MANY children will relate to the idea of never wanting to grow up, especially at Christmas time. In this sense, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre director Dale Rooks is astute in her suggestion that the classic tale of Peter Pan, with its focus on childhood imagination and wonder, is the perfect play to stage in December.

Rooks has been directing the youth theatre group for over a decade and previously staged J M Barrie’s story in 2006. “None of the current company members were here then,” she says. “They’re all doing it for the first time.”

What are the differences between your production in 2006 and this one?

I slightly missed an opportunity the last time in that there are some really delicious stage directions that J M Barrie wrote. We decided to explore those more in terms of narration this time. That really works, particularly in our idea of having not just one Tinker Bell but a Tinker Bell squad. We use them to take us into the story.

I call them the orchestrators of the stage. They move the furniture and change the scenes very quickly, keeping it all very fluent. They do all of that in character so they’re not stage managers. They can stop and start the action; they literally freeze the plot at a certain point and tell us something about the scene or a character.

With such an other-worldly production, how do you go about designing a set?

I definitely don’t use the film – we try to avoid watching that because it can become quite influential and distort the original script. Everything we have in the nursery, and the initial scene, is carried throughout the play and has a meaning; for example the bed is carried all the way to Neverland and then on to the pirate ship.

What it is about fantasy that is so alluring to children?

It’s a difficult question. The wonderful thing is that the older company members can go back into that childhood fantasy with this. The aim is just to have fun and produce a bit of magic. The great thing about Peter Pan is that it’s about childhood – what better production to put on stage at Christmas, such a child-centric holiday? The opportunity to have so many different character groups in this play was very tempting, too. The Tinker Bell squad, the pirates, the mermaids, the Lost Boys.

How did you pick different actors for different roles?

All of the young people audition, and we had 200 auditionees this year. We have a company of 74. They come to a group audition and I think because I’ve been doing this for many years I can quickly pick out the potential Hooks, Pans and Wendys. Then I suppose I’m looking for more quirky characters in the fairies and tough characters with the pirates. With the Indian braves, it’s particularly those who can move well.

Can it ever be sad to see such a turnover of actors or is it more exciting to see new talent coming through all the time?

It is immensely exciting, particularly because they haven’t done this production before. It’s nice because the people that have left the group generally come back and see the new productions of what they have previously acted in. I think they’re interested to see how it might have changed.

Having directed so many Christmas shows at CFT, what makes them distinct from others throughout the year?

It’s just a very exciting time, the whole Christmas period. We’re also a very close-knit family here at the theatre. It’s just very special. I love the open air promenade shows in summer but the Christmas shows are unique in that we have so many young people up on stage at the same time.

One of them, Hal Darling (18, from Worthing, who shares his surname with the children in Peter Pan) spoke to us about his role as Captain Hook in the production.

How are you finding playing Hook? Is it fun to play villains?

It is really fun, yes. It is very hard, too, to achieve the effect of being scary as soon as you enter a scene. It’s a challenge getting into a mindset. Hook is a very lonely character in that he doesn’t really play off anyone. His personality has to be generated right then and there, on the spot.

Where do you summon that darkness from?

You need to get something from a deeper place inside yourself, to try and conjure the feeling of being cut off and isolated. I’m still working Hook out now.

How do you compare Hook with other roles you’ve played?

This is my first role with the group, actually. I joined the youth theatre four or five years ago but living in Worthing it was always very hard to get to Chichester for the plays. I can drive now, though. My desire to be an actor has come in waves; sometimes I’ve thought ‘no, maybe not’. I do a lot of art, too, and am doing an art foundation course so it’s just about trying to decide what I want to do.

Can it be hard to shake Hook off at the end of a night?

It can be, it does stay with you a little bit. When the shows get started I feel like I’ll be more fully immersed in the character all the time. When you’re on stage I feel like you’ve got to be completely in the role otherwise it will seem phoney to the audience. They’ll know your heart isn’t in it.

Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Saturday, December 17, to Saturday, December 31, 7pm (matinees at 2pm or 4pm), tickets £10, £17, £22, £27, call: 01243 781312. Visit: cft.org.uk