Dartmouth student to lead audiences to Neverland
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Dartmouth’s Aja Crockett will star as Peter Pan in On Stage Theatrical Production’s upcoming show. Photos by Leighah Beausoleil
Rehearsal is in full swing as show night approaches.
Sophia Gloss rehearsing as SMEE.
Braelie Zachary, left, who plays Micheal, Abiageal Murphy, as Wendy, Kenleigh LeBlanc, as the Lost Boy Toodles, and Emersyn Botelho, as the Lost Boy Curley, warn Captain Hook.
Gabbie Souza as Tiger Lily during rehearsal.
Meleah Laurent, left, Olivia Pimento, Ryleigh Almedia, Annabelle Oneli, Keegan Rossi laugh together as pirates.
Aja Crockett smiles at the Lost Boys as Peter Pan.
Vocal and Diction Coach Christopher McIntyre rehearsing with the Lost Boys.
Dartmouth’s Aja Crockett will star as Peter Pan in On Stage Theatrical Production’s upcoming show. Photos by Leighah Beausoleil
Rehearsal is in full swing as show night approaches.
Sophia Gloss rehearsing as SMEE.
Braelie Zachary, left, who plays Micheal, Abiageal Murphy, as Wendy, Kenleigh LeBlanc, as the Lost Boy Toodles, and Emersyn Botelho, as the Lost Boy Curley, warn Captain Hook.
Gabbie Souza as Tiger Lily during rehearsal.
Meleah Laurent, left, Olivia Pimento, Ryleigh Almedia, Annabelle Oneli, Keegan Rossi laugh together as pirates.
Aja Crockett smiles at the Lost Boys as Peter Pan.
Vocal and Diction Coach Christopher McIntyre rehearsing with the Lost Boys.
Long before learning to fly as Peter Pan, Aja Crockett, was a toddler, following her family’s footsteps into the performing arts world — already swept up in the magic of storytelling.
Now the Dartmouth Middle School eighth grader is center stage, leading a cast of 85 in a production where imagination soars and second-generation performers carry on the legacy.
Fall River’s On Stage Theatrical Productions will present “Peter Pan” at Bristol Community College Saturday, May 24 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 25 at 2 p.m.
Audiences will journey with Peter Pan as he visits the Darling household and whisks Wendy, Michael and John away to Neverland. There, they join the Lost Boys and the brave girls to battle pirates and save the day, as the mischievous Captain Hook and his sidekick Smee devise clever plans to capture Peter Pan and make him walk the plank.
Crockett and the rest of the cast have been working on the play for the past few months.
Linda Mercer-Botelho, studio owner and Crockett’s aunt, said she “absolutely loves” seeing a production grow from the moment actors get their scripts to when they bring the words to life on stage.
She noted every production is different and has its own set of problems.
For Crockett, remembering lines has always been challenging and her memory was really put to the test this spring as she just finished starring in the middle school’s production of “Once Upon a Mattress.”
“It was a lot of back and forth from one place to another, which was a lot of work, and there were a lot of lines to remember,” Crockett said.
However, she pushes through with lots of repetition.
When show night comes, Crockett said she becomes nervous before even hitting the stage, but once she says her first line, everything changes: “I’m happy and excited and I calm down.”
She highlighted how she loves seeing all of her friends come together to put on such a big production, noting “Peter Pan” has the perfect mix of singing, dancing and acting.
Mercer-Botelho said, “She works really hard. She does a great job. … She loves to do it. She loves being involved with the kids. It’s nice to watch the next generation coming up and be involved in it, enjoying it and having a passion for it.”
Opening the studio 41 years ago, she said she continues to see it grow and evolve, offering voice, acting, theater and dance classes. Now, many of her alumni are bringing their own kids to explore the performing arts world just as she and her sister had done for Crockett.
“It’s great,” she said. “I love the support that I get from them and they always help out working on the show because they grew up here.”
Just before show night, many of the parents will get together to help set up the stage and get things ready.
As that night approaches, Crockett said she grows more excited.
“It’s going to be a really fun show and people should come to see it,” she said.
Tickets available for purchase through the studio’s website at www.onstagefr.org. Click "Purchase Tickets" to reserve seats.
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