Camden's Pride Students Take a Backstage Tour of "Neverland"

(Camden, NJ) –Neverland may be too far away for any grown-up to find, but for the students of Camden’s Pride Charter School it may never be closer. Gearing up for opening night, the cast of “Peter Pan” will be putting their talents to work at noon on Wednesday, May 14 as they guide the students of Camden’s Pride through a backstage tour of “Neverland,” provided by the fine and performing arts department of Camden’s Promise Charter School.

In full character, 20 cast members will usher Pride students through a backstage look at the sets of “Peter Pan,” including Mermaid Lagoon, the Native American Camp and the Jolly Roger. Advanced Band will also be on hand to perform for the Pride students, as well as the art students who will assist the members of Pride with a marker project, courtesy of the Donors Choose program.

Beginning with the kindergartners at noon, the tours are expected to conclude with the fourth grade class at 2:25 p.m. Tours will last approximately a half hour per grade. 

Transforming the Promise Academy Center (PAC) into a fantastical wonderland, cast and crewmembers will set up a number of stations throughout PAC. As students enter, they will be met by none other than Captain Hook, hot on the trail of his missing gold. Standing in front of a large inflatable pirate ship, Pride students will surrender their gold in order to gain access to the coveted “Neverland”.

From there, the students will then be guided through multiple stations inside PAC. As they move through the stations, students will dance with the production’s dance captains, go on stage and take curtain call, visit the Native American Camp and Mermaid Lagoon, sit in Captain Hook’s chair, play bells with students from Advanced Band and participate in a group sing along with the cast.

“Peter Pan” will open on Tuesday, May 27, with an encore performance on Wednesday, May 28. The production is part of Camden’s Promise Evening of the Arts, a two-night event dedicated to showcasing the achievements of Camden’s Promise students in the fields of the fine and performing arts. Doors will open for Camden’s Promise Evening of the Arts at 5:45 p.m. and close at 6:15 p.m.

The production will begin at 7p.m., as it follows a performance by Camden’s KATZ choir students. KATZ Academy’s Rosedale campus students are slated to perform on opening night, while students from KATZ Academy’s Parkside campus are scheduled to sing on the following night.

All musical accompaniments will be provided by the 5th Grade Garbage Band, the Beginner Band and Advanced Band. Students from the Communication Technology program will also provide all special effects for the production.

In addition, artwork from both Camden’s Promise and KATZ Academy’s Rosedale students will be on display in the PAC library prior to the start of the show. All pieces will showcase different aspects of art from around the world.

For more information, please contact performing arts teacher Esther Coar at (856) 365-1000, ext. 313 or via email at ECoar@promiseacademycharter.org.