 Over 100 youngsters from all over North Devon came together during May to compete for the 45 available places in North Devon All Starz summer production of Peter Pan the Musical. The audition response was incredible and it included 35 males which is unique for amateur theatre groups in this area.
This has been a great boost for the group who celebrates its 5th Birthday this year, and are proud to be presenting this production for the very first time in North Devon.
The production and casting teams were very impressed by the standard of the young people who auditioned. It is always hard to turn away any child but unfortunately this is the nature of the business, and we would just not be able to fit them all onto the stage. It is always encouraging to hear those who didn’t make the final line up say that they will try again next year. We have always strived to select a cast suitable for the needs of the show, and this year is no exception, we are thrilled that over 50 per cent of the cast are new to the group, which shows the All Starz trend of encouraging new talent.
After the first company auditions the successful candidates, then had to go through the 4 hour principal audition that tested all three of their performing arts skills. After a lot of discussions between the audition panel, the company can now proudly announce that Peter Pan will be played by 14 year old Chelsea Parkin.
Chelsea attends Pilton Community College, and was last seen playing Annie, in the company’s production of Annie Jr, where she received rave reviews from the public and critics. Partnering Chelsea this year is Kathryn Turnbull playing Wendy Darling, Kathryn was in the first ever production of All Starz and it is great to see her return. Kathryn’s on stage brothers John and Michael Darling will be played by Joe Bond, aged 13 and Robert Stirzaker, aged 9. Both of the boys are brand new to the company and we are sure they will be a great asset to the team. We are very happy with the strong line up and we are sure that they will give a performance they can all be proud of. Other principals will be Ben Talbot as Captain Hook and Ruth Wormington as Tiger Lily. It has been great to see previous members who started in the chorus grow in confidence and talent and rise up to getting lead roles.
The company are now rehearsing twice a week for the show. The technical and costume departments are into full swing to create all the effects needed for this show. Tickets are on sale at Landkey Post Office or on the door before each performance, costing £4 for children under 10 and £7 for adults. Demand for tickets is expected to be high so make sure you get your tickets before it is too late. There are 3 performances schedule from Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th August starting at 7.30pm. The production will be held at Grosvenor Church, Barnstaple and a proportion of the profits will be going to the charity Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. |
