Quote of the Day: Everything has  shadow, Peter. Honestly, you should have gone to Jungian analysis. You would have learned that you can’t experience joy without your dark side. Wendy, in For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, by Sarah Ruhl. 

Playwright Sarah Ruhl wrote this play for her mother Kathleen Ruhl, and it is loosely based on the actor’s life. Like the main character in For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, Kathleen played Peter Pan when she was in her teens. The main character in this play is named Ann. We meet her four siblings: Jim, Wendy, John, and Michael as they gather around the hospital bed of their father who is dying. The play starts out on a very somber note, and it gives us a chance to witness the family dynamic and get to know these siblings as they deal with their grief and bring up memories of their parents and growing up together. The play then moves into the day of the funeral when they’re all back in their childhood home where they’re having a sort of wake for their father, toasting his memory with shots of Jameson, and bringing up everything from religion and politics to the family dog. The third movement of the play brings us into their rooms, where they grew up and played together, and we see them all fall into their roles, not just as family members, but as siblings who played together, recreating their favorite childhood story, Peter Pan.

PRIME Productions “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday” by playwright Sarah Ruhl runs at Mixed Blood Theatre Through October 26. Photographed by Glen Stubbe Wednesday October 8, 2025

Allison Edwards is strong in the role of Ann. She’s the eldest of the siblings, which has a take charge persona. They all defer to her to some extent, then share their own opinions. She has fond memories of her father supporting her as an actor, bringing her flowers on opening nights, and showing his pride. They had a special bond. Erik Steen plays the father, and we first see him in the hospital bed, taking his last breaths, then he reappears during the wake as a spirit still walking through the house, leading their beloved dog in and sharing treats. He’s there in the end, too, with a few words of comfort.

PRIME Productions “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday” by playwright Sarah Ruhl runs at Mixed Blood Theatre Through October 26.
Photographed by Glen Stubbe Wednesday October 8, 2025

I don’t quite remember the birth order, but I think that Jim is the next in line, played by Kurt Schulz. In the final scene, he becomes Captain Hook. Bob Malos plays John, Terry Lynn Carlson is Michael, and Elizabeth Desotelle plays the youngest sibling Wendy. The play really comes alive after they’ve gone to bed and re-enact Peter Pan, complete with sword fights, leaping off the bed to “fly,” and imagining they’re kids again. I really loved the playfulness of the actors in this scene.

PRIME Productions “For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday” by playwright Sarah Ruhl runs at Mixed Blood Theatre Through October 26.
Photographed by Glen Stubbe Wednesday October 8, 2025

The set, designed by Sadie Ward, has a background of curtains that give a sense of a home crafted theater, pulling different backdrops into place with specific set pieces like a hospital bed, kitchen table, and bedroom pieces. The costumes start out as regular clothes then turn into nightwear of specific characters for the story of Peter Pan. Costumes were designed by Barb Portinga. 

Miriam Monasch directs this endearing story with a lovely cast of actors – all over the age of 50. Prime Productions’ mission is to produce work that highlights actors over 50, giving women in their Prime a chance to show that they aren’t just part of the background. They are the main characters, the driving force, the head of the household, and the one who still sparks imagination. 

You can see the regional premiere of For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, produced by Prime Productions, at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, MN through Oct. 26, 2025.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Describe your family dynamic. What roles do you play in your family?