Kuranui College stage production in support of Wellington Children’s Hospital

Production cast and producer.

Rehearsals for Kuranui College’s production of Peter Pan have started, and this year the South Wairarapa school will donate the proceeds to the new Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital.

Wellington Hospital Foundation Chair, Bill Day is thrilled to have the support of the school. “Peter Pan is a magical person and our new Wellington Children’s Hospital plans to be a magical place for sick children,” said Day. “We are so thrilled that Kuranui College with their upcoming performance of Peter Pan are joining us on this wonderful journey to support sick children who will need our new hospital”.

The Kuranui performing arts crew are renowned for their unique spin on classic stories, and this year’s production of the timeless classic Peter Pan promises to be no exception. 

Auditions took place in June, with the crew beginning rehearsals this week. Directed by Head of Performing Arts, Juanita McLellan, the production will bring Kuranui’s sense of fun and creativity to light once again.
The production features Year 12 students Isabella Walker as Peter Pan, and Florence Cater as Wendy, alongside the powerful stage presence of Year 13 student Hayden Tankersley as Captain Hook, and Year 13 dance enthusiast Amelia Butcher as Tinkerbell. 

“We are playing around a lot with shadows and lights, so we are spending a lot more time behind the cyclorama. For example, Tinkerbell when she is flying, there are times when we use torchlight to show it, a lot of the lighting is very important,” explained Walker. 

“We’ve also put a bit of a spin on it by casting a female lead, and I have to be very childish and light on my feet, moving around a lot because Pan is often flying.” 

Students will be rehearsing twice a week until the lead up to the shows at the end of September, when they will be adding in weekend rehearsal time to ensure the shows are just magical. 

The matinées will take place on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 September at 1pm, while the evening shows will be on Thursday 26, Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September at 7pm. 

Tickets will be available through the school office.