G R AD E S
Y 9 –12 PLA
BY
KI M B BEL ERLY FLO WE R DIRECTE
D BY
CYNTHIA BABAK
FR
AY URD SAT
EM B NOV PM 2:00
22 , 20 9 1 ER
RICHARD PERRY TH
ID
NO AY 7:0 VEM 0 P B ER M 18
EATRE
, 20 22
Cast Keelin Walshe*.................................................................................................................Wendy MaKiyah Turner-Hicks*....................................................................................................Peter Fiona Stephenson*....................................................................................................Therapist Drew Waldman.......................................................................................................... Detective Devan Jiang......................................................................................................................Doctor Isabelle Gerling.............................................................................................................. Mother Mia Gordon........................................................................................................................... Nina Jasper Whiteley..............................................................................................................Slightly Sheimy Solis...................................................................................................................Toodles Maggie Cochran.................................................................................................................. Nibs Amara Johansson..............................................................................................................Curly Amara Johansson.................................................................................................................Boy Carolina Lisk.....................................................................................................................Cora/A Samantha Menkes....................................................................................................... Callie/B Tessa Cooper..................................................................................................................Krista/C
Production Staff Cynthia Babak.............................................................................................................. Director Fiona Stephenson*....................................................................................Assistant Director Kim Griffin..................................................................................................Costume Designer Daniel Patrick Hogan..............................................................................Scenic/Set Design David Higham............................................................ Lighting Design/Technical Director Annakaecia Clarke........................................................................................ Stage Manager Special Thanks to Mariko Watt, David Higham, and Mr. Higham’s Stagecraft Class: Alex Amorosino, John Calabrese, Annakaecia Clarke, George Finch, Jordan James, Kingston James, Matthew Khorosh, Beckett Mazeau, Leo Mullin, Reyhan Sanchez, Jackson Smith, Ben Suler, and Jasper Whiteley for their assistance in set building.
*Excellence in the Arts Certificate Program
Director’s Note J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan novels have inspired countless other artists since they were first penned in the early 1900s. There is whimsy and fantasy in the stories of a “forever boy,” but also darker undertones, and a streak of melancholy about the inevitability of growing up. What interested me about this theatrical adaptation of the Peter Pan story was how the playwright feeds our fascination with magic, but also dips into the gritty reality of the story of Wendy and Peter: three children taken from their beds at night in a room that was locked, seven dirty children returning just as inexplicably. There’s a lot to relate to as well in Wendy’s obsessive pining for Peter, who said he would return for her. She can’t move on because he “has her kiss.” Anyone who has had a hard time letting go of a bad but stimulating relationship knows what this is about, and I think this aspect of the play is handled well by the playwright. We understand Wendy, but like her friends and mother, want her to move on. I was also inspired by the open-ended way Kimberly Belflower has written the play, allowing the cast and design team of each production to create their own world for Lost Girl—especially how to handle characters who are “there but not there.” On that note, I’d like to thank the talented designers on this show: Kim Griffin for costumes, Daniel Patrick Hogan for set and props, and David Higham for lights, construction, and sound—I love the world they created for this talented group of young actors to inhabit. We hope you enjoy our show! Cynthia Babak Director
A Note from the Performing Arts Department In June of 2022, we moved the last of the costumes from behind the theater seats and separated posters from the walls. At that time, we knew our September return and fall production season would take patience and flexibility but had no idea how much we were about to learn! Now, the Arts Center is in its fifth month of construction, with large dirt piles, steel work, and foundations visible as we excitedly peer through cracks in the fence. This fall has tested our limits—listening amid construction beeps and bangs, bouncing to new spaces, and traversing through terrain and weather to arrive at rehearsal. At each turn, we found a new adventure and each swerve, a hurdle ready to overtake.
