. The designallows the audience to be totally surrounded by Never Land and therefore experience the story in a unique way.REHEARSAL PROCESSINTERVIEW with ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ELGIVA FIELD(during early rehearsals)Kirsty: What are your earliest memories of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>?Elgiva: Firstly, I was given the <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> story by my godfather when I was very young. It had beautifulillustrations but I was too young to be able to read it. It was read to me. Also my aunt had been in anamateur pantomime version of the story, and my earliest memory is of seeing her in the show. I thinkthat’s true of a lot of people. The story has a strong connection with their childhood. If I could be achild again then I definitely would! So, doing this show is a great excuse to be a child again! That’swhy I really wanted to do it. Also, it’s such a pioneering project and there are so many elements thatare being incorporated that I’ve never seen in any theatrical production before.Kirsty: How will this production differ from past productions of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>?Elgiva: It’s in a tent for a start and that tent is going to be in Kensington Gardens. It will be the first time that<strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> has been staged there. It was a big inspiration for J M Barrie and it’s where he probablyfirst enacted it; the idea of coming home gives a special quality to the show. There is the size of thecompany; it’s quite a big company for <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. Compared to my aunt’s amateur production anyway!360 degree CGI is a massive and new pioneering event and Ben Harrison the director is incrediblyclever in the way that he is using it. It is there as a landscape, not a film, enhancing the story ratherthan dominating it. Also the way in which Ben and Fleur, the movement director, have been gettingthe actors to fly is interesting: they go up in the air and then it is the landscape that moves and itmakes the audience feel that they are flying too. I saw my first clip of this in action in the tenton a mobile phone and I felt that I was flying. And so I know the experience for the audience in the tentwill be incredibly powerful.6


Kirsty: Is it totally staged In The Round?Elgiva: Well, there is a tiny bit of stage that comes out at one end, but basically, yes. You are probably lookingat less than 20 degrees that aren’t. That’s a massive and epic element to try and orchestrate. It’sgreat to work with a director who can handle that so well. Ben has such a wealth of experience ofworking on promenade and site-specific, location-based, work. But it is also having attention to detail,knowing that an audience member is going to be able to see everything; there’s no hiding, no tricksand no falseness and that was another reason that I wanted to be involved. Just to learn that skill.Kirsty: Everything is exposed and yet you are still able to transport people and move them. That is theessence of theatre I guess; engaging the imagination of an audience.Elgiva: That’s the same ethos that Ben has in the way in which we create stuff and how we move betweenlocations and how things appear in Never Land. For example, the crocodile is constructed form loadsof coat hangers which have come from the Darling’s cupboard in their bedroom. The Ostrich puppetis made up of games equipment like their rugby ball and their shuttlecock - things that would be in achild’s imagination that they could concoct worlds from when they are asleep. There is a real honestyto that and a real simplicity.Kirsty: What have been the biggest challenges in rehearsal?Elgiva: The skill that I didn’t realise would require so much time is flying. The performers have to be athletesin order to fly because there is a lot of work using the core muscles. If you put your hand throughthe air, you don’t really encounter any resistance so it is actually very hard to turn and move yourself.It’s unlike swimming where you have got a resistance and you can push yourself around. Air is soflimsy by comparison that the actors have to work incredibly hard. You have to re-educate your bodyto learn how to move in the air as sometimes it’s not logical. Even looking like you’re flying badly, forexample, when the Darlings are learning to fly, is very difficult. It’s like watching people learn to walk again.Kirsty: What challenges do you think working in a theatre tent will pose to the actors and the production team?Elgiva: A lot of that we won’t know until we get there and start teching. We have an idea, but I’m sure thingswill crop up when we are there. Because it’s not a controlled environment in the same way that atheatre is, it might be things like heating - how hot or cold will it get during matinees or eveningshows? How will that affect the company? It might be the most basic things that we won’thave thought about, aside from the technicalities of the production. But for the actors it will be reallyenvironmental things as in a tent you are more exposed to them. But there is such a strong current ofthe elements in Never Land that it’s really appropriate.Kirsty: Did Ben find the time to do any rehearsal games or exercises with the actors?Elgiva: Yes, and he continues to do so. It’s two-fold: character building and also telling a story. We are alwaysmaking sure that we are telling the story coherently and that it all makes sense. Sometimes inrehearsals you get very used to the story and familiar with it, but things that make sense to us won’tnecessarily make sense to an audience being told it for the first time. An audience member only getsone go at hearing the story so we have got to be very precise. In addition, Ben does a lot of characterwork and has used some fantastic exercises, which are asking the characters to come into a roomwith objects that the rest of us don’t know about. They should not be explained or referenced in theplay, but they are objects important to that character. They have to be from outside of our story. Theactress playing Tiger Lily brought in some war paint that made her feel powerful, a bracelet that her7


mother had made and some little charms. They helped to build a character for the actress. Fleur, themovement director, has been leading lots of workshops, exploring tribe behaviour and tasks for theLost Boys and how they affect their physicality. For example, the Pirates have to climb the rigging,swab the decks etc. How do those tasks affect the character’s perception of the world? Lost Boys haveto learn to survive and be wily and witty. How do they hunt and scavenge? In addition to this physicalwork, and character and situational improvisations, there’s lots of game playing. The world of <strong>Peter</strong><strong>Pan</strong> is, after all, a big game. Actors have been encouraged to make new games. Kids evolve gamesand change them all the time. So, a bit like the flying being about learning to re-educate your body, inthe improvisations actors are trying to re-learn how to think and create like a child. To be child-like,but not childish, and that’s an important difference.Kirsty: A lot of the actors are playing children and that in itself is a challenge, I guess; to find ways of doingthat honestly and without playing stereotypes.Elgiva: You have just got to be very open and willing to try things and experiment. That’s what we’ve beennoticing. And in contrast, you have the pirates who are bloodthirsty, cynical men, hunting thesechildren. Their objective is to rid themselves of <strong>Peter</strong>. Hook kills Mullins very early on.Kirsty: I guess that immediately sets up the potential Hook has to be dangerous. He poses a serious threat toeveryone and it makes <strong>Peter</strong>’s victory over him all the more powerful and important.Elgiva: <strong>Peter</strong> has courageousness in him. It also shows the childlike quality of not always thinking of theconsequences, no forward planning, living in the moment, which is quite an enviable quality. Hook hasan unpredictable nature, so you have to tread carefully.Kirsty: I noticed, in the stage directions, that there is a distinct Hookishness to <strong>Peter</strong> as they sail back toNever Land.Elgiva: There is a suggestion, after the killing, that <strong>Peter</strong> is attracted to some of Hook’s qualities. He certainlytakes his hook from him.Kirsty: Are you allowed to tell me how you are creating Tinkerbell in this version?Elgiva: There is some magic involved for some of her appearances and there is also an actress involved.I can’t tell you any more than that. The actress is, as I was explaining, about the elements, alwaysaspiring to go up. Air is her element and she is also quite feisty.Kirsty: I love the scripting of Tinkerbell. She is so fiery and quite stubborn. You are changing people’sperceptions of what a fairy is.Elgiva: She can choose to be delicate and she can choose to be really vicious. That’s important, because itgives the performer choice. She’s also someone who is in love with <strong>Peter</strong>, even if it isn’t inquite the human sense of love. She has an infatuation with <strong>Peter</strong> and then these girls come in andout of Never Land, but they always leave and she remains. She is able to be a constant presencein <strong>Peter</strong>’s life. That’s why it is quite a heartfelt moment when <strong>Peter</strong> banishes her. She, like <strong>Peter</strong>, is avery immediate being who experiences things in the moment.8


