Theater magic comes in different packages.
Audiences experience it as actors bring a story to life, but many times, the actors themselves feel the magic as well.
For Emily Ryan, being a pirate named Sailor Swift in the Augusta Junior Players’ production of a new adaptation of “Peter Pan” is sprinkled with a special blend of pixie dust.
“Mr. (Roy) Lewis is the director of the Augusta Junior Players, and he was my theater teacher in high school. My first play was ‘Peter Pan,’” said Ryan, who will share the stage with her sons, Evan, 15, and Luca, 11.
Her sons are at the age where it’s not exactly cool to hang out with Mom all the time. So, getting to spend time rehearsing and performing with them is an experience she won’t soon forget.
“This means a lot to me,” she said.
The Ryans aren’t the only family group in the show. There are siblings and other parent-child combos, and the creative brains behind the show are a married couple. Karen Heid is directing the play that her husband, Zach Kelehear, wrote much of.
“Peter Pan” entered the public domain in the U.S. in 2024 and this adaptation will make its world premiere this weekend.
The experience of writing a play was a new one for Kelehear who is Augusta University’s Vice Provost of Instruction and Innovation.
“I’ve written a lot of things. I’ve never gone down this path. It’s quite the challenge, but I found it terribly enjoyable,” he said.
The play keeps some original elements that people come to expect such as Nana the dog and the crocodile.
However, there are some changes. Instead of lost boys, there are lost children, and there are female pirates in the mix. Also, there’s original music by the couple’s son and daughter-in-law.
“Peter Pan” will be at 7:30 p.m. March 28 and at 3 and 7:30 p.m. March 29 at the Kroc Center. For tickets, go here.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
