The Olympian

Published January 17, 2008

Tap into magic of endearing 'Peter Pan': Bellevue youngster takes a trip to Never-Neverland

By Molly Gilmore

How do parents decide to let their child audition for a musical's national touring company?

Sure, 10-year-old Bryan Hanner of Bellevue, who plays Michael Darling in "Peter Pan," gets
the chance to work with the pros, but he and his mother, Dawn Hanner, also are spending days
on the bus and nights in different theaters.

"Sometimes, you audition for something, and you don't plan on getting it, but you look at the audition
as a fabulous opportunity and a chance to grow," Dawn Hanner said. "This was one of those cases.
We were looking at it as an opportunity to stretch and grow and make some contacts.

"Then it all came together," she added. "We didn't have a lot of time to think about it. Logistically,
it was a challenge, but it's his passion."

Since the tour began in October, Bryan and Hanner have been home relatively little, but they're not
far away tonight, when the show plays in Olympia.

The production, a musical version of J.M. Barrie's classic novel and play, is about boys who never
grow up and their lives in Never-Neverland with pirates, a crocodile and a fairy. It also is about three
English children who visit the magical land - and who get to fly.

How does that work, anyway?

"It's a leather harness with straps," Bryan explained. "It's kind of like a backpack you put on that
goes under your legs and around your chest, and they hook it up in the back with a metal hook."

But isn't that scary?

"It feels secure," he said. "All the people are trained back there so it feels safe, especially when
you're with all your friends and stuff on the stage. It's really fun."

It's the friends he has made on tour that stand out most for Bryan, who has been acting since age 4.

"It really helps being really close to the people you're with," he said. "You ride on the bus with
them, you eat on the bus with them most of the time and you do shows with them. The cast
members are really friendly."

He had trouble picking a favorite friend, but mentioned Danny Smith, who plays John Darling,
Michael's older brother.

Bryan's parents initially got him into a theater program at the Bellevue Youth Theatre because
they wanted to draw him out.

"One of our original goals was to get him involved in a program where he would develop a little
self-confidence and independence," Hanner said.

"He was very shy and very soft-spoken, and we were trying to enroll him in some things that would
help him overcome those traits."

Although then-4-year-old Bryan had some trouble separating from mom during that first play, "The Ugly Duckling,"
at the end of it he asked, "What's the next play?"

And as his mom put it, he hasn't taken a break since.

At age 10, he's appeared in more than 30 professional, community and youth theater productions - and
this is his fourth time playing Michael in "Peter Pan."

He's been so busy, in fact, that he couldn't even travel to New York to audition for the role:

He was in the Attic Theatre's production of "The Sound of Music."

"The director had a colleague in Tacoma, so we drove to Tacoma for Bryan to audition," Hanner said.

Now Bryan and his mom are on the road. He's learning with the help of a tutor and is enrolled in the
Washington Virtual Academy, an online educational program in the Steilacoom School District.

They hit the road in October, with a few breaks, and won't be settled back down until March.

What: The national tour of J.M. Barrie's classic musical about a boy who never grew up stops in Olympia.

When: 7:30 tonight

Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia

Tickets: $59.50, $57.50 for students and seniors, $29.75 for youths

More information: 360-753- 8586 or www.washingtoncenter.org