SCENE BY SCENE SYNOPSISEach scene has been broken down into little sections to make it easier to find individual moments within the story.THE NURSERYA face at the windowIt is early evening in the nursery at the top of the Darling house. Nana, the dog, who has been snoozing onthe floor, springs into life as the clock strikes seven. She goes and quickly returns with Michael, whom shetransports to the bathroom. Mrs Darling enters, dressed for a dinner party. She is immediately startled by whatshe thinks is a face at the window, but on closer inspection, there’s nothing there. She calls the children byname and opens the bathroom door to find Michel in the tub, returning to the Nursery, John and Wendy areplaying a game, pretending to be their parents. Mrs Darling and Michael join the game.The bowtieMr Darling storms in, looking for his wife, struggling to fasten his bow-tie and needing her help. They arehosting a dinner party of important people from Mr Darling’s firm, which could affect their future, therebyaggravating the situation. He tells the children they will be out on the streets, or sold, unless his tie can be tied.Mrs Darling manages to tie it successfully, causing much celebration, at which point, Michael jumps on hisfather’s back. The Darlings acknowledge how lucky they are to have such wonderful children.The shadowNana emerges from the bathroom, shaking her wet fur, showering Mr Darling’s dinner suit. He’s cross andstates he thinks ‘having a dog for a Nanny is a mistake’. Mrs Darling explains she feels safer knowing Nanais there, as earlier she saw a face looking in through the window and that she saw a boy the week before,while she was tidying away the children’s dreams – Nana tried to catch him, by pulling the window shut, buthe escaped leaving his shadow behind. She takes the shadow out of a drawer to show him. Did the boy comeback tonight to look for it? She describes the tiny ball of light that accompanied him.Nasty medicineNana comes in with Michael’s medicine bottle and their conversation is interrupted. Mrs Darling gets himsomething from the kitchen to help his medicine go down, and Mr Darling encourages him to take it, by tellinghim when he was a child he swallowed his, without complaint. He says he’ll take his own nasty grown-upmedicine now, just to show Michael how it’s done, if only he hadn’t lost the bottle. Unfortunately for Mr Darling,Wendy knows exactly where to find it. She goes to collect it and is back in a flash. Wendy pours the medicinefor them both, which neither want to take. Mr Darling tricks Michael into taking his medicine hiding his ownbehind his back, ending up pouring it into the dog’s bowl, much to everyone’s horror. Mrs Darling re-emerges,with a pot of jam, for Michael. The dog eagerly samples what is in her bowl, then recoils, upset.Nana banishedMrs Darling and the children reprimand Mr. Darling, who complains that Nana gets more consideration andsympathy than him - the family’s bread-winner. He angrily drags the dog from the nursery. Mrs. Darling putsthe children to bed, but Nana is barking, which usually means danger is near. Mrs Darling assures everyonethey will be safe because they have the nightlights watching over them; she goes, leaving the window unlockedjust to prove that there is nothing to worry about.9


<strong>Peter</strong> and Wendy talkThe doorbell rings and sounds of guests arriving can be heard. One by one, nightlights flicker and go out.Suddenly there’s another light as fast as a shooting star - this is Tinkerbell. The windows blow open, and a boyflies in. It is <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. Tinkerbell helps <strong>Peter</strong> find his shadow in the drawer. He tries to re-attach it but fails andhis frustration turns to tears. Wendy wakes and asks him why he is crying. He explains he lives second to theright and straight on till morning and that he doesn’t have a Mother. This upsets Wendy, for whom Mothers areincredibly important, and she moves towards <strong>Peter</strong>, who tells her he must never be touched. He denies he wascrying and states he doesn’t want a mother anyway. He explains he can’t stick his shadow back on, so Wendysews it on for him. <strong>Peter</strong> and his shadow dance together, and he whoops and laughs at his own cleverness,forgetting that it was Wendy’s cleverness that fixed it.Acorn kissShe leaps into her bed and pulls the covers over her head in protest. He coaxes her out by telling her thatone girl is worth twenty boys. <strong>Peter</strong> claims he doesn’t know what a kiss is. Wendy is about to kiss him when,overcome by shyness, she gives him a thimble instead. In return, he gives her a kiss of his own: an acornfrom his jacket which Wendy threads onto a chain around her neck. <strong>Peter</strong> explains how he ran away from hisparents soon after he was born because he didn’t want to grow up, and that he lived in Kensington Garden fora long time, with the fairies; and that when the first baby laughed, for the very first time, its laugh broke into athousand pieces, that went hopping and skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies, but, every timea child says that they don’t believe in them, a fairy dies. <strong>Peter</strong> lets Tinkerbell out of the drawer, where he’strapped her, by mistake. She’s furious and says she doesn’t like him or Wendy. <strong>Peter</strong> explains that he now livesin Never Land as Captain of the Lost Boys, who all fell out of their prams as babies, and that there are no girlsthere, because they are way too clever to do that. This charms Wendy who she says she will give him a properkiss. Just as she tries Tinkerbell pulls her hair.Flying<strong>Peter</strong> used to come to the Nursery to listen to Mrs Darling’s bedtime stories. He wanted to know the endingof Cinderella so that he could tell the Lost Boys. As soon as Wendy has told him the ending, <strong>Peter</strong> leaps up toleave for Never Land to share it with the Lost Boys. She protests and so he suggests she fly there with him, andexplains he can teach her brothers too. After a brief pang about leaving her mother, she wakes them up. At thatmoment the dog barks and the children hide. Mrs Darling pokes her head round the door, satisfied that she canhear the sound of children breathing she goes back down the stairs. After several attempts, and only after theyhave been sprinkled with fairy dust and thought their happiest thoughts, the children fly. With a final backwardsglance from Wendy, they fly out the window as the dog barks and voices can be heard downstairs. Nana andthe Darlings enter the nursery to see the children gone. The children fly over London and into the starlight nightsky to Never Land. Michael begins to fall but <strong>Peter</strong> swoops to rescue him. Wendy thanks him, and he calls herMary, her mother’s name, by mistake. He asks her to keep saying her name, as she flies, to stop him forgetting.NEVER LANDFirst sightIt’s dawn. An Island begins to take shape, which at first glance looks oddly similar to Bird Island in theSerpentine. John puts Tinkerbell under his hat so that the Pirates don’t see them approaching, but it’s too late.The Pirate’s cannon, Long Tom, fires and sends them all spinning through the sky. No one is hurt but <strong>Peter</strong>whooshes out of sight, John holds onto Michael and Wendy spins off on her own followed by Tinkerbell.10


Lost BoysOn the ground, waiting for <strong>Peter</strong> to come back, the Lost Boys and the Ostrich emerge from a hole in a treetrunk, talking about how much they remember of their mothers. The Pirates can be heard approaching, singingtheir sea shanty; the boys hide as quickly as they can. The Pirates and Captain Hook appear, looking for thebodies of whatever it was they shot at. Hook is especially hoping that they shot <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. They hear theCrocodile approaching and Mullins reminds Hook that it swallowed his arm, who responds by killing him withone swipe of his hook. The Pirates leave, reluctantly dragging the body with them, as the ticking Crocodileslinks after them. Tiger Lily leaps over the Crocodile, stalking the Pirates, running up a tree to watch themretreat. She whistles, a drum answers her, and she’s off again. Lost Boys – Tootles, Slightly and Curlyre-emerge, once the coast is clear. A wolf howls, somebody screams and moments later Nibs appears,pursued by savage wolves. Slightly tries to scare the wolves by hanging his head between his legs and walkingbackwards towards them. The other Boys follow suit and the wolves retreat.Tootles’ ArrowNibs explains he’s seen a strange white bird flying high over the Lagoon, calling out “poor Wendy”. (It’s Wendy,calling out her own name, as <strong>Peter</strong> requested.) Tootles spies the strange bird, accompanied by Tinkerbell, whois pinching her as she flies. Tinkerbell flies ahead; telling the boys <strong>Peter</strong> wants them to shoot the Wendy. Tootlesdoes as requested. Wendy falls, with an arrow in her heart. The other boys quickly realise that they have shota lady and that maybe <strong>Peter</strong> brought her to Neverland to be their Mother. Tootles is devastated. <strong>Peter</strong> returns,and on finding Wendy dead, strikes Tootles with the offending arrow but, in the nick of time, Wendy stirs. Thearrow had struck the acorn kiss hung around her neck. Everyone is relieved. But <strong>Peter</strong> tells Tinkerbell he can nolonger be her friend, after the part she has played in the incident, and banishes her.Wendy House<strong>Peter</strong> decides the Lost Boys should build a house around Wendy, who is still sleeping, to protect her frompredators. As they are beginning to measure her, John and Michael arrive, slightly dazed and confused whyeveryone is making such a fuss of their sister, who is only a girl, after all. The Lost Boys, who have begun tosing a song for Wendy, enlist them to help with the building. <strong>Peter</strong> asks Slightly to fetch a doctor who borrowsJohn’s hat and pretends to be one. Wendy sings about the details of her dream house as the boys build itaround her. Once it’s complete, with Tootles shoe for a doorknocker, and John’s hat for a chimney, <strong>Peter</strong> linesthe boys up and knocks at the door. After a moment Wendy opens it and the boys ask her to be their mother.Although Wendy is doubtful she has enough experience, she agrees and the boys break into a triumphant wardance. Wendy sends them into the house to get ready for bed. <strong>Peter</strong> follows, and Wendy follows him in.Hook and SmeeOn another part of the Island, Hook sleeps in a hammock, sucking his hook like a thumb, while Smee sews.Hook wakes having dreamt that one day the Crocodile’s clock will run out, so he won’t be able to hear itcoming, and it will finish him off. He wants <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> dead as he can’t bear his carefree, youthful arrogance. Hedrifts off to sleep. It grows dark and water seems to surround us, as the unearthly song of the Mermaids searsthrough the air.11


