By LOIS KINDLE
Set sail on a magical adventure as East Bay High School Theatre launches its 52nd season with the Tony Award-winning Peter and the Starcatcher. Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, the whimsical, music-filled prequel to Peter Pan reveals how beloved characters like Wendy, Tinkerbell, Mrs. Darling, Captain Hook and Peter Pan came to be.
Suitable for both children and adults, this comedy is a swashbuckling journey through pirate-infested waters, enchanted stardust and magical moments.
Show dates are Nov. 12-14 at the Kathryn Hill Auditorium, 7710 Old Big Bend Road, Gibsonton. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and curtain time is 7. Runtime is 90 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission, during which concessions will be sold.
Tickets are $8 at the door, payable in cash or via Cash App or Venmo. They can also be purchased in advance on the All Events website, where credit cards are also accepted.
Proceeds fund royalty rights, script rental and help East Bay Theatre cover its production expenses, like costumes, technical elements and student competitions.
Show information
Peter and the Star Catcher premiered on Broadway in 2011. The original Broadway production won numerous Tony Awards the following year, including Best Featured Actor, Best Sound Design, Best Costume Design and Best Scenic Design.
The play is the first of East Bay Theatre’s 2025-2026 season. It will be followed by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in December, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Rabbit Hole in February 2026, Showstoppers 10.0 Ten Year Anniversary in April and end with the hit musical Mamma Mia! in May.
“My decision to open our season with Peter and the Star Catcher was influenced by the opportunity to work with East Bay alumni and dear friend, Ava Koob, a skilled and talented set and costume designer with a Bachelor of Arts in Technical Theatre Design from the University of South Florida,” said East Bay Theatre director Krista Blanchette. “Ava designed Peter and the Star Catcher as her senior thesis project, as well as locally for a production in Tampa. She generously offered to design our production and instruct my students in set design, prop construction and costuming. This is a wonderful opportunity for our theatre program and students to work with a such a talented alumni.
“I always like to pick shows that challenge my students,” she continued. “This show is something they’ve never done before. Peter and the Star Catcher is storytelling theatre. The students must alternate between being a narrator and playing a character.”
KRISTA BLANCHETTE PHOTO
Seen here is the full cast and crew of Peter & the Star Catcher, East Bay Theatre’s upcoming season opener Nov. 12-14.
Judging by student reactions, her choice was a good one.
“The modern day references combined with how comfortable the actors are with each other makes this show one of my favorites,” said senior Ryan Black. “My character of Black Stache is over the top.”
Senior Jade Kratochvil, who plays the role of Prentiss, shares his enthusiasm.
“This show is very different from the previous productions I’ve been in,” she said. “It is so much fun to play storybook theatre. There is a unique and stylistic quality I’ve never seen before.”
East Bay Theatre students had another new experience with the opportunity to intern at the Firehouse Cultural Center in Ruskin this summer, while Blanchette taught a series of musical theatre camps there.
“It was such a pleasure working with the FCC and all its young campers,” Blanchette said. “East Bay Theatre will continue to collaborate with FCC this season and be performing an afternoon holiday performance of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, as well as an evening Holiday Cabaret at Firehouse Cultural Center in early December.
For more information, email krista.blanchette@hcps.net or call 813-671-5134, Ext. 271.