The play's the thing ... but so is learning for young Bryan actors
<p>Peter Pan and Capt. Hook, played by Luke English and Tyler Nethercutt respectively, work through their sword fighting scene during a dress rehearsal Thursday at Bryan Elementary. Students will perform the play on stage at the Coeur d'Alene High School auditorium Saturday.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - He's determined that his childhood will never end, and Peter Pan doesn't think any other child should grow to adulthood either.
Dressed in a signature leafy-green, belted tunic, hat and tights, Bryan Elementary school student Luke English practiced his role as the mischievous Peter Pan during a dress rehearsal Thursday.
"I won't grow up. I don't want to go to school. Just to be a parrot, and recite a golden rule," Luke sang, surrounded by a chorus of Lost Boys, and Neverland newcomers: Wendy, John and Michael.
The 36 Bryan students performing in the play will hit the big stage Saturday at Coeur d'Alene High School with shows at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The performances are open to the public. Tickets are $2 per person or $5 per family.
The musical performance features singing and dancing pirates, mermaids, Lost Boys, Indians, and the nightgown-clad big sister Wendy, with her brothers in pajamas.
Tinkerbell flits about with her fairy wings and stardust as Captain Hook schemes and plots to capture Peter Pan.
This is the ninth children's play Treece Bashaw has directed at Bryan, and the second time she has produced Peter Pan.
"What's kind of fun about doing a show twice is you think it's going to be the same, only to have it turn out so completely different because of the children's individual personalities," Bashaw said.
Bashaw began running the productions while her own children were at Bryan, and although it has been a few years since she has had a child at the school, Bashaw can't pull herself away.
Kids participate for free, parents help with the costumes, and all proceeds from performances are used to fund the next year's show.
"With budget cuts being what they are, this is important to a school like Bryan Elementary to be able to continue to offer the kids a great creative outlet and learning experience," Bashaw said.
The shows teach more than theater arts, Bashaw said. There are scripts to read, lines to write and memorize, and a work process the children have to commit to.
"The biggest thing is they get to see the results of their efforts," Bashaw said. "I don't demand perfection, but I want them to learn that process, and do the best they can."