THE MERMAID’S LAGOONMarooner’s RockAs the sun rises, water recedes to reveal Marooner’s Rock. Wendy and <strong>Peter</strong> are basking in the sunshine, whilethe boys splash in the water. <strong>Peter</strong> explains Marooner’s Rock is so called because sailors are marooned there.Their hands are tied so they can’t swim; when the tide comes in they drown. He tells Wendy about CaptainHook and calls John and Michael over and makes them promise that if they meet the Pirates in battle theymust leave Hook to him. At that moment, the Pirates can be heard approaching. Wendy and the boys dive intothe sea and swim away, remaining out of sight, but listening in to the Pirates.Freeing Tiger LilyThe Pirates dinghy approaches and they bundle Tiger Lily onto the Rock. As they are about to leave her to die,<strong>Peter</strong> tricks them into freeing her by doing a dazzling imitation of Hook’s voice. When the real Hook arrives hetells the Pirates the bad news – the Lost Boys have found themselves a mother and <strong>Peter</strong> will be protected byher and she’ll certainly notice if Hook does away with him. The Mother Bird floats by, protecting her eggs, as ifto illustrate the point. Smee suggests that they kidnap Wendy and make her their mother. Hook agrees that theycould then make the children walk the plank. The pirates tell him they have set Tiger Lily free, as he requested.Hook, of course, did no such thing, and immediately suspects ghostly forces at work. Anxiously he questionsthe spirit, and <strong>Peter</strong> continues to answer in an imitation of Hook’s voice. Hook eventually realises <strong>Peter</strong> isplaying tricks and orders the Pirates to find him, dead or alive.The Lagoon Fight<strong>Peter</strong> shouts for the Lost Boys who appear from all over the Lagoon and a huge battle ensues. The Crocodilearrives too. Hook and <strong>Peter</strong> fight on Marooner’s Rock; just as Hook is about to plunge his hook into <strong>Peter</strong>,the Crocodile approaches. <strong>Peter</strong> manages to knock Hook into the water, he is forced to swim to shore, hotlypursued by the Crocodile, leaving <strong>Peter</strong> on the rock, exhausted. The boys shout for him, but they can’t see orfind him and they crawl home before the sea mist comes. Wendy appears and climbs up onto the rock. <strong>Peter</strong> ishaving a bad dream about a closed window. Wendy comforts him and he curls up in her arms crying and calling“Mama”. As she is about to kiss him, a mermaid appears and tries to pull her from the Rock. <strong>Peter</strong> wakes andimmediately recoils from her. But when he notices Wendy is being pulled into the water, he grabs her and kicksthe Mermaid away. The water is rising, but <strong>Peter</strong> explains that he can’t fly away with her: he shows her thewounds inflicted by Hook. Just as hope of survival begins to fade, Michael’s kite appears. <strong>Peter</strong> says it is notstrong enough to carry two and, despite her protestations, she must go and leave him on the Rock. He ties theKite tail around her and pushes her from the Rock. Wendy is lifted into the air and away. <strong>Peter</strong> is left clinging tothe Rock as the water rises.INTERVALTHE HOME UNDER THE GROUND<strong>Peter</strong> returnsThe Lost Boys home is in chaos. Wendy tries to calm them down for bed. They reluctantly take their medicineand say how they miss <strong>Peter</strong>. We then see <strong>Peter</strong> on the Rock, the Mother Bird swooping over his headsquawking, but he doesn’t understand she is trying to help him. Finally, she pushes him off the rock into hernest. Using his shirt for a sail, they float away. Tiger Lily waits for <strong>Peter</strong>’s return. When he enters she throws12


herself at his feet thanking him for saving her, dancing to show her appreciation; he barely responds. She saysshe will stay to protect him and his home. <strong>Peter</strong> thanks her and descends into the underground home. The boysare in a frenzy of activity at his return. Wendy tries to talk to <strong>Peter</strong> about their parental responsibilities but he isnot interested in being a father. He plays his pipes and the boys dance. Wendy screams angrily over the din andthey fall into an awkward silence. She asks <strong>Peter</strong> what his feelings are for her and he explains they are those ofa devoted son. <strong>Peter</strong> asks Wendy if Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell want to be his mother too. He seems unaware therecan be any other relationship between girl and boy. Both Tinkerbell and Wendy agree that he is an idiot.A bedtime storyThe Lost Boys pile into bed. Wendy tells them the story of Mr and Mrs Darling and how their children flew away.She explains that her mother would always leave the window open for her children to fly back. <strong>Peter</strong> disagreeswith Wendy’s idealised view of mothers. He explains that when he tried to return to his own family, his motherhad barred the window and a new child was in his bed. The three Darlings decide they must return home, astheir poor mother will be missing them. They ask <strong>Peter</strong> to make arrangements. He climbs out of the home underthe ground and breaths out quick short breaths, telling Tiger Lily that every time you do this, an adult dies. Sheagrees to lead the Darlings through the woods. Tinkerbell reluctantly agrees to fly the children across the sea.The Lost Boys don’t want Wendy to leave and so she suggests that her parents could be persuaded to adoptthem all. <strong>Peter</strong> agrees that the boys can go if they want but that he wants to stay in Never Land and have fun.KidnappedAs they are about to leave they hear Tiger Lily’s war cry and the sound of a bloody Pirate battle. It quickly diesdown and they wait to hear the Indian drumbeat that will indicate their victory over the Pirates. The children leave<strong>Peter</strong> in the den, thinking that they will be safe. Wendy is the last to leave, blowing <strong>Peter</strong> an imaginary thimblekiss as she goes and reminding him to take his medicine. As she emerges Hook is waiting for her, beating thetom-tom with his claw. Cecco gags her, Hook kisses her hand and escorts her into the Wendy house, where theLost Boys are being held captive. Pirates carry the house away to the pirate ship. Captain Hook descends intothe underground home where <strong>Peter</strong> is asleep, placing drops of poison into <strong>Peter</strong>’s medicine shell before stealingaway. Tinkerbell flies in, wakes <strong>Peter</strong> and tells him the Darlings and Lost Boys have been captured. Before heleaves to rescue them, <strong>Peter</strong> goes to take his medicine. Tinkerbell tries to convince him that it’s poisoned. Herefuses to believe that Wendy would poison him and ignores her advice, so Tinkerbell drinks the medicine to savehim. As her light fades she says that the only thing that can save her is if everyone believes in fairies. <strong>Peter</strong> asksus all to tell her that we believe in her. Voices begin to whisper “I believe in Fairies!” Tinkerbell comes back to lifeand flies. <strong>Peter</strong> blows her a thimble and she catches it. The pair go to rescue their friends.THE PIRATE SHIPDying speechHook is in reflective mood, making a dying speech, in case he doesn’t have time for it, when the time comes.He’s upset he is not respected or liked by any children. The Pirates hoist their prisoners onto the deck. Hookstates four of them will walk the plank but, two of them can be saved, if they agree to become cabin boys onthe ship. They all refuse. Wendy is brought onto deck too. Before she watches them drown she is asked if shehas any last words for her children. She has a message from their real mothers, which is that they should dielike Englishmen. Proceedings are interrupted by the sound of a ticking clock. Pirates gather round the terrifiedHook hiding him from the Crocodile. <strong>Peter</strong> leaps aboard, carrying a ticking clock, and goes into Hook’s cabin.13


The Doodle-doThe ticking stops. Hook composes himself. He sends Skylights to fetch the whip. Moments later a terrible shriekof death is heard followed by a strange crowing noise. Cecco enters the cabin, emerging immediately withnews of Skylight’s death. Hook orders him back to fetch the terrible thing lurking in the cabin. Cecco goes inreluctantly, we hear him cry out followed by the crow of the “doodle-do”. Starkey leaps overboard rather thango in after Cecco. Hook and Smee usher the Lost Boys into the cabin to fight the “doodle-do”, they, of courseknowing it’s really <strong>Peter</strong>, feign reluctance. Hook and Smee hide as the Lost Boys and <strong>Peter</strong> emerge carryingwhatever weapons they can find. <strong>Peter</strong> frees Wendy, wraps himself in her cloak and waits in her place, lettingout a triumphant shriek. The Pirates believe the boys have been killed and decide to throw Wendy overboard.As a woman, she has brought bad luck to the ship. <strong>Peter</strong> reveals his true identity – a fight ensues. All thepirates are killed and <strong>Peter</strong> squares up to fight Hook. He gets the upper hand and Hook drops his sword, <strong>Peter</strong>picks it up and, instead of killing Hook, hands it back to him in a gesture of fair play. Hook realises that <strong>Peter</strong><strong>Pan</strong> is everything that he is not: youthful, joyful and priceless. They fight on, but Hook has lost hope. He rushesinto the cabin and emerges having lit a bomb in the cabin to blow up the entire ship. <strong>Peter</strong> dashes into thecabin, emerges with the smoking bomb, throwing it overboard. Hook knows he has lost. In defeat, he leapsfrom the ship, into the jaws of the Crocodile. The children sail the ship home.THE NURSERYWaitingMrs. Darling is asleep on the chair and Nana is asleep on the floor. They wake up to the sound of cheering fromthe street below. Out of the window they see the taxi bringing Mr Darling home. There’s a knock at the door, acabbie and his friend enter carrying the dog kennel with Mr Darling inside. Since the children disappeared, hehas been living in the kennel, as a form of penance and has attracted celebrity status. He asks his wife to playhim the piano, and he asks her to shut the window to stop the draught coming through. She refuses, remindinghim it must always be left open for the children. As she begins to play, <strong>Peter</strong> flies through the window withTinkerbell, baring the window from the inside, so that Wendy will think her mother doesn’t want her back. As heleaves he sees Mrs Darling crying at the piano; he doesn’t quite understand what the tears are but he knowsshe is missing her children. Although he wants Wendy to return to Never Land with him, he realises that MrsDarling’s need is greater, so he unbars the window and flies away with Tinkerbell.The children returnThe children land on the window ledge and enter the room. Michael doesn’t remember their old life very well.They notice their father sleeping in the kennel and watch their mother playing the piano. They hide in their bedsto surprise her. Mrs Darling enters the room, ignoring the beds, and goes to the chair by the window. She cansee the children in their beds, but is convinced it’s only her mind playing tricks, so she doesn’t turn round tocheck. One by one the children call to her, she stretches out her arms, as she has often done in her dreams.This time her children run into those arms and she is overjoyed. They hug each other and their father, who begstheir forgiveness, and finally Nana joins them barking her approval. The Lost Boys enter through the door. Theyhave been waiting downstairs as Wendy told them to. The Darlings agree to adopt them all. Mr Darling happilyleads all the children, apart from Wendy, out of the Nursery for hot chocolate. Wendy flies out of the windowas she has seen <strong>Peter</strong> hovering outside. Mrs Darling stays to watch. Wendy asks <strong>Peter</strong> if he has anything tosay to her parents. Perhaps she’s angling for a proposal, but typically, <strong>Peter</strong> has no idea what she means. MrsDarling pops her head out of the window and asks if <strong>Peter</strong> wants to be adopted like the other boys. He saysif it means he will have to grow up, go to school and get a job then he doesn’t want to. He asks Wendy if she14


