PETER AND THE

STARCATCHER
a play by Rick Elice
based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

music by Wayne Barker

directed by Meredith McDonough

Jan. 26–Feb. 21 502.584.1205

2016 actorstheatre.org

PLAY G U I D E
IN THIS PLAY GUIDE ABOUT THIS PLAY GUIDE
PETER AND THE This play guide is a resource designed to enhance your theatre
experience. Its goal is twofold: to nurture the teaching and learning
STARCATCHER of theatre arts, and to encourage essential questions that lead to an
enduring understanding of the play’s meaning and relevance. Inside
3
SYNOPSIS AND SETTING you will find information about the plot and characters within the
play, as well as articles that contextualize the play and its production
4
CAST OF CHARACTERS at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Oral discussion and writing prompts
encourage your students to reflect upon their impressions, analyze
key ideas, and relate them to their personal experiences and the world

7FOLLOWING THE PATH OF
around them. These prompts can easily be adapted to fit most writing
PETER
objectives. We encourage you to adapt and extend the material in
any way that best fits the needs of your community of learners. We
9 BEFORE NEVERLAND hope this material, combined with our pre-show workshops, will
give you the tools to make your time at Actors Theatre a valuable

12 WRITING PORTFOLIO & learning experience.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

13 BRIDGEWORK PETER AND THE STARCATCHER STUDENT
MATINEES AND THIS PLAY GUIDE ADDRESS
SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES:
COMMON CORE STATE
STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1
Write arguments to support claims
in an analysis of substantive topics or
texts using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.2
Write informative/explanatory texts
to examine and convey complex ideas
and information clearly and accurately
through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3
Write narratives to develop real or
imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, well-chosen details
and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5
Analyze the structure of texts, including
how specific sentences, paragraphs,
and larger portions of the text (e.g., a
section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate
to each other and the whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6
Assess how point of view or purpose
shapes the content and style of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7
Integrate and evaluate content
presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2
Integrate and evaluate information
presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
NATIONAL CORE ARTS
STANDARDS
TH.Re7.1 Perceive and analyze artistic
work.
TH.Re8.1 Interpret intent and meaning
in artistic work.
TH.Re9.1 Apply criteria to evaluate
artistic work.
TH.Cn10.1 Synthesize and relate
knowledge and personal experiences to
make art.
TH.Cn11.1 Relate artistic ideas
and works with societal, cultural
and historical context to deepen
understanding.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our play guides, please
contact Jane B. Jones, Education Director, at 502.584.1265 x3045.

2
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
Jane B. Jones

EDUCATION MANAGER
Betsy Anne Huggins

EDUCATION ASSOCIATE
Lexy Leuszler

RESIDENT
TEACHING ARTISTS
Justin Dobring
Liz Fentress
Asha French
Keith McGill
Letitia Usher
Karin Partin Wells

EDUCATION/TEACHING
ARTIST INTERNS
Jes Childress
Jenn Oswald
SYNOPSIS
Have you ever wondered how Peter Pan got his name? Or how he met Tinkerbell?
PLAY GUIDE BY
Betsy Anne Huggins In this swashbuckling grown-up prequel to Peter Pan, a dozen brilliant actors
Jane B. Jones playing pirates, mermaids—and of course, our favorite Lost Boys—set out for an
Huy Vo adventure filled with ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of theatrical
storytelling.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Amie Villiger The play opens on the dock of Portsmouth, where two ships are about to set sail: the
Wasp and the Neverland, both headed for the kingdom of Rundoon. Aboard the Wasp
is Lord Aster, father of Molly Aster, who has been tasked by the Queen of England
to deliver a trunk of precious cargo to Rundoon. An identical trunk is bound for the
316 West Main Street Neverland, along with three orphans, a nameless Boy and his friends Prentiss and
Louisville, KY 40202-4218
Ted. Bill Slank, the evil captain of the Neverland, switches the two trunks before
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR setting sail on the Neverland with Lord Aster’s daughter Molly, and her nanny, Mrs.
Les Waters Bumbrake, in tow. Once at sea the Wasp is taken over by the most feared pirate of
the seven seas, Black Stache! The adventure continues in this rollicking tale of
MANAGING DIRECTOR
friendship, daring and the search for the leader in all of us.
Jennifer Bielstein

SETTING
The play is set in 1885 during the reign of Queen Victoria, ruler of the British Empire.
The characters’ journey spans the high seas, several ships of pirates and seafarers, an
orphanage for lost boys, and a tropical island.

