There are some stories everyone loves. No matter how many decades ago it was released, and no matter how many times it is told, certain stories and their magic are effervescent. These Baton Rouge artists recently retold one of these stories that seems to never grow up.
Dejuan James and Louis Mangiaracina are the playwrights for 225 Theatre Collective’s latest production, “Peter Pan (Close Enough).” This show was a first in a lot of ways — and a last in others. James has been writing plays for quite some time, but “Peter Pan” is Mangiaracina’s first full play. Though there was a lot of fun and excitement for the show, it also happened to be 225 Collective’s last production in that space.
Due to increasing rent, and the overall cost it takes to run a theater, 225 Theatre Collective had to leave their building. The organization is still around, holding events and bringing arts to the community, but it’ll look a little different. “Peter Pan (Close Enough)” ended up being the last show performed in that space.
“It’s nice to know that they trusted us with the story and put it on for an audience,” James said. “Wherever they move next, I know they’ll still be in pursuit of their mission of giving opportunities for people of various backgrounds.”
This all started when Stephanie Calero, founder and artistic director of 225, asked James to write an adaptation of “Peter Pan.” They’ve worked together often; even in the past year, Calero directed one of James’ plays. James later brought Mangiaracina on to the project, knowing he wanted to start writing plays.
“We based what we did on the original novel, because it’s in the public domain, and from there we kind of let our imagination run wild,” James said. “You know, ‘how do we make this a fun show, with some changes, but without taking away the integrity of what made the original story special?’”
One of the core themes the playwrights wanted to keep was the air of childlike wonder and the idea of having that feeling at any age. The other theme Mangiaracina brought up was the concept of coping with growing up and all of its inevitabilities.
“You could tell the cast had a lot of fun with it, and even the crew had a lot of fun,” Mangiaracina said. “There was a very wide age range, and they got to be kids again.”
For most, becoming a playwright is not something that you wake up wanting to do for the rest of your life. Oftentimes, one falls into it. For James, he didn’t get into theater until high school, and it wasn’t until he had a specific college class did he start on that journey. He remembered writing an essay about how everyone is capable of telling stories, and then he started writing and producing shows in his junior year of college.
Mangiaracina is, in some ways, the opposite. Though he was in theater from a young age and found his love of writing early, he had never finished creating a full play. When James invited him to work with him on “Peter Pan,” however, Mangiaracina allowed this show to be the moment he finally finished a piece.
A lesson can be found in the playwrights’ pasts. The arts, especially theater, can sometimes seem unattainable or a far off idea for many, but for Mangiaracina and James, it is just something they tried that became something much greater.
“Whether it’s acting or writing or anything to do with theater, if you have that small itch, that small craving, see if you like it. Take a chance,” Mangiaracina said. “You never know if it could blossom into a full-fledged passion that you want to do for the rest of your life.”
Next up for James is “Cabaret” with 30xNinety theatre, and “Little Shop of Horrors” with Colombia Theatre. For Mangiaracina, he is set to make his directing debut this summer.
