A Mandurah director will bring the story behind the world famous tale of Peter Pan to life on stage next month.
Sarah Christiner is the vision behind the Australian premiere of The Man Who Was Peter Pan - the basis for the Oscar-winning film Finding Neverland.
Written by Allan Knee, the play tells the story of how author JM Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan after meeting four brothers, and their mother, in London's Kensington Gardens.
It dramatically changes his life and the show explores his evolving relationships with the boys as they grow into young manhood before he was appointed co-guardian with their grandmother after their mother died.
Christiner, a former Frederick Irwin Anglican School student, said it had been a wonderful journey bringing the story to life for the first time in Australia.
"The Man Who Was Peter Pan is a beautifully tragic story, of whimsy and magic, about a man who could not grow up, even though he may have liked to try to," she said.
"It was first produced by New York's The Workshop in 1996 and, on the off-chance they could help me track down a script, I emailed them.
"Within 24 hours I received a response from the author himself and was sent the script to read and comment on - and there have been re-writes since my feedback."
Christiner has been involved in theatre since 2003, performing in a plethora of productions over that time.
She has also done extensive tech work and stage-managing, recently extending her love of the performing arts to directing and setting up Life on Hold Productions.
In 2018, her company debuted with a production of A Clockwork Orange, followed by Animal Farm and the award-winning The Other Side earlier this year.
"Peter Pan has been my favourite story since I first encountered it at age four or five," she said.
"It's been a dream to play Peter on stage but I'm perhaps too old for that now.
"When Finding Neverland came out in 2004, I quickly found out it had been inspired by The Man Who Was Peter Pan.
"I was in high school then but tucked this fact away and recalled it when I was first thinking about plays to direct in 2014, so it's been a work-in-progress over the past five years.
"This story means a lot to me and I'm delighted to have such a strong team working with me to bring it to life. I hope Mr Knee would be pleased with our interpretation and efforts."
The Man Who Was Peter Pan will take to the stage at the Old Mill Theatre from November 1-16.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the Try Booking website.
