Since the second day of school, the cast, crew, pit, and production team of the fall musical “Peter Pan” have been hard at work. From memorizing music to painting sets, hundreds of students have gotten involved in BC’s largest-scale theater production of the year. “Peter Pan” is a production unlike most that the BC theatre department has put on in the past. Perhaps what makes this production so fundamentally different from all its predecessors: five characters – Peter, Wendy, Michael, John, and Jane – are being flown through the air with high-tech flying equipment from a company based in Las Vegas, a prospect both exciting and terrifying at once.

As if flying five students through the air wasn’t challenging enough, the equipment is only being rented approximately a week prior to opening night. That means the main focus of tech week, or the week right before performances where the entire production is moved on stage, is going to be choreographing and perfecting the flying sequences. Because of this, the cast, crew, and pit members are pushed to work harder than ever to make sure that everything is prepared prior to tech week, because there will be limited time to adjust and correct anything once the production is moved on stage.

In addition, the high cost for renting the flying equipment has caused the production staff to add a fifth performance to the run. Nobody is complaining though, because it is such a special part of the show and a great opportunity. “I feel so lucky!” Sarah Brown (‘16), who is playing Wendy, said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that very few people ever get to have.”

Another difference between “Peter Pan” and many past productions is that there is no distinct ensemble. Instead, there are three chorus groups: the pirates, the Lost Boys, and the Indians. Because of this, more students get to be featured and stage time is shared more equally among the cast.

Already a few months into the rehearsal process, “Peter Pan” has led to many memories and new friendships formed among all students involved in the production. Many would agree that the rehearsal process is just as much fun as performing, because that is when the strongest bonds are built and the largest personal growth occurs. “Rehearsal always makes me so happy,” Brown said. “Whenever I am having a bad day, knowing that I have rehearsal after school allows me to get through the day and then actually end it in a fantastic way. I always come out smiling.”

With so much progress being made on “Peter Pan”, the cast, crew, pit, and production staff are eager to take it to the Wilson Center and share their hard work with the rest of the school and community. All its going to take is faith, trust, and a little bit of Tinker Bell’s signature pixie dust.