3
CAST OF CHARACTERS

THE ORPHANS THE SEAFARERS

BOY (PETER): The hero Peter Pan, who earns his name BILL SLANK: The Neverland’s vicious captain.
during the course of the play. At the start, he is nameless,
ALF: An old sailor, and love interest of Mrs. Bumbrake.
homeless, and friendless. He is a survivor. All he wants is a
home and a family. MACK: An incompetent sailor who wants to be anywhere
but under the thumb of Bill Slank.
PRENTISS: Peter’s friend from the orphanage. He longs to
be a leader, but doesn’t have the skills to do so. BLACK STACHE: The world’s most feared pirate. He and
his crew take over the Wasp. Black Stache is searching for
TED: Another of Peter’s friends from the orphanage, Ted is
a hero worthy of opposing his villainy.
obsessed with food. He is often called “Tubby” by Prentiss.
SMEE: First mate to Black Stache. Single-mindedly
dedicated to his captain’s every whim.
THE BRITISH SUBJECTS
SÁNCHEZ: A hardworking Spanish pirate.
LORD LEONARD ASTER: Molly’s father and a loyal
subject to the Queen of England. He is a Starcatcher— a
protector of powerful starstuff. THE ISLANDERS
FIGHTING PRAWN: King of Mollusk Island. He has
MOLLY ASTER: Lord Aster’s daughter and a true leader.
vowed to kill any Englishman that visits his kingdom.
She is an apprentice Starcatcher.
HAWKING CLAM: Son of Fighting Prawn and Sweet’n
MRS. BUMBRAKE: Molly’s nanny.
Sour Shrimp.
CAPTAIN ROBERT FALCON SCOTT: Captain of the
TEACHER: Formerly a salmon, now a wise mermaid
Wasp.
whom Boy meets on Mollusk Island.
GREMPKIN: The mean schoolmaster of St. Norbert’s
Orphanage for Lost Boys, where Boy, Prentiss, and Ted
lived as orphans.

4
 Cathy Rigby as Peter Pan on
Broadway. On stage, there
has been a long tradition of
women playing the boy hero.

J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan.

The book that inspired

the play, Peter and the
Starcatchers.

Robin Williams as an adult Peter Pan in the 1953 Disney

Peter in the 1991 film Hook. animated classic.