wants to come back with him to live in the Wendy house in Never Land. She asks her mother, who of coursesays no. She promises never to forget <strong>Peter</strong> and kisses him goodbye; a proper kiss this time. He and Tinkerbellfly off into the night. Mrs Darling closes the window. The Ostrich enters looking a little lonely. Nana enters and,noticing the bird, holds her distance and cautiously sniffs it. She begins to wag her tail, and licks the Ostrichand it responds with whistles of pleasure. Mrs Darling tells her she has found herself an orphan of her own.An AfterthoughtWe fly back to Never Land as the seasons rapidly change to indicate the passing of days and years. Then weare back in the nursery and Wendy appears, as a grown woman, leaning over the occupied bed, singing to herdaughter, Jane. The window flies open and she scuttles into the shadows as <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> flies in and asks Wendyto come to Never Land. He has no idea many years have passed. Wendy says she can’t , as now she is a grownwoman and has a daughter of her own. <strong>Peter</strong> is upset but recoils from her when she tries to comfort him; hewill not be touched by anyone, especially an adult. He begins to do his “kill an adult” pant, which is too muchfor Wendy, who leaves the room in tears. She goes to the piano and plays a tune to calm herself. As soon asshe goes, <strong>Peter</strong> cries too. Jane wakes and watches him. Wendy peeks into the nursery to hear her daughter ask<strong>Peter</strong>, just as she did all those years ago, why he is crying. He leaps to his feet and greets her with an elaborateNever Land bow.15


CHARACTER BREAKDOWNJ M Barrie wrote in great detail about the various characters in <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, both in the stage directions to hisearly versions of the play, and in the novels <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> in Kensington Gardens and <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and Wendy. Theseare a great resource. Although not all the characters in this version of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> are identical to Barrie’s visionof them, I have included some of his descriptions in italics as part of the following character breakdown.THE DARLING FAMILYThe Darling house in Barrie’s original version was at the top of a rather depressed street in Bloomsbury,London. In this version it has been moved to Kensington Gardens. The three children share a Nursery at thetop of the house. We are led to believe that the Darlings are not particularly rich and that having three childrenhas put strain on their finances. Mrs Darling has made her own evening dress and Mr Darling comments that<strong>Peter</strong>’s shadow could be worth some money and congratulates Mrs Darling for keeping it. The Darlings providethe audience’s passport to Never Land. They are from the real world, like us, and we experience this magicalworld for the first time through their eyes. They ask the questions we might ask and experience fears that wetoo would share.Nana:Michael:A Newfoundland Dog who has been taken on as a Nanny for the three Darling children.Having a Nanny to help care for your children was customary in homes of this type in 1904.The Darling’s however do not have enough money to hire a conventional one.“She proved to be quite a treasure of a Nurse... It was lesson inpropriety to see her escorting the children to school, walking sedately bytheir side when they were well-behaved, and butting them back into lineif they strayed ”J M BarrieThe youngest of the Darling children, age 6. He is inquisitive and playful and he looks up tohis older sister.“Father first, said Michael, who was of a suspicious nature.”J M BarrieJohn: The second youngest of the Darling children, age 10.“He was quite a practical boy”J M BarrieWendy:Mrs Darling:Her full name is Wendy Moira Angela Darling, the eldest age 12. The play is set on her lastnight in the children’s nursery before she moves to a room of her own. She knows that shemust grow up.“She was a tidy child... and always glad to be of service.”J M BarrieHer first name is Mary and mother to the three children. It is suggested in this version thatshe has been to Never Land with <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> herself as a child, <strong>Peter</strong> calls Wendy “Mary” bymistake during their flight to Never Land.16


“She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind and such a sweetmocking mouth. Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one withinthe other, that come from the puzzling East; however many you discoverthere is always one more... and she loved to have everything just so.”J M BarrieMr Darling:First name George, married to Mary Darling and father of Wendy, John and Michael. He worksin an office in the City of London. He is suspicious that Nana and the children don’t respecthim very much and this makes him a little uneasy.“He is really a good man as breadwinner’s go,... at home the way togratify him is to say that he has a distinct personality.”“He was one of those deep ones who new about stocks and shares. Ofcourse no one really knows, but he often said stocks were up and shareswere down in a way that would have made any woman respect him.”“… had a passion for being exactly like his neighbours.”J M BarrieJane:Wendy’s daughter.NEVER LANDERSNever Land is a magical island and home to many different groups of people, fairies and animals. <strong>Peter</strong> describesits location as “second to the right and straight on till morning”. It is the creation of every child’s imagination.“It is very compact, not large and sprawly with tedious distancesbetween one adventure and another, but nicely crammed.”J M Barrie<strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>:The boy that never grew up. <strong>Peter</strong> ran away to Kensington Gardens on the day he was bornand lived there for a long while, with the fairies. He overheard his parents talking about whathe would be when he grew up, but he knew he wanted to be a boy forever and to have fun.He now lives in Never Land and is the Captain of the Lost Boys. He is the sworn enemy ofCaptain Hook after he cut off the pirate’s left hand and flung it into the jaws of the crocodileduring a fight. He is a creature of the elements and an expert at flying.“It is humiliating to have to confess that this conceit of <strong>Peter</strong> was one ofhis most fascinating qualities. To put it with brutal frankness, there wasnever a cockier boy.”“No one could ever look quite so merry as <strong>Peter</strong>, and the loveliest ofgurgles was his laugh. He had his first laugh still.”J M Barrie17


Tinker Bell:Tiger Lilly:The fairy companion of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, mischievous, magical and fiercely loyal. She mends thefairy pots and kettles.“Tink was not all bad... on the other hand, sometimes she was allgood. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so smallthey unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time. They arehowever allowed to change, only it must be a complete change.”J M BarrieShe is a Princess in her own right and the leader of the Indian Braves, athletic and agile: afierce and gorgeous girl of the earth.“Tiger Lily, proudly erect… she is the most beautiful of Dusky Diana’s[Goddess of the hunt],… coquettish, cold, and amorous by turns; there isnot a brave who would not have the wayward thing to his wife, but shestaves them off the altar with a hatchet.”J M BarrieTHE LOST BOYSThey are a gang of boys all of whom fell out of their prams as babies when no one was looking. When theywere not claimed after seven days they were sent to Never Land. They live in the underground home and fendfor themselves without mother or father, under the leadership of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. Only four Lost Boys are featured inthis version. By doing this a deliberate symmetry is created between the four of them and <strong>Peter</strong> and the threeDarling children. Each lost boy reflects in some way the characteristics of one of these four central characters.Slightly:Tootles:Nibs:Curly:His full name is Slightly Soiled, as that was written inside the pinafore that was wearing when he waslost. He likes to whistle and he has made a pet of the Never Ostrich. In this version he is a little like <strong>Peter</strong>.“Slightly is the most conceited of the boys. He thinks he remembers thedays before he was lost, with their manners and customs, and this hasgiven his nose an offensive tilt. ”J M BarrieHe is a steady and humble. Owing to his sweet nature, Tinker Bell believes him to be theeasiest Lost Boy to trick. He does not experience as many adventures as the others becauseexciting things always seemed to happen when he’s occupied doing something, likecollecting firewood. He is Wendy’s counterpart.“Tootles is not the least brave but the most unfortunate of this gallant band.”J M BarrieHe is more florid than the others and John’s counterpart.“Next comes Nibs, the gay and debonair.”J M BarrieCurly looks naturally guilty. He gets into trouble with <strong>Peter</strong> so often that he tends to admitresponsibility for things whether he has done them or not. He is Michael’s counterpart.“Curly is a pickle...”J M Barrie18


