When the audience left Day Creek’s auditorium, the cast and crew of Peter Pan said their goodbyes as cast members signed programs and took final pictures. Natalya W., who played the role of Peter Pan, took sips of hot water to soothe her raspy voice.

“On the Thursday night show, I screamed too loud, and my voice went silent,” Natalya said. “The hot water helped a lot.” 

Natalya is not new at this. She has been on stage plenty of times, having acted in other plays like Beauty and the Beast and Shrek. Her favorite type of role puts her on center stage because she likes to showcase her talent.

“At first I’m nervous, like my stomach is about to fall out,” Natalya said. “But once I get on the stage, it goes away.” 

Before auditioning for the show, Natalya gained confidence by researching the background of her character. 

“I went to Youtube and searched up when Robin Williams played Peter Pan, and I copied how he crows. I noticed how he walked and talked,” said Natalya.

It didn’t stop there. She also dove into the history of the play as well as the tunes.

“I went to Youtube again and researched the Peter Pan songs and sang along with all the songs I would sing. That’s how I knew the dialogue between songs,” said Natalya.

Natalya has been in Day Creek’s plays since she came to middle school. During the casting process she made her presence known to Mrs. Harris, the stage director.

“When she auditioned, she just had so much spirit, and she’s really, really funny. Her voice was just absolutely beautiful, which is perfect for Peter Pan,” said Mrs. Harris. “I look for confidence. We needed someone who would pull our attention to them directly.”

She found all of this in Natalya. 

“Mrs. Harris has given me lots of advice and tips for singing. I used to have this problem where I didn’t take breaths during my songs, and my voice would crack. She helped me fix that,” said Natalya. 

She describes her voice cracks as “very noticeable, irritating and embarrassing.” Yet Natalya has a passion for singing and acting. One of her dreams is to perform on the biggest of stages, where spectators can watch her live. 

“I want to be on Broadway because I want people to see me for me. If I make a mistake, I make a mistake, but that’s normal,” said Natalya.