5
FOLLOWING THE PATH OF PETER
The iconic character of Peter Pan has been delighting
audiences both young and old since 1911. Peter Pan is
everywhere in our media, from books and movies to
television shows and plays based on this beloved figure.
But where did Peter come from, and what are the next
adventures in store for the boy who won’t grow up?
J.M. Barrie, a Scottish author and playwright, created
the mythic character of Peter Pan in stories he told to
entertain the children of a close friend, Mr. Llewelyn
Davis. The five Llewelyn Davis brothers inspired the
fantastic world of Neverland, and are the namesakes of
many of the characters that inhabit this world. Peter was
introduced in Barrie’s 1902 novel, The Little White Bird,
in chapters entitled “Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.”
Barrie elaborated on the story of Peter Pan in his 1904
play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Wendy
Darling, her brothers, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, the Lost
Boys, and more make their first appearance in this popular
stage play. These tales of a magical boy who could fly were
instant hits in England and the United States. Barrie
capitalized on the play’s success by publishing the story in
a book, Peter and Wendy, in 1911. Though Barrie continued
to write successful novels and plays, such as The Twelve
Pound Look, he will forever be remembered as the man who
created Neverland. In 1929, Barrie gave the copyrights
J.M. Barrie, dressed as Captain Hook, wrestles
with Peter Pan (played here by one of the
Llewelyn Davis brothers).
6
to all of the Peter Pan works to the Great Ormond Street
Hospital for Children in London, England. The hospital
continues to receive funding from the legacy of Peter Pan
to this day.
Over the years, the Peter Pan story has been retold in films,
television shows, musicals, and books. Some recreate
the original story of the beloved boy hero and some are
more loosely inspired by the characters and themes of the
original. Some imagine Peter’s future and some present
a fictionalized version of the history of Barrie and his
famous tales.
In 2004, Peter and the Starcatchers, the first in a series of
five novels written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, took
on the story of the central character before he becomes
Peter Pan. Peter and the Starcatchers was adapted for
the stage by Broadway veteran Rick Elice, known for his
book (the parts of a musical that are spoken, not sung)
for the Tony Award-winning hit Jersey Boys, a jukebox
musical about the ‘50s rock band “The Four Seasons.” His
stage version of Peter and the Starcatcher premiered in
2009 at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, and
transferred to New York in 2011. It received its Broadway
premiere in 2012. Peter and the Starcatcher is now being
performed across the country.
GLOSSARY
NAUTICAL TERMINOLOGY
FRIGATE: a war ship built for speed and maneuverability,
like the Wasp.
MERCHANT SHIP: a ship that transports cargo or people,
like the Neverland.
PORT AND STARBOARD: nautical terms for the left and
right sides of the ship, respectively.
BOW: the front of the ship; also called the prow.
STERN: the rear of the ship.
MAST: the pole that holds the sail on a ship.
JIB: a small, triangular front sail on a ship.
CANVAS: fabric used to create the sail of a ship.
DECK: the floor of the ship.
POOP DECK: the small deck at the rear of the ship, named
for the French word for “stern”, la poupe.
GALLEY: the kitchen on board a ship.
BILGE: the lowest compartment of the ship below the
waterline.
CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS: a cabin on a ship reserved for
the Captain’s use.
CARGO: goods being carried by a ship, like the trunks in
the play.
DOCK: the place where boats load and unload passengers
and cargo.
GANGWAY: the ramp connecting a ship to the dock for
loading and unloading of passengers or cargo.
JOLLY ROGER: flag flown on a pirate ship.
7 7
CHANGE OF COURSE: changing the direction a ship is
heading.
HARD ABOUT: turning a boat sharply to one side.
KNOT: a nautical measurement of speed. One knot is
roughly 1.5 miles per hour.
WHITECAPS: the white or frothy tops of an ocean
surface wave; whitecaps can be a sign of strong winds or
rough seas.
GALE: a very strong wind, measuring at least 34 knots (39
miles per hour).
OVERBOARD: over the side of the ship, especially into
the water.
RAFT: a floating platform made from buoyant materials,
like logs.
THE BRITISH REALM
HER MAJESTY, QUEEN VICTORIA: England’s longest-
reigning monarch, she ruled the British empire from 1837-
1901. The time of her reign is referred to as the Victorian
era.
PEER OF THE REALM: a member of the highest social
class in a kingdom. Lord Aster has just been named a Peer
of the Realm by Queen Victoria at the beginning of the play.
He uses a Peer title, “Lord.”
BRITISH EMPIRE: all territories ruled by the United
Kingdom. In 1885, this included Canada, Ireland,
Australia, India, and areas of Africa, Indonesia, and
South America.
UNION JACK: the national flag of the United Kingdom.
 MAST

CANVAS
(AKA SAIL)
JIB

BOW

DECK STERN
Her Majesty, Queen Victoria.

POOP DECK

The Union Jack (above) and Jolly Roger (below).

GALLEY BILGE CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS

8
BEFORE
NEVERLAND
Becoming an adult has its advantages—for one thing, you can eat ice cream for
breakfast whenever you want. But one drawback is that in the midst of daily
routines, it’s all too easy to start taking the world and its wonders for granted,
without asking or imagining why things are the way they are. Luckily, the simplest
question from a child can unlock something new. Such was the case when writer
Ridley Pearson was reading Peter Pan to his daughters at bedtime, and five-year-
old Paige asked, “Dad, how did Peter Pan meet Captain Hook, anyway?” That
question inspired Pearson and fellow writer Dave Barry to take a fresh look at a
familiar narrative; after all, every hero needs an origin story—and so does every
villain. The result was a best-selling novel, which Rick Elice adapted into the hit
play Peter and the Starcatcher. In this prequel to Peter Pan, Elice conjures up the
same magic Pearson and his daughters found in bedtime stories to spin an epic
tale full of dastardly pirates, noble heroes, and astonishing spectacle.

(Continued on next page)

