[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish arts academy gives Hurricane Katrina twist to Peter Pan classic

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish arts academy gives Hurricane Katrina twist to Peter Pan
classic

Published: Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 2:14 PM     Updated: Tuesday, June 19,
2012, 2:55 PM

 By Kate Mabry, The Times-Picayune 

Although Hurricane Katrina deeply disrupted life in St. Bernard Parish, a
theatrical performance by The Performing Arts Academy of St. Bernard Parish
will create its own twist on a classic childhood tale to commemorate the
event that so tragically changed the New Orleans region.

With permission from musical publisher, Samuel French, Inc. and the
producers of "Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan," the academy will perform its
updated version of 'Peter Pan,' which will reflect on the events surrounding
the 2005 storm, said Charles Cassar, cultural arts director for the St.
Bernard Parish school system.

"'Peter Pan' is on national tour with Cathy Rigby, and in December, we
contacted Samuel French and were told that (permission for our performance)
would not be possible," Cassar said. "I wrote a letter of appeal to the
producers, and they granted us the privilege of doing "Peter Pan" based on
the tragedy of St. Bernard children during Katrina and the tremendous
tragedies of the loss of their childhood through this experience."

The performance will run from June 21 to June 23 at 7:30 p.m. and June 24 at
2:30 p.m. at Chalmette High School's Cultural Arts Center. Tickets, which
are $10 for adults and $8 for children 17 and under, may be purchased by
calling Robin Calecas at 504.272.0302. The ticket box office, located in the
Chalmette Cultural Arts Center at 2600 Palmisano Blvd., will also be open
through June 20 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Visitors may enter through the main
entrance on Palmisano Boulevard, and parking is available in the rear of the
building.

As of Tuesday morning, the ticket box office sold almost 1,100 tickets, but
Cassar said he's hoping another 500 tickets will be sold. "In a perfect
situation, I'm hoping for about 1,600," Cassar said.

While The Performing Arts Academy will be celebrating its eleventh year, the
performance at Chalmette High School will also mark the second year the
summer institute has hosted a production at the school's new cultural arts
center. The 90,000-square-foot center has 426 seats, an orchestra pit and a
full Broadway stage, lighting and sound capacity.

ZFS Flight Effects will provide a full theatrical set as well as
professional flight choreography, which will allow cast members to literally
fly through the set. The performance's cast and technical crew include 70
St. Bernard Parish public school students and alumni as well as an orchestra
of musicians, students and alumni from the surrounding metropolitan area.

Lilian Hebert, a 2012 Chalmette High graduate, will play the role of "Peter
Pan," while Kenan Jabr, a 2011 Chalmette High graduate, will play the role
of "Hook." "We have a wonderful drama program at Chalmette High," said Wayne
Warner, the school's principal. "Lily just finished a production of 'Secret
Garden,' and Kenan has been with the program for several years. They're both
excellent actors, and we're delighted to show off their talent in a venue as
beautiful as our Chalmette High School Cultural Arts Center."

While the performance will provide unsurpassable experience for the crew,
Cassar said he believes the show will also positively affect its audiences
as well. "We're hoping for both adults and students to come away from this
experience filled with joy and a renewal of the child from within," Cassar
said.