At the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, students are taking on both the performance and production work for ‘Peter and the Starcatcher,’ a Tony Award-winning play that will run at the university. Its ship-and-pirate premise sets up an origin story for the boy who never grows up, brought to life by a small student ensemble and simple theatrical tools.
The production depicts the origin story of Peter Pan and is set in Portsmouth, Great Britain, in 1885, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. It follows Molly, a young starcatcher in training, and a nameless boy who will become Peter Pan. Orphans aboard the ship carry mysterious stardust, which starcatchers are sworn to protect because it can be used for good or evil, the Gazette reports.
A Student-Run Production From Top to Bottom
Mickey Burdick, technical director at UCCS, told the Gazette that the production is entirely student-led, with students working onstage and behind the scenes. Its story theater approach has 12 actors play dozens of roles, transforming the stage with simple props, ropes and their own bodies.
Burdick told the Gazette that Peter’s search for belonging is central to the production’s appeal, alongside its mix of childhood whimsy and the broader question of finding one’s place. He said that combination helps the story connect with audiences of different ages, even after its Tony-winning Broadway run.
An Earlier UCCS Student Show
UCCS Communique’s 2019-20 season announcement also listed a separate UCCS Student Show, Hair, scheduled for March 12–22. The listing identifies it as a student show but does not describe its production structure, so it does not establish whether students held the same range of roles as they do in the current production.
Showtimes, Tickets and Free Admission for Students
‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ runs November 13-15 and November 19-22 at the Osborne Studio Theater at the Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave. in Colorado Springs. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sundays throughout the run. General admission tickets are priced at $12.75.
UCCS students receive free tickets to the show, and more broadly, students can receive free tickets to any Theatreworks production through the university's partnership with Theatreworks — a benefit confirmed as one free ticket per student by the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS. For a campus community that doesn't always get a front-row seat to Tony-caliber theater, it's a rare chance to see a nationally recognized script performed almost entirely by their own peers.