9

At the center of the story is a precocious thirteen-year-old
named Molly, who believes that being a proper English
girl doesn’t mean that she can’t have an adventure every
now and then. Lucky for her, what’s supposed to be an
uneventful journey aboard the Neverland turns into quite
the adventure indeed when she discovers that the ship
is carrying a valuable trunk that’s fallen into the wrong
hands. Along the way, Molly meets three orphans: Prentiss,
Ted, and one particularly rough-and-tumble boy who
doesn’t even have a name—yet. The boys aren’t enamored
of the way Molly takes charge, and she’s not impressed by
them in the slightest. But they’ll have to work together in
order to save the day, especially after the fearsome pirate
Black Stache—well, he thinks he’s fearsome, anyway—joins
the fight to claim that trunk.
Interwoven with all the swashbuckling action are
wonderfully silly musical numbers, plenty of clever
wordplay, and cheeky pop-culture references that fly
by lightning-fast. But the story also has its poignant
10
moments, as Molly and her new comrades’ adventures
unexpectedly introduce them to both the joy and the
heartache of growing up. And so Peter and the Starcatcher
is a play that embraces contradictions—it’s irreverent
and heartfelt, hilarious and scary—and out of that merry
chaos comes enormous theatrical charm. Meanwhile, part
of the fun is discovering how the story unfolding onstage
connects with what you already know about Neverland,
although this play stands on its own regardless of your
familiarity with Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, and the other
beloved characters originally created in the early 1900s by
J. M. Barrie.
Bringing Peter and the Starcatcher to life is an exciting
challenge for Associate Artistic Director Meredith
McDonough, who’s at this helm of this production. After
all, there’s hardly a blueprint for how to stage an epic
battle on the high seas or create a larger-than-life flying
crocodile. That’s why McDonough brought her creative
team together for an intensive week-long work session in
Louisville, months before the start of rehearsals. Working
with members of the Acting Apprentice Company, they
experimented with inventive ways to stage levitations,
drownings, and flying. They also devoted almost forty
hours to poring over the script, line by line, in order to
plan out exactly how the Pamela Brown Auditorium
will transform into a playground for the imagination. In
addition to partnering with designers and a choreographer,
McDonough is working closely with actor Nathan Keepers,
a familiar face to Actors Theatre audiences, most recently
for his comic turns in last season’s Love’s Labour’s Lost
(which he co-adapted) and McDonough’s 2013 production
of Noises Off. Keepers not only will play the bumbling
pirate Black Stache, but also has been an essential
collaborator for McDonough. “He’s brilliant!” she says.
“He’s responsible for some fundamental design ideas in
the show.”
In addition to asking for incredible ingenuity from
everyone working behind the scenes, Peter and the
Starcatcher demands a great deal from its performers:
comedic chops, physical stamina, and a raconteur’s
charisma. Most of the actors will play multiple roles, and
all of them will help narrate the action. On top of that, cast
members will be playing all the music in the show live.
Working together, the actors will transport the audience
everywhere from the darkest depths of a ship’s hold to

