Peter Pan in the open air for Bath’s Storm on the Lawn 2012

Theatre Royal Bath’s annual Storm on the Lawn production will see more than seventy young people aged 12 to 21 years creating one of Bath’s biggest outdoor summer events as a brand new open-air staging of the iconic play Peter Pan is presented at the Ball Court in the grounds of Prior Park College from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26 August.

Following a wide range of successful productions of classic and contemporary plays over the past fourteen years, Storm on Lawn 2012 focuses on J M Barrie’s classic adventure Peter Pan – which coincidently featured prominently in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. Amy Leach directs a new production of the stage adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird.

Ever since Peter appeared at Wendy Darling’s nursery window and took her off to Never Land, J M Barrie’s best-loved story has delighted and thrilled generations of theatre-goers with its wonderfully dream-like locations and charming characters including Tinkerbell, Mr and Mrs Darling, Nana, Tiger Lily, Smee and the fearsome Captain Hook.

Storm on the Lawn, the Theatre Royal’s annual three-week performance and production school, has brought together a large company of young performers and budding technicians with company members hailing from Somerset and Wiltshire, including Bath, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Wells, Chippenham, Westbury, Devises and Swindon, as well as two cast members from London and South Wales.

The 2012 company has worked with director Amy Leach and the egg theatre’s professional team to create a magical land of fantasy and fantastical storytelling in the glorious setting of the eighteenth century Ball Court in the grounds of Prior Park College. The full cast also spent two days working with Aidan Treays, an experienced freelance Movement Director, whose many credits include Finding Neverland, the hit semi-autobiographical film about J M Barrie and his inspiration for Peter Pan which starred Johnny Depp. Aidan has choreographed stage productions in the West End and on Broadway. He also worked on the Theatre Royal Bath’s epic community production of Ben Hur in 2010 and teaches dance at the Drama Studio London.

Director Amy Leach, said: “It’s a real privilege to be working with such a talented, focused and enthusiastic group of young people. Everyone is working so incredibly hard and Peter Pan promises to be a magical performance celebrating the importance of the imagination and of storytelling.”

As well as giving young performers the chance to shine on stage, Storm on the Lawn will once again provide opportunities for young people to gain valuable experience backstage too. Eleven teenagers aged from 14 to 19 years have signed up to learn about wardrobe, lighting, sound and stage management as they work behind-the-scenes.