Pictured: Zoe Smith, cast member with Dingbat's production of Wendy and Peter Pan. Photo courtesy of Dingbat Theatre Project.

This Friday, Dingbat Theatre Project will premiere Wendy and Peter Pan, the company’s original adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic 1911 novel Peter Pan. The production, the company’s fifth since its inception in 2020 and its first at Reflex Arts Dance Studios, whom the company partnered with in 2022 to provide education theater programming and bolster Dingbat’s productions.

“It’s our first production at Reflex and the collaboration has been great. Studio One is the biggest indoor space we’ve ever been in and feels really immersive when we have all of our production stuff in place,” says Luke McFatrich,founder and managing Artistic Director of Dingbat.

Wendy and Peter Pan is the result of about a year and a half long adaptation process by McFatrich. “What we did was take a highlighter and red pen to the novel and decided to perform the novel as is. The only thing that we’ve added is music - songs from the story and popular music all the way back from Beethoven to 80s bubble gum girl group pop to uplift the storytelling. With only seven cast members and a small indoor space, we’ve had to do some creative problem solving,” attests McFatrich, who plays Tinkerbell in the production.

“The biggest issue with the limited cast is that four actors are needed to play Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinker Bell, and Captain Hook - however, there’s six Lost Boys in the story and they all have to be on stage at the same time,” says McFatrich. To counteract this, the three remaining cast members will use sock puppets to portray the Lost Boys - one on each hand.

Even more trickery is used to convey the magical elements of the Peter Pan story. “The show is created as if it's children in their bedroom playing pretend - they only have materials that they’d have in their bedroom: pillows are clouds that they fly over, a big bed sheet is used to mimic the shape of a pirate ship, and Captain Hook’s hook is a candy cane,” says McFatrich.

Performances: Fri, Jun 24, 2022, 8:00 p.m. - Sun, Jul 10 2022, 3:00 p.m. Studio One @ Reflex, 6260 N Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, FL 34243

Pictured: Zoe Smith, cast member with Dingbat's production of Wendy and Peter Pan. Photo courtesy of Dingbat Theatre Project.

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