Lights lowered down in the NCHS theatre for the start of the One Act production of The Lost Boy on October 30. The curtains drew open, and a hush of silence grew over the audience as the main character, James Barrie, (junior Emmett Schindler) began to speak.

The play revolves around the experiences of Barrie, a man eager to gain love from his mother and receive recognition for his writing, while coping with the grueling fact that he lost his only brother.

On a stressful night out while visiting his hometown, Barrie stumbles upon a school bully from his past named Sean O’Rourke, portrayed by senior Austin Birchell. O’Rourke introduces Barrie to his wife Maureen, played by junior Kat Shambaugh, whom James tells his stories of the titular lost boy.

In a magical world away from Barrie’s gloomy reality, a boy named Peter Pan (senior Darby Franks), creates entertaining adventures. Maureen becomes fascinated and develops an interest in more than just James’ stories. The lustful relationship between Barrie and Maureen pleased the audience, and the crowd responded to the character’s kissing scene with whistles and claps.

  Aside from the secret relationship of James and Maureen, the stories he shared filled the stage with excitement. Barrie’s imaginary character, Peter Pan, dealt with love and loss of his own. On a boat expedition to Neverland, Peter Pan meets Tinkerbell (freshman Madigan Hargrove), sent to protect him. As their relationship began to flourish, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell continued to find Neverland. A relatable, undeniable friendship left the audience in giggles after every scene that included Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.

 Similar to Barrie, Peter Pan felt the pain of losing a loved one. Junior Jordan Warren starred as the Old Crow who served as a guardian due to Peter’s absence of a mother.

   After 55 minutes, the show came to a close and the audience cheered with enthusiasm. Each character took a well earned bow, ending with the tech crew.

“I’m proud of everyone in this production and we did a great job and we are going to take this to One Act and we’re going to hopefully win,” junior Assistant Stage Manager Mohammad “Aladdin” Ysman said.

    The audience ran to the stage greeting family members and friends who starred in the One Act play. As embraces and compliments flooded the theatre, it showed the production of The Lost Boy effectively created a successful play.