Bishop Theatre Performs 'Peter Pan' at Town Hall

Editor's note: The following information comes from the Bishop Cooperative Theatre.

Bishop Cooperative Theatre performed "Peter Pan" to a crowd of nearly 1,000 spectators at this weekend.

The play was based upon Sir James M. Barrie's 1904 classic tale of a fantastical figure who visits the bedroom of the Darling children and flies them away to a magical land called Neverland. The cast included more than 60 Arlington youth and was directed by Arlington resident Michele Clifford and Sarah Flanagan, with musical direction and arrangement by Anna Kwun and Tim Maurice. 

“Peter Pan is truly one of the most magical classic tales,” Clifford said in a statement. “While children enjoy the imaginative story and flights of fancy, adults can relate to Peter Pan’s desire to forego mature responsibilities and live in the moment. The underlying message that the spirit of youth can live within in us forever is one understood by young and old alike”.

Bishop Cooperative Theater was founded in 1999 to provide Arlington elementary school students with the opportunity to participate in a high quality theatrical experience. With no elementary theater program in the , the goal was to form an independent theater program that would give young thespians a taste for live theater that would last a lifetime.

Independently run and self supporting, BCT performances have included more than 1,000 elementary students in the past 12 years and has grown into one of the most well regarded Children's Theater programs in the area. Production costs are raised through tuition, ticket sales and fundraising and are minimized by the combined dedicated efforts of the parents. Last year, the program debuted its spring performance with an expanded cast of middle school students.

"What's really unique about our program is the level of professionalism and quality of the performances," Clifford said. "People tend to think of a children's theater as amateur and unpolished. Our performances are of the highest quality with professional direction, music, choreography, sound and lighting. It's amazing to see what children can produce under that quality of direction.

"It's one of the most enriching experiences a child can have."

Bishop Cooperative Theater will announce their Spring performance next week. For more information on the program, visit www.bishopcooperativetheater.com