PAN! At Peckham Theatre: Peter comes out to play in this Peckham take on the magical classic
This festive season Theatre Peckham are inviting audiences to revel in a special take on a childhood classic.
PAN! Peter’s Come Out To Play, will run at Theatre Peckham from December 6 until the 23.
The show has been created by actor and writer Geoff Aymer alongside Suzann McLean MBE, artistic director of Theatre Peckham.
Speaking to the South London Press, Ms McLean, 51, said: “Every year we take a well known story and do our own Peckham twist.
“It’s about bringing the vibrancy of Camberwell and Peckham onto the stage and celebrating the community.
“It’s so important that people see themselves represented on stage so we can widen the understanding of who theatre is for.”
Based on J.M.Barrie’s Peter Pan, PAN!, sets the much-loved children’s novel to original music by British Composer Jordan Xavier, with a new book and lyrics by Geoff Aymer.
Mr Aymer said:“It was Suzann who made the initial suggestion, and I immediately thought it could work. We wanted to set Neverland on a tropical isle, and play on the word Pan, to incorporate the steel pan into the music within the show.”
In this fun, reimagined version, Peter Pan is from Camberwell, plays Steel Pan and flies to Neverland which is a mystical Caribbean Island.
The energetic script is matched with an upbeat music score filled with reggae, soca and old school soul.
Ms McLean said: “It’s also a lovely tradition during the festive period to have shows which are really reflective and put the hyper local community on the stage – in terms of the storyline as well as our academy members.”
Having joined Theatre Peckham in 2018, Ms McLean has helmed productions of Robin Hood, Rapunzel, Scroogalicious and much more.
She describes the theatre as a “perfect fit”, noting the institution’s work with young artists and her own drive to engage young people with the arts.
In 2004 Ms McLean founded the Young and Talented School of Stage and Screen, which provides opportunities for young people to get their start in the creative industry.
She said: “For so long the arts have been looked at as something that is not available for everyone.
“That first step into the arts comes from when you are young. If the foundations are set correctly you get it into your bones early and it follows you through your life.
“That doesn’t mean everyone has to go into theatre, sometimes it’s just getting young people to understand that watching theatre is for them too.”
Ms McLean was first introduced to the arts as a child when her mother took her to see a pantomime show in East London.
She said: “I saw the children on stage and said I wanted to do that.”
At first, Ms McLean said she struggled with the industry.
She said: “There didn’t seem to be enough people who were representative of me as a young black female.
“There’s something that comes up a lot – how do you need to be in order to be an actor.
“At that time I felt like there was something I needed to become.
“I’m really passionate about theatre Peckham, it shows people that you don’t need to change who you are.”
For her achievements, Ms McLean has been awarded a Black British Business Award, a Media Senior Leader Award and a British Arrows Gold Award for commercial performance. She was recognised with an MBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours.
For more in formation and tickets for PAN! Peter’s Come Out To Play visit: https://www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/show/pan-peters-come-out-to-play/
Pictured top: Tyler Ephraim as Pan (Picture: Theatre Peckham)