Director Meredith McDonough
of an eye. And along the way, they’ll let everyone in on
what they’re doing to achieve those transformations. As
McDonough puts it, “It’s about making things that can
delight and surprise you, as opposed to trying to fool you.”
The joy and enchantment of this production will come
from being able to see how the spectacle works, but not
being able to believe your eyes anyway.
It’s about making things that can
delight and surprise you, as opposed
to trying to fool you.
—Director Meredith McDonough
Vibrant, actor-driven storytelling is just one of the reasons
Peter and the Starcatcher has become so well-loved, both
during and since its original Broadway run. As Molly,
Black Stache, and a nameless orphan boy come into their
own and take their places in the history of Neverland,
everyone is invited to play along and delight in a shared
sense of discovery. And that’s true for audience members
of all ages, because for all of us—the kid asking questions
at bedtime, the grown-up who wants to answer them, and
anyone else with a hunch that there are wonders left in this
ordinary-seeming world—imagination is still powerful
magic.
—Jessica Reese
THE FACE AT THE WINDOW
Playwright Rick Elice reflects on drawing
inspiration for Peter and the Starcatcher from
his own life experience and from J. M. Barrie’s
play Peter Pan:
When I was a boy, I wished I could fly, and the
idea of being a boy forever was pure delight.
No homework, no chores, no responsibility, no
sorrow. Now that I’m in the middle of my life,
I understand what I’d have missed had I never
grown up, or fallen in love, or stood my ground,
or lost a battle—or written a play.
In Barrie’s original, Mrs. Darling, upon leaving
the nursery, says, ‘I thought I saw a face at
the window.’ And, of course, that’s Peter, the
outsider, nose pressed against the glass. A
boy-Moses, looking over the Promised Land
but never allowed in. What could be more
bittersweet? I wanted to write a play about
that. [...] James Barrie found his character by
embracing the notion of never growing up. I
found mine by realizing I had.
—From Peter and the Starcatcher:
The Annotated Script of the Broadway Play
11
11
WRITING PORTFOLIO
NARRATIVE: CCRA.W.3
Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel; it tells the story of
Peter Pan before the well-known adventures of Peter in
Neverland begin. As the backstory of Peter Pan is revealed
in this play, you discover how he is able to stay a boy forever,
how he learned how to fly, how he got to Neverland, and
even how he got his name. Write a prequel about your
favorite character. Think about all their characteristics,
what you know about their history and where their story is
heading, and write a short story explaining how they came
to be.
ARGUMENTATIVE: CCRA.W.1
The story of Peter Pan and his band of friends in Neverland
has been told in many forms over the years, from animated
classics to Broadway plays. The tale has recently become
very popular again. In 2014, NBC produced a live action
version of the classic musical for TV, and this fall another
movie, Pan, will be released. Why do you think the story of
Peter Pan remains so timeless and popular? Use evidence
and examples to support your position.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
PRE-SHOW QUESTIONS
1. In Peter and the Starcatcher, actors often step out
of their roles to narrate a section of the play. How
do you think this will look and function in the play?
How might an actor transform from a character into
a narrator without changing costume? Why do you
think the playwright uses this technique?
2. Peter Pan is famous for being a boy who never grows
up. When does childhood end and adulthood begin?
What are key characteristics that define childhood vs.
adulthood? Why do you think Peter Pan wants to stay
a boy forever?
12
INFORMATIVE: CCRA.W.2
Write a review of the performance of Peter and the
Starcatcher that you saw at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
What parts of the play (the actors’ performances, the
set, props, costumes, lighting and sound design, etc.)
were your favorites and why? How effective were these
elements in telling the story? Back up your claims with
evidence and details from your experience of watching
the performance. Then make a copy and send it to the
education department at
Actors Theatre of Louisville
c/o Jane B. Jones
316 West Main Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
We will share your thoughts with the creative team.
POST-SHOW QUESTIONS
1. Peter and the Starcatcher is performed in a pantomime
style, without many of the props and sets referred to in
the script. How did the lack of certain sets and props
affect how you viewed the performance? Why or why
not? What are some of the ways that the actors got
around the various obstacles presented by the lack of
physical objects on stage?
2. Starstuff is a powerful force that is sought by many
throughout the play. If you had a trunk of starstuff,
what would you wish to do or be?
BRIDGEWORK
AT YOUR DESK
1. In Peter and the Starcatcher, the boys and Molly fight
over who gets to be the leader. Prentiss thinks he
should be the leader because he is a boy; Molly thinks
she should be the leader because she’s the oldest.
What are the qualities of an effective leader? Use
images from newspapers, magazines, and the Internet
to create a chimera, a creature composed of various
aspects of different people or things. Find images
that reflect qualities of a good leader, and glue them
to a large piece of paper. You can write why you chose
these images next to the chimera you create. Does your
new leader have the strength of a favorite athlete? The
courage of a family member? The vision of a historical
figure? What does leadership mean to you?
2. Language is used in Peter and the Starcatcher in many
fun and inventive ways. Molly and Lord Aster speak
to each other in “dodo,” the sounds of the extinct bird,
and utilize “Norse Code,” a series of dots and dashes
that translate into Norwegian. On Mollusk Island, the
natives speak to each other in Italian words that have
different meanings here than their Italian definitions.
Work in small groups to create your own unique
language. Will you base it on an existing language,
like Norse Code, or an animal like the dodo, or will you
come up with a completely new way to create a made-
up language? Write a sentence, or a passage, in your
new language and share it with the class!
AWAY FROM YOUR DESK
1. Much of the action in Peter and the Starcatcher is
pantomimed, with gestures replacing actual props
and set pieces. A large portion of the play takes place
on two ships, the Neverland and the Wasp. Take a look
at some of the nautical terminology in the Glossary.
During the play, both ships and their crews are caught
in a storm; what actions does a crew take to keep a
ship afloat in a maelstrom? What are the activities
and objects that the actors would need to pantomime
to convince the audience they’re on a ship at sea?
Separate the class into two groups, each one taking
on the role of the crew of the Neverland or the Wasp.
Rehearse a pantomime to perform for the other group.
Take turns performing in your groups while the other
group observes closely. Describe what you see the
other group do. What actions were most effective in
conveying a ship in a storm? How do you think the
actors in Peter and the Starcatcher will use pantomime
in their performance?
2. Leadership, and what it takes to be a leader, is a theme
that runs throughout Peter and the Starcatcher. Divide
the class into partners and decide who will be A and
who will be B. Stand facing each other and making eye
contact. Partner A will begin moving and Partner B
will mirror all their actions exactly, while maintaining
eye contact. An outside observer should not be able
to determine who is leading whom. Encourage the
leading partner to start out slow and, as they gain
speed, to make sure that their actions are repeatable
by their partner. After a few minutes, ask participants
to switch, with Partner B leading the exercise. After
the exercise, reunite as a group and discuss. Which
did you prefer, leading or being led? What tactics
did different leaders use, and were they effective at
keeping the partners in sync? What can you learn
about leadership from this activity—what makes a
good leader?
13