Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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Voyage to NeverLand

Jordyn Hulinsky
Molly Aster, middle, played by Molly Thornton, senior of Riverton, Wyoming, and Peter, right, played by Wacey Gallegos, senior of Ainsworth, discuss their first kiss in a scene from the dress rehearsal of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Tuesday in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.—Photo by Melanie Nelson
Molly Aster, middle, played by Molly Thornton, senior of Riverton, Wyoming, and Peter, right, played by Wacey Gallegos, senior of Ainsworth, discuss their first kiss in a scene from the dress rehearsal of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Tuesday in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.—Photo by Melanie Nelson

The story has all the parts, and it has all the characters, but this story is significantly different from Disney’s “Peter Pan.”
A simple set, a little imagination, and various lighting changes bring the audience into the story, and I literally mean into the story.
“Imagine there’s a flying cat out there,” one narrator tells the audience.
The characters in the play speak directly to the audience and they take turns being the narrator of the story.
The play revolves around two trunks separated on two ships—one of which contains treasure that the pirate captain, Black Stache, is after. Stache is played by Nathan Wojciechowski, junior of Gering. Black Stache, who is more of an entertaining Captain Jack Sparrow than a thrilling Captain Hook, overtakes the queen’s ship, “The Wasp,” which is the faster of the two.
But when he finally gets the trunk and key he finds it simply full of sand, which sends him and his crew after the slower “The Never Land” ship.

Peter, played by Wacey Gallegos, senior of Ainsworth, listens to advice about star stuff in a scene from the dress rehearsal of Peter and the Starcatcher Tuesday night in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.—Photo by Melanie Nelson
Peter, played by Wacey Gallegos, senior of Ainsworth, listens to advice about star stuff in a scene from the dress rehearsal of Peter and the Starcatcher Tuesday night in the Memorial Hall Auditorium.—Photo by Melanie Nelson

When the scene jumps back to “The Never Land,” we find a group of three orphans held in the darkness by Captain Bill Slank, who portrays the more terrifying of the captains. Jacob Wilson, freshman of St. Paul, plays Slank. The orphans have met up with a 13-year-old girl, Molly, who is known to “love all of God’s creatures.” The orphans have never seen a girl, or even the light of the sun. One of the orphans doesn’t even have a name.
Molly, played by Molly Thornton, senior of Riverton, Wyoming, sees a sparkle in the boy’s eyes and she promises to never leave him behind.
When Molly makes a decision to trust the boy, she explains to him that she is a starcatcher. She’s working, with her father, to stop the evil people in the world from getting their hands on the star-stuff.
The star-stuff has the power to give people what they want most.
When Black Stache gives the orphan boy the name of Peter, played by Wacey Gallegos, senior of Ainsworth, the story starts to move in a familiar direction.

Smee, played by Samuel T. Martin, junior of Hot Springs, South Dakota, carries Black Stache, played by Nathan Wojciechowski, senior of Gering, after they get shipwrecked on an island in a scene from the dress rehearsal of "Peter and the Starcatcher," Tuesday night in the Memorial Hall auditorium.
Smee, played by Samuel T. Martin, junior of Hot Springs, South Dakota, carries Black Stache, played by Nathan Wojciechowski, senior of Gering, after they get shipwrecked on an island in a scene from the dress rehearsal of “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Tuesday night in the Memorial Hall auditorium.

Eventually, all the parts fit together into a story that looks and sounds like the classic Disney tale, with Peter Pan, the lost boys who just want a mother, a captain with only one hand, and confusing mermaids. The story closes with the London skyline and Molly never forgetting about a place she once knew.
The play which is based on Dave Barry’s “Peter and the Starcatcher,” children’s book, opened on Broadway on April 15, 2012, and won five Tony Awards for the performance, including Best Actor.
There are 14 cast members in CSC’s version and standouts include Gallegos, Wojciechowski, Thornton, Wilson, and Samuel T. Martin, as Smee, junior of Hot Springs, South Dakota.
These actors are easily understood and entertaining through all parts of the performance. While the supporting actors were fun to watch, a few will need to work on volume and articulation before the play opens today.
The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday
and at 2 p.m. Sunday in Memorial Hall’s Auditorium.