Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, and Tinkerbell arrive in Neverland
DAVENPORT, IOWA (April 23, 2025) — Peter Pan is playing at Davenport Junior Theatre from April 26 through May 4 at 1PM and 4PM on Saturdays, and 3PM on Sundays. The sixty-minute play is a new adaptation of the JM Barrie story, written for Junior Theatre by JT alum and playwright, Brooke Galvan. The Junior Theatre cast includes 24 students, ages ten through eighteen, led by Director Jess Sheridan.
Pledge allegiance to the Lost Boys and revisit the classic story of Wendy, Peter, Tinkerbell, and Captain Hook. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and a few happy thoughts, you’ll be transported on a magical journey you’ll never forget! This extraordinary story full of excitement and adventure is sure to captivate audiences of all ages.
The Lost Boys pledge their allegiance
Student Luke Young, who plays Peter Pan, is sure audiences will love the show, stating “It’s an amazing story with fun and exciting stage combat! I’ve enjoyed my time working on this show with my first ever lead role.”
Seven students make up the technical crew team, including S Klipsch, who is our Assistant Stage Manager. In addition to keeping track of the actors’ blocking, or movements, S will also be calling the light and sound cues to the student board operators in the booth. It’s a very important job, but it’s not all business “The show is very funny. . . Every time we do a run through, I laugh.” S is excited for audiences to experience this entertaining show, adding “The audience should expect endless fun and excitement.”
Smee, Whibbles, and the pirates plot
While this show won’t be our last in the Nighswander Theatre, it is the final production with our full-time home on the Annie Wittenmyer campus. It only felt appropriate to pack the professional design and creative team with JT alum, including Roger Pavey Jr (student 2008-2020) as our sound designer. Roger’s first [of nearly thirty], JT productions was directed by Jess Sheridan, and he is grateful for this opportunity sharing “Getting to design for this has been a wonderful full-circle moment as I am working alongside my first directors and mentors and fellow DJT alums I grew up with.”
Wendy and the Lost Boys are captured
Roger is currently a full-time Creative Content Associate at the two-time Tony-Winning and National Medal of Arts recipient Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. There he leads graphic design, creative content, and photography, but he still made it a priority to reinvest his talents back where he credits his creative foundation. “Returning to the QCs nearly a year after I graduated from Augustana to work at my first creative home has been special. Working on the design team supporting this generation of young, brave artists alongside some of the people who have shaped me has been wonderful.”
Captain Hook (senior Aila Koivisto) and two pirates
Director Jess Sheridan is no stranger to the JT stage, having directed several productions and enriched many lives during her time as an instructor. “This has been such a fun directing experience! It was so humbling sitting in tech last night next to two former students, one who is designing props and the other designing sound, for a show that was written by a former student! I am so proud of the students, past and current, who are bringing this show to life! There is so much talent on and off stage and it is so fun to be a part of!”
Booth Crew: Assistant Stage Manager S Klipsch (center) and the light and sound board operators, Mirabella Johnson and Carys Gleason (Left to right, respectively)
Don’t miss this fun re-telling of the classic tale. Peter Pan embraces the child in us all, your entire family will be Hooked!
For information on the show and other offerings at Junior Theatre, visit our website davenportjuniortheatre.org. Peter Pan is the final of three productions making up Season 73. Our work is made possible by our generous community partners and individual donors. This project is supported by Quad City Arts re-granting program Arts Dollars, supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, and the Quad Cities Community Foundation — Isabel Bloom Art Education Endowment. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Tech and accessibility assistance was made possible by funds contributed by the Scott County Regional Authority. Culver’s of Bettendorf is a Junior Theatre Season 73 sponsor.
