Molly O’Connor/Winonan

Director Vivian Fusillo called down to the actors on stage from her seat in the middle of the theatre, after a prolonged silence from the actors.

“What’s going on?”

Sidney Junk, dressed in a puffy white nightgown to portray her character, Wendy, turned and broke character to reply.

“Sorry, Michael can’t get hooked up.”

The main stage of the Performing Arts Center was transformed into a set for the upcoming children’s theatre production “Peter Pan.”

The set was a work in progress, with half-painted pink walls for the Darling children’s bedroom and tape marks indicating where props and actor’s positions must be. The stage transitioned into a green forest to portray Neverland, with wooden platforms providing shelter for the Lost Boys.

Perhaps the most magical part of “Peter Pan,” however, was flight. Stage Manager Anthony Stewart warned the three photographers sitting in the first two rows of the theatre about keeping it as magical as possible.

“Photographers, just a reminder that you can’t photograph the actors wearing the harnesses unless they’re hidden by the costumes,” Stewart said. “Otherwise it’ll breach our contract.”

With that warning, a quick costume change occurred and all the actors were properly hooked up to wires, gearing up to take flight. The rehearsal was ready to resume.

“Peter Pan,” based off of the classic tale by J.M. Barrie, follows the boy who would never grow up, played by Matthew Wenzel, and his journey back to Neverland with the Darling children Wendy, John and Michael. Their adventures through Neverland hold true to the original story, involving mermaids, natives, The Lost Boys and the dreaded crew of pirates with Captain Hook, played by Anthony Schliesman.

Timmy Turner, a first-time performer in the theatre and dance department as the Lost Boy Curly, gave his account on what it has been like working on the show.

“I absolutely love all the cast members,” Turner said. “We see each other every day, but it’s still fun getting to know them and meeting new people.”

As for working with the legendary director of Winona State, Turner said it was a contributing factor as to why he auditioned back in August.

“Working with Vivian is really fun,” Turner said. “She challenges us to be more expressive, which can be frustrating but also very rewarding.”

To prepare for the Oct. 10 opening night of the show for over a month, rehearsals have been running for one to two hours with each meeting. Last week, there was still a lot of work that needed to get done before the premiere.

“We’re beginning to work with the tech stuff,” Turner said, “The transitions between scenes and the flying can be choppy and need to be smoothed out.”

As the final scene wrapped up and the wires were unhooked from the harnesses, Fusillo called the cast to take a seat, further guiding them to make the trip to Neverland smoother.

Contact Molly at [email protected]