THE PIRATESThe enemies of the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily and her Braves. They live aboard their ship, the Jolly Roger andterrorise the inhabitants of Never Land with dastardly deeds, under the leadership of Captain Hook.“A more villainous looking lot never hung in a row on Execution Dock.”J M BarrieCaptain Hook:First name James, Captain of the Jolly Roger and the arch enemy of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> ever since thewonderful boy sliced off one of his hands and threw it to a passing crocodile; in its place is asteel hook. He is a man of good breeding and education, afraid of nothing apart from the sightof his own blood and the Crocodile, who has consumed part of him. He is said to have treatedhis Pirate band like a pack of dogs and that is just how they obey him.“In person he was cadaverous, his hair was dressed in long curls…which gave a singularly threatening expression to his handsomecountenance……… He was never more sinister than when he was mostpolite, which is probably the truest test of breeding...”J M BarrieSmee: Hook’s closest confidante, second in command and the boatswain of the Jolly Roger.“An oddly genial man.”J M BarrieStarkey:Mullins:Cecco:The gentleman pirate.“Still dainty in his ways of killing.”J M BarrieHis name alone terrified children. He is killed early in this version by Captain Hook, for meremention of the crocodile. His death is important as it allows us so see what a Dangerousadversary Captain Hook is.A handsome Italian Pirate.“He cut his name on the back of the governor of the prison of Gao.”J M BarrieSkylights:Bill Jukes:His full name is Morgan’s Skylights. Possibly named after the famous Welsh pirate of the 17 thCentury, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan, a hero to all pirate bands.Used to work aboard the Walrus, a ship belonging to another famous pirate, Captain Flint. Heis covered with tattoos.CREATURES OF NEVER LANDMermaids:They are half-woman; half-fish living in coral chambers at the bottom of the lagoon, arelatively shallow lake of salty water separated from the sea by a low sandbank. Mermaidshave long hair, are excellent swimmers and are very hard to catch. They are friends to <strong>Peter</strong>19


<strong>Pan</strong> but they are often jealous of his relationships with other girls. One of them eventries to pull Wendy from Marooner’s Rock into the water.“At times a lovely girl leaps in the air seeking to get rid of her excess ofscales, which fall in a silver shower as she shakes them off.”J M BarrieMother Bird:Ostrich:Crocodile:Wolves:Appears to have fallen out of a tree and landed on the water intact. She floats around on thisnest hatching her eggs. It is the Mother Bird who saves <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> from Marooner’s Rock.A large bird with long legs and a long neck. This Ostrich is Slighlty’s pet.The giant animal that has eaten Captain Hook’s hand. It has also swallowed an alarm clockthat ticks loudly from inside its belly and warns of its approach.They roam wild in Never Land and are dangerous. However, the Lost Boys discover they can befrightened away by approaching them backwards, and staring at them from between your knees.20


FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES<strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> is a story that has captivated the imagination of children and adults alike for over a century. Thecharacters, plot and themes of the story alone are rich resource material for educational work, but I believe theambitious and innovative staging techniques employed in our production will also provide great inspiration forcreative work, structured play and of course the development of performance skills. Below are a selection ofdiscussion topics and exercises based around key themes in <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and the staging techniques used in thisproduction. They are designed as a springboard for work in the classroom or drama studio.· The first 8 topics contain examples of exercises for all Key Stage groups.· The last 5 sections are aimed at GCSE, BTECH and A Level Drama and Performing Arts Students.Many of these exercises are taken directly from games and improvisational work explored by theactors and director, Ben Harrison, in the rehearsal room.NEVER MAPNever Land is a magical place created in the imagination of each of the Darling children. Barrie believed allchildren create such magical places and that everyone is different.“Of course the Never Lands vary a good deal. On these magic shores children atplay are forever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hearthe sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.”J. M. BarrieDiscussionAsk the students if they can remember all the different places visited in the story of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and listthem on the board. Hopefully they will include the Nursery, Never Land, the underground home, the WendyHouse, Marooner’s rock, the Pirate Ship, the mermaid’s lagoon etc. Then ask them to think about what otherenvironments or places might be their Never Land. E.g. a forest where Tiger Lily and her braves live, a marsh,mountains, the sea, a sandy beach for the mermaid’s to sunbathe, an ice cream factory?.Now ask the students if they know what a sound-scape is? What sounds might they expect to hear in NeverLand? Can they remember any sound effects used in the show? Write all of these on the board too. e.g. windthrough the trees, birds calling, fairy laughter, pirates snoring, and wolves howling.Exercise 1: Key Stage 1, 2 + 3Tell the students that, on either a sheet of A4 or A3 paper, they are going to make their own map of NeverLand, including all the places they have mentioned. Never Land is a magical place so these might not look likeordinary maps. Depending on how far you want to take this you could encourage the students to use paint,fabric, make them 3-dimentional. Alternatively the class could make one big map together to cover a wholewall of the classroom.21


Exercise 2: Key Stage 1, 2 + 3For this exercise you could use musical instruments, particularly percussive ones, but it can work just as wellwithout. Ask the students, as a whole group, to make some of the noises of Never Land listed in the board.Start with the whole group making each noise in turn. Then create a sound-scape of noises by asking 5 or 6students to make each noise and conducting them like a choir. Start with just the wind in the trees then layeron the other sounds. You could then ask the students to work together in smaller groups to make their ownversion of the sound-scape to perform to the rest of the class.Exercise 3: Key Stage 1 + 2Move all the tables aside. With suggestions from the group, create the geography of Never Land in theclassroom including all the places listed on the board. e.g. The underground home can be created by a networkof tables under which you can crawl, Marooner’s rock could simply be a row of 3 chairs.Ask half the group to watch and lead the other half on a journey through their imaginary Never Land.Encourage the students to move through each area in an appropriate way. E.g. swim through the lagoon, tiptoepast the pirates, knock at the door of the Wendy House, and crawl through the underground home.Swap the groups over. You could try asking the group watching to create the Never Land sound-scape for thosejourneying through.Exercise 4: Key Stage 3 + 4Working in groups of 6, ask each group to devise a journey through Never Land. They should work as a groupallowing their movements, stance and relationship to each other to be affected by the imagined conditions they arepassing through. They might need to help carry an injured party, there might be tension in the group. They couldeven join forces with another group and create a sound-scape for each other’s work to help build atmosphere.CITIZENS OF NEVERLANDDiscussionAsk the students if they can remember the names of all the characters in <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> and list them on the board.Ask the students what qualities they think you need to be a good citizen of Never Land and write them on theboard too. Suggestions will hopefully include bravery, loyalty, being a good friend, respecting the environment,playing fair, being able to do things for your self, working together like the Lost Boys...Exercise 1: Key Stage 2 + 3Ask each student to divide a sheet of lined A4 paper into two columns, one entitled Good citizens of NeverLand and the other Bad Citizens of Never Land. They can decide which characters they think belong in eachcolumn and they should also provide a reason for each choice. Some characters may appear in both columns.e.g.: Tinkerbell is a good citizen because she drinks the poison and saves <strong>Peter</strong> or Tinkerbell is a bad citizenbecause she tells the Lost Boys to shoot the Wendy Bird.In the last 5 minutes of the lesson go through the list of characters on the board and with a show of handsestablish who is on which list. Does everyone agree? Can anyone be totally good all of the time?22


Exercise 2: Key Stage 1, 2 + 3Ask if anyone can describe the flag of the UK or of anther country with which they have a connection. Flags canrepresent a country using colours, religious or cultural symbols, or even refer to the environment. As far as weknow Never Land doesn’t have a flag. If you were the King or Queen of Never Land, what might you include onits flag? Write any suggestions on the board.Ask each student to design and colour their own Never Flag the suggestions on the board for inspiration.Exercise 3: Key Stage 2 + 3Now that all the Lost Boys have stayed with the Darling family, <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> might need some new lost boys and girls.Ask each student to write a letter to <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, telling him why they think they would make a good citizen ofNever Land.THE NEVER ANIMALDiscussionAsk the students if they can remember all the different animals they saw in the show. These include theCrocodile, Wolves, the Ostrich, the Mother Bird, Nana the dog. Do they remember that the animals were allpuppets operated by the actors?The director and the designer of this production want everything used in the show to look like it could havebeen created in the imagination of a child out of things that surround them every day. E.g. a crocodile made ofcoat-hangers and buttons or a bird made out of a feather duster and a tea towel.Exercise 1: Key Stage 1, 2 + 3Ask the students if they can make a simple animal by arranging the things they have on their desk. e.g. a pencilcase for a body, pencils for legs or lots of coloured pencils for wings.Give each student 2 post-it notes. Ask them to write down on each post-it the name of an object used in their home.It could be from any room. e.g. mop, bucket, tooth-brush, comb, pegs, frying pan, books, Game Boy, football...They should try and make sure that they have different objects to the person sitting next to them. All thestudents should then bring their sticky notes to the board and stick them on. Encourage them to read everyoneelse’s notes too.Ask the students to design their own Never Animal for this production of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> on a piece of A4 or A3paper. It needs to be constructed from items named on the post-it notes or any other household objects theymight want to add. Each design should include lots of explanations of what each section is made from. Eachstudent must also think up a suitable name for their animal and perhaps an animal call.At the end of the session or in a following lesson the students can take it in turns to display and explain theirdesign to the rest of the group.23


