ST. GEORGE —Nearly 70 children will take the spotlight in the upcoming performance, “Peter Pan Jr.,” making a scene with two casts and 10 opportunities to watch. 

“I can’t say enough about the upcoming show,” Brooke Bang said. “It’s Peter Pan and Hook and Tinkerbell and Wendy. It’s unlike anything else. Everyone needs to see it.”

Bang, the director for the upcoming show, has been performing on stage since she was a little girl. Her experience includes everything from community and professional theater to film roles. She also has worked with Encore Performing Arts in the past, putting on audition workshops and acting classes, and was excited to be offered the role of the director for the upcoming play and summer camp program.

The show, “Peter Pan Jr.,” features two separate casts with around 33 kids in each. The all-children cast ranges in age from 6-17 who all perform various parts in the production. Bang said the “Jr.” part of “Peter Pan Jr.” comes from the length of the actual show. The production is only 50 minutes long with no intermission, while still including all the major songs and major scenes.

“It’s 50 minutes of magic,” Bang said. “All the songs you love, like ‘I won’t grow up,’ ‘I’m flying,’ and ‘Neverland.’ It’s so fun. There’s one that makes me cry every time I see it. It’s wispy, and childhood and all that stuff. It’s very sweet.”

Bang said the kids love performing in the show and she loves watching them learn valuable life skills such as public speaking, memorizing lines and dealing with rejection. They also learn how to treat other people, take responsibility and practice.

In addition, this experience boosts kids’ self-esteem and feelings of acceptance, especially those who feel they don’t belong. When the performers have their musical theater family cheering them along in a place where they feel loved and accepted, it makes a world of difference, Bang said.

Bang also shared her own past during which she struggled with rejection and years of ensemble and understudy before she got where she is now.

“I wish that there had been something like Encore when I was a kid,” Bang said. “It’s musical theater, show choir, dance classes, ballet, jazz – they have built this beautiful program. Not only is it amazing, it’s super affordable.”

As far as her performance background, Bang has been dancing and singing for as long as she can remember. Frequently moving around as a child, she joined dance teams everywhere she went. When she was 16, her family moved to St. George, which is when she discovered open auditions for “Music Man.”

With no experience in theater at the time, she took a chance and auditioned, singing “Poor and Unfortunate Souls” from the Little Mermaid, a performance that earned her a supporting role as the Irish mom in the “Music Man” production.

“It was this magical group of kids that loved the same things I did – singing, and dancing,” Bang said. “And that was it for me. I was hooked.”

As she discovered her love for being on stage, Bang said she went on to perform in shows throughout high school and into college. She took a break to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and started a family.

A few years later, Bang said she found St. George Musical Theater and auditioned for “Once Upon a Mattress.” Her performance reminded her just how much she loved to perform. While her life was busy with kids, college and jobs, she hung on to theater and began to perform in a few shows a year.

“One thing I know is that the more shows you do, the better you get,” Bang said.

When she got her first lead role in “Scarlet Pimpernel,” she was excited. And her enthusiasm grew as a producer for Tuachan saw her performance and invited her to join the cast of “Singing in the Rain.” She has done a variety of things with Tuacahn Ampitheater ever since.

While she has done many performances over the years, Bang said when she performed the lead in “Annie Get Your Gun,” she performed in the show with her two daughters for the first time. 

“I love everything about being on stage,” she said. “I’ve played all of my favorite roles I wanted to play at this point, and then my girls came and did a show with me and it took everything to a whole new level. For me to be able to share that was a beautiful thing.”

While “Peter Pan Jr.” has many moving parts, Bang is thankful to Encore for providing her with an amazing team full of supportive people, such as a stage manager and assistant stage manager and a choreographer and assistant choreographer – a collaboration that allowed her to put on the entire production in just six weeks.

Aside from the upcoming performance, Adam Record, artistic director at Encore, said there will also be a Peter Pan-themed charity gala in September, which will raise much-needed funds for Encore, a nonprofit organization. Dinner will be served, along with a silent/live auction. Find more information on the gala at this link.

Encore Performing Arts, in conjunction with the St. George Musical Theater, will put on “Peter Pan Jr.” Thursday through Tuesday, excluding Sunday.

Event details

• What: St. George Theater and Encore presents “Peter Pan Jr.”
• When: July 28-30 and August 1-2 at 6 and 8 p.m.
• Where: St. George Musical Theater, 212 N. Main Street, St. George
• Admission: Tickets are $10
• For tickets, click here.

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