It has been an honor to celebrate PolyArts at the Groundbreaking Ceremony, at Homecoming, and now here, at our first production of the season. Even more unique, this play displays the talents of students in Grades 9–12, an opportunity often not available to us until the Spring Musical. We are beyond grateful to our students, faculty, and designers for their sense of humor, supportive nature, and determination that allows us to share with you our first 2022–2023 production. We hope you enjoy your visit, and the show. Ashley Hacker MS/US Dance, Debate & Drama Coordinator
Meet the Production Staff Cynthia Babak (Director) is a multi-disciplinary theater artist and educator, and 2015 recipient of the Tanne Foundation Award. She is a core member of Hook & Eye Theater for which she has devised several plays and scripted the historical-fantastical She-She-She. For Brave New World Rep she directed Arthur Miller’s The American Clock, and Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation, as well as several readings for their Brave New Works series. Her full-length play, Where I Dwell, has been workshopped at Lanyard Theater and Florida Rep, and her one-act, In the Skin, was a finalist at the O’Neill Playwriting Conference. At Poly, she has directed a dozen plays for Grades 9 & 10, helms the Young Actors club, and oversees the Performing Arts Camp in summer. She is also a master teaching artist with Roundabout Theatre Company. Kim Griffin (Costume Designer) has designed for theater, musicals, dance, and opera; collaboration with directors, the design team, and the actors is integral to her process from beginning to end. Kim has worked at theaters, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre, Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars, Ohio Light Opera, Stageworks Theatre, Boomerang Theatre Company, Opera in the Heights, and The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston. She has toured with the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Legends Blue Unit and has stitched for The Met Gala, Broadway shows, and national tours. She has also designed for Theatre for Young Audiences tours, along with university and high school productions. Kim is originally from Houston, Texas and earned her BFA in Theatre Design & Technology with a minor in music from Baylor University and her MFA in Costume Design from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. As part of the fulfillment of her master’s at MGSA, she studied at Rutgers Conservatory at Shakespeare’s Globe, and The School of Historical Dress in London, England.
Meet the Production Staff (Cont.) Daniel Patrick Hogan (Scenic/Set Designer) has designed scenery, props, hair, and makeup for numerous productions. As a scenic designer, his favorite projects include Little Shop of Horrors, The Seafarer, The Pirates of Penzance, In the Heights, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and A Doll’s House. Recently, Daniel designed scenery for The Wallace Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd. He created an immersive, multi-levelled set that placed the audience in between different locations. His design utilized existing elements of the derelict Wallace Theatre and offered a unique viewing experience for each audience member. Daniel thoroughly enjoys transforming found spaces and designing new works. David Higham (Lighting Designer & Technical Director) is in his thirtieth year at Poly, where he has been responsible for designing the lighting, sound, and scenery for over 170 productions. In addition to his work at Poly, Mr. Higham has designed lighting for productions at The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Irish Arts Center, The Women’s Project, The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and The National Shakespeare Company, among others. Mr. Higham also has worked as a lighting designer for several New York City architectural and landscape design firms.
Our Production Would Not Be Possible without the Generous Support of: Audrius Barzdukas P’20 Head of School Michal Hershkovitz P’16, ’18 Assistant Head of School, Academics Sarah Bates Head of Upper School Michael Robinson Head of Arts Daniel Doughty Director of Music Ashley Hacker MS/US Dance, Debate, & Drama Coordinator The members of the Performing Arts faculty, the Engagement & Communications Department, the Admissions Department, the Poly Prep IT Staff, the Facilities and Maintenance Department, the Security Staff, the Kitchen Staff, and the Upper School Deans.
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Join Us for These Upcoming Performing Arts Events Winter Arts Festival Thursday, December 8, 2022 VISUAL ART | 6:00 PM | STUDENT CENTER MUSIC | 7:00 PM | MEMORIAL CHAPEL Middle School Play: The Pushcart War by Gregory A. Falls Thursday, December 15, 2022 7:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Afternoon of Student Choreography Sunday, January 29, 2023 3:00 PM | RICHARD PERRY THEATRE Upper School Musical—The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Music and Lyrics by William Finn, additional materials by Jay Reiss Thursday–Sunday, March 2–5, 2023 SAVE THE DATES!
Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming events!