Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, CD Forum for Arts & Ideas and Seattle Theatre Group are proud to present the annual Teen Summer Musical, Peter Pan “My Brother’s Keeper.”
Peter Pan is the ultimate coming of age, “diamond in the rough” story, except of course Peter refuses to grow up and ardently resists any kind of pressure to change. It’s truly a tale that is relevant for every generation of kids.
The summer musical is an opportunity for local teens to perform on the big stage while learning the business side of theater operations. It allows them to connect, communicate and exchange ideas with youth from other backgrounds and cultures. Summer musical participants earn a stipend for rehearsals and performance over the 11 weeks of summer. The teen summer musical theater experience is just one more way to captivate our youth while they are in the “hope stage” of their development into young adults.
The program, which targets youth of color, provides an introduction to the world of theater. Through workshops and collaborative practices, the participants develop self-discipline, self-confidence and self-motivation, character traits essential to becoming emotionally healthy, contributing members of our community. A staff of professional artists develop the talents and skills of some 100 youth who spend nine hours together Monday through Friday for 11 weeks for acting, dance and vocal training and hands-on work with the technical aspects of theater – costume, lighting and set design. Most past Teen Summer Musical productions have been adaptations of fairy tales whose roles have traditionally been played by Caucasian actors. But here, stories such as Peter Pan, Snow White and Cinderella morph into modern tales that reflect modern experiences. The revisions reflect a look through a true racial equity lens, which allows the youth to relate to the theatrical piece.
The results speak for themselves in a full stage performance mounted in a major theater, with a full professional production team.