GROWING UP AND RESPONSIBILITYThis subject is at the heart of the key conflict between <strong>Peter</strong> and Wendy in the show. His fear of reachingadulthood and all the responsibilities it entails is pitted against Wendy’s impatience to get there. It often said byadults that youth is wasted on the young and that only with the benefit of age and hindsight can we appreciatethe freedom and carefree nature of childhood. Wendy wants to leave childish behavior behind, but <strong>Peter</strong>embraces it. Hook is painfully aware of the fearlessness of youth and it infuriates him that <strong>Peter</strong>, his enemy, hasit on his side.DiscussionRead the following scene from <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> with the group.Wendy: What’s wrong <strong>Peter</strong>?<strong>Peter</strong>: It is only pretend that I’m their father, isn’t it?Wendy: Yes, why?<strong>Peter</strong>: Just wanted to make sure, because I don’t know howto be a father, I’m only doing what John tells me they do.Wendy: You do it so well.<strong>Peter</strong>: I’m not old enough to be a man, and I never want to be old enough.Wendy: Never…..how can you say that?Act 4How does the class feel about growing up? What are the good and bad things about being an adult? What arethe good and bad things about being a child? List them on the board.Exercise 1: Key stage 2Ask the group to work in pairs. Can they write or improvise a short extension to the above scene between <strong>Peter</strong>and Wendy. They can continue the argument by using the reasons for or against growing up that should bewritten up on the board. Ask the group to read or perform their version to the rest of the group.Exercise 2: Key stage 3 + 4Can the group think of any situations in which a young person might not want to take on responsibility? Forexample: getting a job, looking after a baby, cleaning up the house.Ask the group to work in pairs and devise an updated version of the above scene between two fictional youngpeople, one of whom is unwilling to embrace responsibility.CHILDHOOD DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONSThese often provide a big talking point for children in both their play and later in their educational life. Wendyaspires to marry a man who works in an office and to be a mother. She and John even play a game in theNursery where they act out the play….Does that place her firmly as a woman of her time? Although many girlsaspire to be mothers and many men aspire to work in a city job, life has many more possibilities for the futuresof young people of today.Read the following scene from <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> with the group.24


Mrs. Darling:<strong>Peter</strong>:Mrs. Darling:<strong>Peter</strong>:Mrs. Darling:<strong>Peter</strong>:Mrs. Darling:<strong>Peter</strong>:Wendy’s grown-up mother, Mrs. Mary Darling:We’re adopting all the other boys <strong>Peter</strong> – your friends.We’d very much like you to join us too, if you’d like tobe a part of the family...?Would I have to go to school?I should think so.Then get a job?Well, yes.In an office?More than likely.I don’t want to be a man, grow old, and grow a beard.I never want to wake and find that I’m no longer having fun!Act 5 Scene 2DiscussionDoes the group think that <strong>Peter</strong> has got it right and that all fun ends when you become and adult? Mr. and Mrs.Darling still join in with their children’s games despite their financial worries. Wendy’s ambition is to become amother? What do you want to be when you grow up or leave school? Is it possible to juggle a family and a career?Exercise 1: Key Stage 2Brainstorm all the suggestions on the board. Ask each student to write down what they would like to be whenthey grow up and why? Then ask each student to read their answer out to the rest of the group.Exercise 2: Key Stage 3Why does the group think it’s important to have ambitions? e.g. to motivate, to help us stay positive, to help usmake decisions about our futures, to make us happy.Ask the class to write down three ambitions they have for themselves. They can be things in the near future orfor when they leave school. Ask those who are willing to share their thoughts with the group.In groups or four, choose the three written ambitions of one of your group and dramatize them by creating threefrozen images. Present them back to the rest of the group.Exercise 3: Key Stage 4Wendy wants to be a mother. This was probably a typical aspiration of most girls in 1904 when careeropportunities for young women were not as wide reaching as they are today. It was expected that they wouldmarry and have children. What do the girls in the group aspire to be? What do they feel rightly or wrongly affectthe things that women aspire to? e.g. celebrity, being financially independent, what men like...<strong>Peter</strong> thinks if he grows up he will have to work in an office. Ask the group if they think the expectations andambitions of men in society have changed and how? e.g. more men look after their kids, men need to besensitive and understanding or a man should still be the provider…In groups of 4 ask the group to create a series of 3 images exploring what they think is either a man or awoman’s role in society today. Once you have created all three images, choose one of them to expand into ascene. Present and discuss.25


FRIENDSHIP AND LOYALTYThese are the watchwords of life in Never Land. Those who survive are loyal friends to the end, like <strong>Peter</strong> andTinkerbell and the Lost Boys. Those who struggle and ultimately fail are those who fight among themselves andcreate a culture of fear, like Captain Hook. Many characters in Never Land, including the Darlings, go above andbeyond the call of duty to protect their friends. Wendy would rather stay on the rock with <strong>Peter</strong> than leave himalone and she never stops waiting for “spring cleaning time” when he will come back and see her. Tinkerbelldrinks the poison left by Hook to save <strong>Peter</strong>’s life:Tinkerbell:<strong>Peter</strong>:Tinkerbell:<strong>Peter</strong>:Tinkerbell:<strong>Peter</strong>:Tinkerbell:<strong>Peter</strong>:Tinkerbell:<strong>Peter</strong>:Tis Poison!Tink!Tink smells poison!Don’t be silly.(He lifts the shell to his lips to drink. Tinkerbell grabs it anddrinks the whole lot down before he can)Tinkerbell, you naughty fairy, that was my medicine!(She flutters weakly, with a below-par tinkle)Master safe, Master not die. SssTink?(She is not looking well at all)Tinkerbell? Was it poison for real?(She nods in the affirmative. Her light is fading)And you drank i... Tink, dear Tink, are you dying?You silly ass.(she falls on to her tiny bed)Tink! (crying now) Don’t die, Tink, you can’t.Master’s tears for Tink!What can I do, how can I save you?Act 4DiscussioNWho do the group think is the most loyal character in Never Land and why?Exercise 1: Key stage 2Ask each student to write a short piece of work called My Never Land Hero.They need to chose a which character they feel is the most loyal and write down bullet points or a short essay tojustify their choice. Perhaps they could write from the point of view of one of the other characters from the story.Exercise 2: Key stage 3Ask the group to get into pairs. Each person needs to choose a character from the story to play. They then needto decide who that character would elect as their most loyal friend in Never Land and why? The pair shouldinterview each other about their choice, responding in character.26


Exercise 3: Key stage 4What situations can test friendships? e.g. bullying, accidents, family snobbery, a fight...Working in groups of 4, ask the students to create a scene in which friendships are tested. One of the groupmust play a loyal friend and one a disloyal friend. How do they clash?Thought tappingOnce the scenes have been created they should be performed to the rest of the group. As any point during thepresentation of a scene you can ask the actors to freeze. Once they are still you can tap each actor on the headand ask them to speak their inner thoughts about the situation aloud to the audience, one at a time.The scene can then continue.LOVE AND JEALOUSYA confusion exists at the heart of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> over the role of the women in the story and the relationship they havewith <strong>Peter</strong>. <strong>Peter</strong> is only able to see the role of women as one of platonic friend or mother figure; this confirmshis lack of maturity. The girls in the story however are able to discern that another potential relationship exists forthem and <strong>Peter</strong>. The result is a competition between them for his affections that he doesn’t understand. In some ofBarrie’s early versions of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, this was emphasized by additional scenes between Tiger Lily and <strong>Peter</strong> whichhe later removed in favor of more subtle suggestions. This ensures that the comedy that results from <strong>Peter</strong>’smisunderstanding of their advances remains intact. Still, even in this new version, Tiger Lily’s advances are of amore sensual nature and contrast with Wendy’s idealized romantic notions.Wendy: What are your exact feelings for me <strong>Peter</strong>?<strong>Peter</strong>: What?Wendy: It’s a clear enough question; would you like me to repeat it?<strong>Peter</strong>: Like a devoted son, those are my feelings.Wendy: Just as I thought.<strong>Peter</strong>: You’re not going to dance for me, are you?Wendy: Dance for you?<strong>Peter</strong>: It’s just, Tiger Lily –Wendy: Danced for you, did she?Tinkerbell jingles.<strong>Peter</strong>: Yes.Wendy: (Handling the necklace) I suppose it was her who gave you this?<strong>Peter</strong>: She did. It felt like I should give her something in return.Wendy: I bet it did!<strong>Peter</strong>: But what could I give her, what would she want?Wendy: That’s not for a lady to tell.<strong>Peter</strong>: Tinkerbell, have you got any ideas?Wendy: Of course she has – she’d dance for you too, if only she knew how!<strong>Peter</strong>: Do they want to be my mother, do mothers dance?Discussion: Key stage 2Ask the group if they thought Tinkerbell was jealous of Wendy? Why might that have been? How does she feel?e. g: she was <strong>Peter</strong>’s best friend and now she feels unimportant. This makes her angry and sad.Does any of the group have a best friend? How would they feel if that person suddenly found a new best friend?27


