Peter and the Starcatcher
by Rick Elice
Music by Wayne Barker
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Directed by: Mirinda Keeling
Auditions: Sep. 18, 19, 20(callbacks), 2023
Performances: Dec. 1, 2, 3(m), 8, 9, 10(m), 14, 15, 16, 2023
A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure. (Music Theatre International)
Director
Peter and the Starcatcher is Mirinda Keeling’s ACT directorial debut. She is also co-directing The Prom, with Christi E. Sears this season. Mirinda co-directed School House Rock at ACT and directed Animal Krackers, Magic in Me, and The Shoemaker and the Elves at North Albany Elementary. Mirinda has assistant directed Something Rotten, Murder on the Orient Express, Clue, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, High School Musical, and
Excalibur: The Story of Young King Arthur at ACT. Her resume includes additional crew positions of vocal director, production assistant, set dressing design, set dresser, set design, hair and makeup designer, props designer and costumer in over 30 productions and has performed on stage in an additional 20. She has performed with her husband, Dean Keeling, as well as her two sons, Braden and Adam.
Director’s email: r_mirinda@hotmail.com
Cast of Characters
Black Stache: A notorious pirate, terrorizing the seven seas in search of a worthy adversary. Heartless, hirsute, and suspiciously well read. Partial to the poetical and theatrical, which causes him to behave quite flamboyantly. Gender: Male; Age: 30 to 50
Molly Aster: A young girl and Starcatcher apprentice who is taken aboard the Neverland as precious cargo. Curious and intelligent, she is only beginning to understand the confusing romantic longings that come with her age. She will risk anything for the sake of what is right. Gender: Female; Age: 16 to 25
Boy/Peter: A lonely and hardened orphan who doesn’t miss much. Nameless, homeless, and friendless at the beginning of the play and a hero by the end. He wants a home and a family more than anything, and dreams of a life of being free. Gender: Male; Age: 16 to 25
Grempkin: The schoolmaster of St. Norbert’s Orphanage for Lost Boys. Mean and malodorous, he revels in keeping his boys in the dark and malnourished. Optional Doublings include: FIGHTING PRAWN; MACK; SÁNCHEZ. Gender: Male; Age: 40 to 60
Mrs. Bumbrake: Molly’s nanny, a stereotypical British cad and outfitted with the duty of teaching Molly about womanhood. She still has enough charm in her age to attract a sailor or two. Optional Doubling as TEACHER. Gender: Male; Age: 40 to 60
Bill Slank: The vicious orphaned captain of the Neverland. Does not possess the capacity to lead anyone but himself, which puts himself constantly in disaster. Greedy enough to send boys to their doom for the chance of gaining starstuff. Optional Doubling as HAWKING CLAM. Gender: Male; Age: 35 to 55
Smee: Black Stache’s first mate. He is single-mindedly dedicated to his captain’s every whim. Gender: Male; Age: 25 to 55
Prentiss: An orphan, ambitious, hyper articulate, and logical. He yearns to be leader, even when he knows in his heart that he’ll never be one. A bit of a blowhard with a touch of cowardice. Gender: Male; Age: 16 to 25
Alf: A seafarer, an old sea dog proud of his tenure. His kind heart gives him an appeal to the feminine sensibility. Gender: Male; Age: 50 to 65
Lord Leonard Aster: Molly’s father, a loyal subject to the Queen. The very model of a Victorian English gentleman, he is a faithful friend and a secret Starcatcher. Gender: Male; Age: 40 to 60
Captain Robert Falcon Scott: Lord Aster’s old school friend, the captain of the Wasp, Britain’s fastest frigate. Lives with nautical bravura and heroic patriotism. Gender: Male; Age: 35 to 45
Ted: An orphan obsessed with food. A natural performer with easy wit and quite poetic language. Gender: Male; Age: 16 to 25
Ensemble: Sailors; Seamen; Seafarers; Orphans; Pirates; Mermaids; Mollusks; Narrators