Moving Moments

The art of award winning Dance Photographer Richard Calmes is available in his latest book.

Book & Lyrics by Joel Paley Music by Marvin Laird

MAY 4–20, 2023

Tickets: $25 and up Out Front Theatre Company

Co-Production with www.OutFrontTheatre.com

Stage Door Players — An Interview with Lauren Morris

Interviewed by Joey Davila

So Lauren, why Peter and the Starcatcher?

“I have loved this play since I first became aware of it. I love that it is theatre at its most simple AND most imaginative. I love that it’s about children and childhood and the fact that we are all really at our core, just tall children. I love that there’s magic and it reminds us that magic is real and possible if we remember that magic is real and possible. I also really like that it has fabulous villains because that’s really fun. And ours will be extra fabulous.”

Just the fact that we, within us, have the ability to surprise and delight each other is the core of what magic and what theatre can do.

It must be a challenge to do a story that has so many famous iterations. Do you have a favorite iteration of the Peter Pan story?

“I’m reading the novel version of Peter and the Starcatcher and it really explores a lot more darkness of the characters and exploration of who they are, how they got there, and human nature.”

So I’ve got to ask because I’ve been so curious: What is a Starcatcher?

“Starcatchers try to keep humans from being completely engulfed by the devils on their shoulders, by the darker nature.”

You mentioned magic earlier. What is theatre magic, to you? Is there a base requirement, or a specific example you can think of?

“I have so many things in my head when I think of theatre magic, but I think surprise and delight is all that magic is to me. I think there’s something deeply elemental in us that’s about us as animals who sat around a campfire and told stories a million years ago. There are little bits of us that are awakened at simple moments like that. That’s why I think shadow puppetry is magical and why we’ll be using that in this production. Just the fact that we, within us, have the ability to surprise and delight each other is the core of what magic and what theatre can do. It comes down to breath, the physical shared molecules in a space.”