Exercise 1: Key Stage 2Ask them to write one sentence about why having a best friend can be a good thing and one sentence aboutwhy it can be difficult.Exercise 2: Key stage 2What does it mean to be jealous? Can anyone think of a time that they felt jealous of someone or that someonefelt jealous of them?In groups of 3, can the three of them make 3 frozen pictures.1. <strong>Peter</strong> and Tinkerbell playing.2. <strong>Peter</strong> and Wendy playing with Tinkerbell feeling left out.3. Tinkerbell doing something to <strong>Peter</strong>, or Wendy to show her jealousy.Discussion: Key Stage 3 + 4Read the above scene with the group. What do Tiger Lilly, Wendy and Tinkerbell want from <strong>Peter</strong>? Why does he notseem to understand? What does each one represent?Does the group agree that girls in general mature faster than boys in terms of their understanding of relationships?Exercise 1: Key stage 3 + 4Improvise a Jerry Springer style talk show starring <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>, Wendy, Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. Ask for onevolunteer to play Jerry, of play the host yourself if you fell it will help push the exercise along. Also ask for avolunteer to play each of the four characters. The rest of the group must play the lively audience and each ofthem must think of one question for any of the characters. The host should introduce the subject of the show tothe audience and then bring on one woman at a time, leaving <strong>Peter</strong> till last. Will people get angry? Will securityneed to intervene?ANXIETIES ABOUT CHANGEIf <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> represents a world that is frozen in time and never changes, then Wendy’s world is ever-changingand evolving, like our own. <strong>Peter</strong> is confronted by results of change in the final scene in the show in which hereturns to find Wendy is an adult with a child of her own. He struggles to comprehend it.DiscussionDoes <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> like change? Does the group think that change in general is good or bad? Why do some peoplefear change? What age group do the students think usually fear change the most and why? Is it unusual for ayoung person to fear change?Execise 1: Key Stage 2All of the class will be facing a big change when they join year 7. What things are they looking forward to andwhat things do they fear about this big change?Ask each student to write a list of 2 good things about changing to a new school and 2 things that they areworried about.Ask for volunteers to read them out and let’s see is we are all worried about the same things.28


Exercise 2: Key stage 3 + 4Ask the group to suggest some types of change that can be considered positive or negative and put them onthe board. e.g. political change, climate change, a change in financial circumstances, in family relationships,marriage, death...Divide that class into two equal groups. The class are going to create a political rally presenting arguments forand against CHANGE, one half being FOR and the other AGAINST. Working in small groups of 4 within their halfof the class, ask the students to come up with 1 slogan to encapsulate their side of the argument using theideas on the board as an inspiration. They then need to come up with 4 ideas to back it up.The rallyAsk for one spokesperson from each of the mini-groups. Ask those who are speaking FOR change to standon one side of the room and those against on the other. In turn they should read out their slogan and thefollowing ideas they have written down. The rest of the group should act as a crowd at a political rally, cheeringin support of their speaker.Exercise 3: Key Stage 4Develop the previous exercise into a full-blown debate. Open the floor to questions from the opposing groups.The speaker’s will have to think on their feet to justify their statements.LOSS AND ABANDONMENTWe are continually confronted in the newspapers and on the television with heart-breaking stories about theabduction or disappearance of children.How must those left behind feel? Do they feel responsible? In this story we are confronted with the terrible painthat the Darlings feel at the loss of their children and the contrasting ways in which they deal with that grief.Although we must remember that, although <strong>Peter</strong> influenced them, the children went of their own accord. TheDarling children actually abandon their parents. In contrast we also witness the anxiety of loss from a child’sperspective through the eyes of <strong>Peter</strong> and the Lost Boys.Tootles: Back off Curly, I just think she may be like my mother.Slightly: How do you know, you don’t remember anything about your mother?Tootles: I can imagine, can’t I?Nibs: I remember my mother’s voice.Curly: What was it like?Nibs: “Cheque book”.Slightly: What’s that?Nibs: “Oh Nibsy, I wish I had a cheque book all of my own!”Tootles: Cheque book?Nibs: I don’t know what it is but I’d love to bring her one, one day.Slightly: The only thing my mother wanted was me.29


Act 2DiscussionAsk the students if they can describe what happens when Wendy John and Michael leave the nursery. Who is leftbehind in Bloomsbury? What were Mr and Mrs Darling doing when <strong>Peter</strong> took the children to Neverland? Whywas this night different? How does Mrs Darling feel now? How does Mr Darling feel? What things might people dotoday to try and find their children or their friends if they go missing? e.g. missing poster, news interviews.Exercise 1: Key Stage 2 + 3Ask the students to get into pairs and number themselves 1 and 2. Number 1 is a news reporter and number2 is Mr or Mrs Darling. For the purposes of the exercise you they can break with the conventions of the periodand conduct a TV news interview about the mysterious disappearance of the 3 children.Suggested questions could include: Can you describe each of your children? How old are they? How did theyescape? How long have they been missing? Do you have a message for them?Each pair can then swap roles. Perhaps ask a few of the groups to perform their interviews to the rest of the group.Exercise 2: Key Stage 2Ask each student to design a missing poster for the three children. What are the important details?Exercise 3: Key Stage 2 + 3Ask each student to write a diary entry for Mrs Darling giving her account of the night that the children wentmissing. Who did she have round for dinner? What had they eaten? Was she cross with Mr Darling for takingNana outside? When did she first see <strong>Peter</strong> through the window? How does she feel?Exercise 4: Key Stage 3 + 4Divide the class into groups of 3 and ask them to create a TV news report about the mysterious disappearanceof the Darling children. What characters should be interviewed for the report? What are the important details?Is the interviewer sympathetic?Exercise 5: Key Stage 3 + 4On the board or on 2 large pieces of paper, write down the groups suggestions for the reasons why a childmight abandon their parents. e.g.: they don’t get on, they are the victim of violence at home, they wantindependence, they feel pressure...Also write down why they think a parent might abandon their child. e.g.: they are a teenage parent, financialpressures, depression, because they are selfish...Ask the students to work in pairs. The pair will be playing the roles of a parent and a child who have losteach other. The pair needs to decide how they became separated, who abandoned whom? What were thecircumstances? Can there ever be a justification?Then bring the pairs back into a whole group and ask for a volunteer to question or hot-seat some of the pairsabout their story, one party at a time. The people being questioned should answer as their character.Finally the pairs should improvise a meeting between the two. Maybe one has tried to track the other down.How do they react?30


NEVER POEMDiscussionAsk the students what they think they would like about living in Never Land and write their suggestions on oneside of the board.Now brainstorm the names of all the <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> characters onto the other side of the board.Exercise: Key Stage 2 + 3Ask the students to get into groups of 4. Ask each person in the group to pick a different character from theboard, ensuring that between the four of them they have all selected different characters. Each student shouldthen write down on a piece of paper, one sentence, in the first person, that encapsulates what that characterfeels about Never Land.When they have completed this task they should take it in turns to read their sentence out to the other 3 peoplein their group. They should then construct the four sentences into a Never Poem. This means they need todecide the best order for the statements they have written. Which would make the best opening line? Whichwould make the best end sentence? They should then practice reading their own statements in the agreedorder. Each group should then perform their group’s Never Poem to the rest of the class.CREATING A CHARACTER: Key Stage 4 + A Level Drama orPerforming ArtsDiscussionEach actor was asked to bring in some objects that were significant to their character but not used in theplay. The actress playing Tiger Lily brought in some war paint that made her feel powerful, a bracelet that hermother had made and a little charm. This exercise helped the actors to create an inner life to their characterand a back-story stretching beyond the world of the play. Knowing their character better enables the actor togive a detailed and truthful performance.Exercise 1Ask each student to pick a character from <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. Ask them to think of two objects that could be significantto that character but that are not specifically mentioned in the play. They need to decide where they got them?How long they have had them? Why are they significant? Each member of the class should then describe theirimaginary object to the rest of the group and explain its significance.PLAYING A CHILD – Key Stage 4 + A Level Drama orPerforming Arts“All the characters in the play, whether grown-ups or babes, must wear a child’soutlook on life as their only important adornment.”J M BarrieDiscussionMany of the actors in any production or <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> have to play children. In this version the actors spent time inrehearsal discussing how to do this effectively. They played games, invented chants and gestures and took partin a lot of improvisational work to help them. Ask the group what they feel are the main differences between31


