Michael San Roman ’17 on the set of Peter/Wendy in JKB Studio A. Photo: Paris Baillie ’17

A meta-theatrical adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Jeremy Bloom’s Peter/Wendy stands as the second student-directed workshop of the semester, as well as the first workshop for director Michael San Roman ‘17. STLN contributor Chris Naughton ’17 sat down with Michael the night before opening to discuss his process and passions for the show, which runs through Friday.

What made you decide on Peter/Wendy for your first Workshop?

Well I think the story of Peter Pan is one that a lot of people are familiar with, but I think that it has particular poignancy, at least for me right now, with all these conversations about growing up and pretending and what does it mean to grow up. I mean technically I’m an adult now but I still feel like a little kid in many ways so I think that a lot of those elements spoke to me. Another reason I really liked this version is because it is almost exclusively J.M. Barrie’s text pulled from several different novels.

How did you go about staging the more fantastical elements of the piece?

Imagination. I think it’s key to the work we do. As long as the idea is there the audience will pick up on what we are try to say.

Do you have any insights about working on characters so well established and beloved in popular culture?

Absolutely, we were very much playing with the stereotypes people have for the characters. Hook and Smee are great examples of characters that everybody knows, and it’s so much fun to watch them on stage because not only are they known but they are sort of bigger than just a character.

You have a good deal of training as an actor, would you say that has influenced your work as a director?

I think it only serves to enlighten the work I do as a director. It’s thinking about what the actors are doing and how I can best serve everything they are trying to accomplish. It’s about putting all the puzzle pieces together rather then being one of the puzzle pieces.

Do you have any inspirations for this show, and your work as a director in general?

With this show I find myself inspired by children. Anytime I see a little kid it makes me smile just cause I see how carefree and innocent and fun they are, and I try and bring that in to the rehearsal room with me every day.

What is it like to be directing your first workshop?

Incredible. I think I got really lucky. I got a great group of actors who have responded to the piece really well. I felt like I asked for 100% and they gave 110%. They really went above and beyond. And Chloe Brush, what an incredible job she did with all the lights. I really just went to her and said “Hey I have this idea” and she helped make it a reality. I’ve been surrounded by a group of people who came together and put everything into this project.

Did this project teach you anything about yourself as a director?

I learned that I change my mind a lot and that sometimes you just have to make a decision, which is hard. But I love it. I was excited, every single day, to come and direct and work with everybody.

The show has a mixture of physical and pantomimed props, how did you make the decision for what needed to be physically present?

I think that some of those decisions were very much driven by practicality. But I think it was a process that happened over time. It was a question we kept asking ourselves; “Do we need this, or does the world create it for us?”

In preparation for this show, you put out a “happy board” in the JKB, where people wrote things that make them happy. What is your favorite thing you have seen written on it?

Oh gosh. I love the doodles.

Like if people wrote “Stars” they would also draw a shooting star. There were a couple of little kids who came in and wrote, so there is a “Spider Man” one that has a little spider web drawn with it. I think that those are just so authentic and fun.

What was the first thing you wrote on the happy board?

“Adele.”

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Peter/Wendy runs in JKB Studio A through March 25th. For reservations, email cbrush@skidmore.edu

Chris Naughton is a junior theater major and first-time contributor to the Living Newsletter.