'Peter Pan' Set to Soar at St. Michael-Albertville High School

Director Ashley Budde, a St. Michael-Albertville High School graduate, is back at the helm as this year's drama program gets set for the annual musical production at the STMA Performing Arts Center.

This year's selection is "Peter Pan," set for a four-day run from Nov. 14 through 17, with shows daily at 7 p.m. the first three days, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday the 17th.

"It's a huge show," Budde said. "I think we've upped ourselves from 'Wizard of Oz,' which was last year's program. We have more and more kids participating both onstage and behind the scenes. It's really a testimony to the dedication to the arts and theater these students have. They come out and they really stick with it."

The show, of course, is based around the traditional story about Peter Pan, Neverland and the Darling children's brief but incredible visit to Peter's magical world.

It is, however, the original Broadway play, meaning it isn't the "Disney-fied" version of the tale, Budde said.

"It's definitely kid-friendly. The songs are very classic and they'll recognize a lot of them. But there are a lot of messages about the truths of growing up and the strangeness of leaving home that are much more direct here," Budde said. "I'd say it's a bit more grounded in reality vs. Disney."

Peter will be portrayed by a female lead, for example, something that is common with the Broadway show (Sandy Duncan, for example). Nicole Logeas, a senior, will do the honors here.

Wendy will be portrayed by Cody Eliason. Tommy Lindquist is set to appear as Hook and Mr. Darling. Michael is played by senior Preston Kuhn, while John is senior Zac Tamborino. Tinkerbell is junior Brynn Rova; senior Caleb Figueroa portrays Smee; Taylor Kainz is Indian Princess Tigerlilly; and Chrissy Summers is Mrs. Darling to round out the headlining cast members. Josh Mann serves as the assisting director.

When told of her role as the iconic Tinkerbell, the young Rova said, "It's both thrilling and terrifying at the same time."

"It's a great team of seniors to lead the way," Budde said. "We'll have upwards of students on stage for the pirate fights. It's a huge show. We're excited to bring it to the community."

Budde recognized, in a day and age when schools tend to hack at the arts to save money first, she's fortunate to live and work in a community that feels much differently.

"Seeing the support we received last year for Oz, and the work people do from the time we start work on a production until you strike the set, it's really incredible," she said. "The students here are dedicated. The parents are always willing to come in and sell the ads, bring meals and do concession sales. We have 20 freshmen this year, and it's because people are really supporting the arts at all ages now. They deserve to be recognized for that."

New groups, such as the Fine Arts Council in St. Michael-Albertville and SOAR are grabbing kids and getting them involved at younger ages, as well.

"They work on their shows, and then they come see something like this and it makes them want to keep going. It's symbiotic," Budde said. "That's special for a community of this size. A lot of credit goes to a lot of the families out there that have done so much work."

Tickets are on sale right now for this year's musical, via the STMA High School Website. They will also be available at the door the day of each show.