Director’s Note

I bet: that you went to Neverland as a child. You probably now remember it as “playing mermaids” with your friends, or maybe you preferred the danger of “the floor is lava.” You may have explored your yard with fairies to find Lost Things (to build your own house, of course), or you might have survived a gripping sword fight with pirates. At the very least, I’m sure that you knew how to fly. 

Now before you visited Neverland for the first time, you may have first dreamt of the island in your brilliant young imagination. Perhaps you were lucky enough to first experience it in a story read to you at bedtime (or so you thought – I’m here to tell you that your parents were actually recounting their own memories from their first adventures to Neverland). But regardless, one night, a young boy dressed in green tapped at your window, and whisked you away on a journey you would find yourself recreating with friends for years to come. 

Tonight, we ask you to once again sit with us for a bedtime story. But this time, we’ll be joining the first children to ever explore Neverland. Now you’re probably thinking, “she must be talking about Peter Pan. Or maybe Wendy?” Well that remains to be seen. For now, I can promise you that you’ll meet three orphan boys, and a spunky young Starcatcher named Molly. 

Molly will teach the boys what it means to be a leader, the magic of a good story, and the art of how to love one another well. To her, leadership means not leaving people behind, even when – especially when – the going gets tough. A true leader is not just someone who stands up with confidence, but it is someone who finds strength for and with everybody around her. And she just might learn that leadership is not a task one must carry out on her own. In fact, the real magic might be discovered when you find the people willing to brave the darkest storms alongside you. 

Peter and the Starcatcher will invite you into a world of courageous adventures, unlikely friends, and of course, a little bit of magic. I hope that our story travels you back in time to your first journey to Neverland. Tonight, you will swim with mermaids, battle with pirates, and wish on stars with friends. Together, we might even fly. 

With faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust,

Zoë Elizabeth Lillis