an adult and a child. Think beyond the obvious differences regarding size and language use. It is important thatthe actors learn to be child-like not childish. Baby voices are definitely not a good idea. e.g. children do not thinkabout the consequences of their actions. They have less self-censorship and are more likely to say exactly what theyfeel. They engage quickly in imaginative play and are very willing to change the rules and let those games evolve. Theycan be very competitive. The relationship with the opposite sex can be uncertain. They tend to express their feelingsthrough their physicality and body language.EXERCISE 1Ask the students to find a space and chose one of the child characters from <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong>. It could be a Darling,<strong>Peter</strong>, a Lost Boy or Tiger Lily. Chose two people to be “it” and then ask the group to play a game of stuck in themud. They are playing as those characters, with appropriate levels of enthusiasm for the game.Exercise 2Put the students in to groups of 5. Together, as the child characters they have chosen, they must improvise ascene in which they have to build a shelter for the night. They need to think about what their status is withinthe group of characters and how this might inform way in which they participate in the task.GANG PHYSICALITY: Key Stage 4 + A Level Drama orPerforming ArtsDiscussionThere are 3 distinct gangs of characters that inhabit Never Land. Can the group name them? There are,obviously, Lost Boys, Braves and Pirates. The director, Ben, and the movement director, Fleur, were keen toestablish a clear difference in the physicality of each gang. Divide the class into 3 groups. Give each group apiece of A3 paper. One group of Pirates, one of Lost Boys and one of Braves. Each group needs to write downas much as they can about their gang. e.g.: where do they live? How old are they on average? What do theylike? What do they wear? How do they think these attributes might affect the way in which the gang stand,move and interact with each other.Each group should read their list back to the other two groups.Exercise 1Ask the students to go back on to their three groups and then divide again into 2 small sub-groups. Each groupneeds to create three frozen images of their gang entitled The Chase, The Threat and The Victory and thenpresent them in sequence to the other groups. holding each image for 5 seconds. After each presentation askthe audience to comment on what they thought was effective about the images and why they were appropriatefor the gangs concerned.Exercise 2How do people do when they win or achieve something? Footballers? Contestants on a quiz show? How mighteach gang in <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> celebrate a victory in their own unique way? Ask the students to go back into their 3 ganggroups and to divide again into 2 sub-groups. Each small group needs to devise a victory celebration for theirgang. It needs to consist of at least 3 movements and a sound. When each small group has devised their victorycelebration they should teach it to the other half of their gang. As a whole gang they should then combine the twoand make a longer sequence. Each gang should then present their celebration to the other groups.32


Exercise 3Ask the students to walk around the space interacting with those that they pass. If they meet someone of their owngang they can do their victory celebration. How does a Brave greet a Lost Boy? Does a Lost Boy avoid a Pirate?Exercise 4Try experimenting with levels of performance. For example, if level 1 is very subtle and naturalistic performancethen level 10 is hugely exaggerated. Shout out a number to the group and ask them to respond with the level oftheir performances as they walk around the room and meet each other. Some characters need to be larger thanlife. Experimenting in this way breathes energy into an actor’s physicality and makes them consider and perfecteach little movement.Exercise 5Put the students back into small groups of Pirates, Lost Boys and Braves. In any gang there are often strugglesover power and leadership. Ask for a volunteer group. Give each member of the group a playing card and tellthem to look at it secretly and not show anyone else. The card they have been given dictates their status withinthe gang.High card = high status, low card = low status.The group should enact a short improvisation in which their gang prepares for an attack on a rival gang.Through the course of the improvisation the audience need to decide who has what number on their card. Atthe end of the improvisation the audience should line the gang up in order of status: high status characters atone end graduating to low status on the other.Establishing the status of their character in relation to the rest of their gang informs how an actor shouldinteract with the other characters in the play.PLAYING IN THE ROUND: Key Stage 4 + A Level Drama orPerforming ArtsDiscussionCan the group name some different types of stage/audience configurations used in theatre? e.g.: ProsceniumArch, Traverse, Thrust stage, Promenade and In The Round. How was this production of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> staged?Exercise 1Ask for two volunteers to read the following short scene between <strong>Peter</strong> and Wendy from act 2.Ask the rest of the group to arrange themselves into a block of two rows facing the designated acting area, asif they were the audience at a Proscenium Arch production. Then ask the two volunteer actors to perform thescene for the rest of the group.Now ask the group to rearrange themselves into a circle with the acting space in the centre and ask the sametwo volunteers to perform the scene again.33


How did the experience differ for the audience members between the Pros-Arch set up and the In The Roundset up? And what were the challenges for the actors? Which did they prefer? What do the actors and thedirector need to think about when playing In The Round?Divide into groups of three. Two actors and the third person in each group acting as a director. Ask each groupto stage the scene for an audience in the round. At the end of the session ask the group to re-form the circleand ask for volunteer groups to perform their work.TEXT WORK: Key Stage 4 + A Level Drama or Performing ArtsTanya Ronder’s adaptation of <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Pan</strong> is very true to the spirit of the original Barrie versions. It may be achildren’s story but that doesn’t mean it is simplistic. To get to the heart of each scene, the text still needs to beunpicked and explored by the actors and the director in just the same was as any other script.Exercise 1Ask for two volunteers to read Extract 1 (the opening scene between Wendy and <strong>Peter</strong> in the Nursery). Who dothey think had the power in this scene? Does it switch between the two characters? When?Ask the students to get into pairs and give each pair a copy of the scene. Both actors should sit on chairsopposite each other and start to read the scene. As each performer gains power in the scene they should standup, then stand on the chair, or, if they feel they are losing power they should sit on the floor or even lie down.Ask some of the pairs to perform this exercise to the rest of the group. This scene is a struggle between thetwo. They are testing each other. The power shifts between them.Exercise 2Apply the same exercise to Extract 2 (the scene between <strong>Peter</strong> and Wendy in Act 2). How has the dynamicbetween them changed? Why has it changed? Wendy appears to be the more mature. She wants to movetowards an adult world with <strong>Peter</strong> as a husband figure. <strong>Peter</strong> still sees her as a mother figure only, ensuringthat he remains a child.Extract 1<strong>Peter</strong>: (He shows off his shadow)Look, whoo – hoo, its back! Wha-ha-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!(He shows off. His laugh is distinctly bird-like)Oh, the cleverness of me!Wendy: Because, of course, I did nothing.<strong>Peter</strong>: You did a little.Wendy: Oh? Well, seeing as I’m so useless – goodnight!(She leaps back into bed and pulls the covers over her.<strong>Peter</strong> hops on to the end of her bed)<strong>Peter</strong>: (Whispering) Wendy?Wendy: Yes?<strong>Peter</strong>: I can’t help crowing when I’m pleased with myself.Wendy: It’s conceited.<strong>Peter</strong>: I know. Wendy, one girl is worth twenty boys.Wendy: You think so?34


<strong>Peter</strong>: Yes.Wendy: Really?<strong>Peter</strong>: Yes.Wendy: Well, I might as well get up again.Have you ever kissed a girl yet, ever?<strong>Peter</strong>: “Kissed”?Wendy: It’s only a question.<strong>Peter</strong>: What’s a kiss?Wendy: You don’t know what a kiss is?<strong>Peter</strong>: I’ll know if you give me one.Wendy: Right. (Suddenly shy) Here. (She gives him a thimble)<strong>Peter</strong>: Right. Shall I give you one?Wendy: One what?<strong>Peter</strong>: Kiss?Wendy: If you’d like to.(He pulls an acorn off his attire and gives it to her)<strong>Peter</strong>: Here.Wendy: Thank you.Act 1Extract 2Wendy: Right! In to bed, everybody, NOW!It’s already very late and I, for one, have had enough for the day.(Using more volume than she need)What are your exact feelings for me <strong>Peter</strong>?<strong>Peter</strong>: What?Wendy: It’s a clear enough question; would you like me to repeat it?<strong>Peter</strong>: Like a devoted son, those are my feelings.Wendy: Just as I thought.<strong>Peter</strong>: You’re not going to dance for me, are you?Wendy: Dance for you?<strong>Peter</strong>: It’s just, Tiger Lily –Wendy: Danced for you, did she?Tinkerbell jingles.<strong>Peter</strong>: Yes.Wendy: (Handling the necklace) I suppose it was her who gave you this?<strong>Peter</strong>: She did. It felt like I should give her something in return.Wendy: I bet it did!<strong>Peter</strong>: But what could I give her, what would she want?Wendy: That’s not for a lady to tell.<strong>Peter</strong>: Tinkerbell, have you got any ideas?Wendy: Of course she has – she’d dance for you too, if only she knew how!<strong>Peter</strong>: Do they want to be my mother, do mothers dance?Present and discuss.35

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