STEPS will be holding a production play of Peter Pan on April 17 and 18 at Horace Good Middle School. The production will be close to the movies but with minor changes and interpretations that enhance the viewing experience.
STEPS itself is a unique program that often does productions of familiar movies and takes their own twist to them.
“It’s a dance school and we do production and plays. Peter Pan is a new one. In the past we’ve done Alice in Wonderland, Nutcracker, Wizard of Oz and Jungle Book. Anybody can join and we also have a company program that we do and go to a yearly competition. We also do community events,” freshman Sophia Ibarra, who is playing Peter Pan, said.
As opposed to a traditional play, the production is told fully through dance and costume.
“We don’t talk at all, it’s all dance. It’s all instrumental music for the most part. Basically, you are telling a story through dance,” Ibarra said.
The actors have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming production.
“I’ve been at rehearsals every Saturday from three to eight at night, as well as taking the time to run through my dances to learn on my own time. I also like to go back and watch the movies, read the books and figure out how that character is made and add your own twist to it. With acting, different exercises can help build confidence in getting into the role,” Ibarra said.
The production has its own challenges through this restriction, but the cast are quick to work around it.
“The costumes help you know who each character is. When you are performing, there’s taboo moves thrown into it and that helps make the story come to life. When you add props and everything, that makes it a lot easier to understand what’s happening. Then if you’re familiar with the movies and stuff, you can get a better idea,” Ibarra said.
The dancers themselves are excited and have frequent rehearsals to help prepare for the production.
“It’s in a month, basically, so I’m pretty excited. For me, it’s my first bigger role since I’m playing Wendy. It’s really exciting and we’ve been practicing a lot, and overall it’s really fun,” Health sophomore Makenah Stucky said.
While there are some difficult parts of it, overall there are much more rewarding aspects about it.
“Some challenges are that it’s a big time commitment, and even outside of practice, you still have to practice on your own. But it is really rewarding, seeing everything come together. Especially seeing everyone else’s parts and how you fit into that, and to see the whole show come together,” Stucky said.
