‘Peter and the Starcatcher,’ ‘Xanadu’ and Big Band Concerts at FAU this Summer

Image Cast from “Peter and the Starcatcher” 

Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Theatre and Dance in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters has announced its summer lineup for Festival Repertory Theatre 2024.

The family friendly musical “Peter and the Starcatcher” will run from Friday, June 14 to Saturday, June 29; the 80s musical “Xanadu”  will run from Friday, July 12 through Sunday, July 28; and Big Band Hits from the Golden Age will be presented on Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 14 at 2 p.m. The show will take place in the Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatreand the University Theatre, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.

Tickets for each show are $27, and groups and package discounted tickets are available at   www.fauevents.comor by calling 561-297-6124.

Tony Award-winning “Peter and the Starcatcher” upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, and written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair... and the bonds of friendship, duty and love. “Xanadu” is a Tony Award-nominated, hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends, Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. Based on the Universal Pictures cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, “Xanadu” is hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired. Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first ROLLER DISCO! (Hey, it's 1980!)

The big band concert features the Florida Wind Symphony Jazz Orchestra, a professional ensemble-in-residence at FAU. The band will present an evening of hits from the 30s, 40s and 50s, including authentic music of big band sensations like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.

 “Festival Rep,” will once again feature professional equity actors working alongside FAU’s finest graduate and undergraduate students in their last production before they graduate and enter the world of professional theater.

For more information on Festival Rep, visit www.fau.edu/festivalrep