THE ORIGIN OF THE CO-PRODUCTION

In November of 2000, when Amanda Butterbaugh as Peter Pan flew through Wendy Darling’s bedroom window in search of a truant shadow, a twinkling of real magic arrived at Syracuse Stage. Peter Pan was the first of the holiday co-productions between Syracuse Stage and the Department of Drama. It was the first in a series of shows now stretching 23 seasons up to and including the current production of A Christmas Carol. Many of the shows in the series have been among the most popular and successful productions in Syracuse Stage’s history, generating record box office revenue and bringing to the theatre new audiences including, significantly, children of all ages. One might say Peter Pan cast a long (and magical) shadow over holiday seasons to come. 

Until 2000, Stage had produced very few musicals and the reason was simple. Musicals, with their large casts, orchestras, elaborate sets, and voluminous costume plots are expensive. However much Stage’s leadership wanted to fill the theatre with the cheerful sounds of big book shows, cost proved an insurmountable killjoy, until longtime Stage general manager Diana Coles hit upon a solution. Instead of producing the holiday show under Stage’s standard LORT (League of Resident Theatres) contract, Coles proposed adopting a contractual model established by the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA), which would allow Stage to cast fewer Equity actors and more students from the Department of Drama. After some negotiations to address the pesky devils in the details, Actors Equity agreed to the switch specifically for Stage’s holiday productions. It was off to Neverland.