Windham High School senior Anna Giroux, who will be playing the lead role in this year’s fall musical, “Peter Pan,” never imagined she’d learn to fly.

But this year, in addition to delighting audiences with singing and dancing, Giroux and four other student-actors will be soaring across the stage with the help of Las Vegas-based Flying by Foy, the most widely respected theatrical flying company in the world.

“The whole flying aspect is so new to me, and the program here – it’s a big step,” said Giroux, who has been performing in local plays since she was 6. “It’s kind of like rock climbing, but you have nothing to hold onto.”

Giroux, who is playing Peter Pan during the 21?2 hour show, has participated in musicals since her freshman year at Windham High School and is a member of the school’s one-act team. In college she plans to minor in theater or music.

She’s looking forward to this year’s production, partly because of the flying aspect, she said.

“The whole show without flying is dull,” Giroux said. “Flying, and the fairy dust, kind of (gives) it that magical aspect that kids love to see on stage. It’s one thing to see your favorite characters in real life, like at Disneyland, but it’s another thing to see them actually suspended in the air as if they could really fly. It’s nothing compared to what we’ve done in the past.”

Windham’s production is based on J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s book of the same name, which was adapted for the stage by composer and lyricist Piers Chater Robinson in 1985. The family friendly musical is being run by Rob Juergens, a language arts and social studies teacher at Windham Middle School who is in his eighth year of directing.

“It’s a story about the joy of being a child – the joy of youth,” Juergens said. “It’s one of those shows you want to go to because you will leave feeling so uplifted and happy.”

The cast is made up of about 80 students including actors, tech crew, stage hands, and the band of musicians, which is led by Dr. Richard Nickerson, director of the high school’s choral activities. Most of the actors are members of the Windham Chamber Singers, though it’s not a requirement to participate, Juergens said.

Juergens chose “Peter Pan” for this year’s fall musical after watching the television special of “Peter Pan Live!” broadcasted by NBC last winter.

“When I saw it, I thought ‘we could do that, and then we’d get to fly,’” Juergens said. “We’ve never flown before. It’s really cool.”

Flying by Foy, founded in 1957 by stage flying specialist Peter Foy, provides flying effects for Broadway shows, high school and university theater programs, ballet and opera companies, cruise ships, theme parks, feature films and television productions, concerts tours and more. Celebrities flown by Foy, to name a few, include Katy Perry, Drew Carey, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Mark Wahlberg and Diana Ross.

Perry Fertig, an independent flying director for Foy who lives in Portland, visited the school last weekend to install the cables and other equipment needed, and provide training. Fertig worked with South Portland High School last year during its production of “Mary Poppins.”

Jonathan Peterson, associate office administrator for Foy Enterprises in Las Vegas, told the Lakes Region Weekly that “Peter Pan” is one of the main productions around the world for which the company provides flying effects.

According to Peterson, “The owner of the company Peter Foy started by flying Mary Martin on Broadway back in the ’50s. Whenever somebody does any live flying on stage, we provide the equipment and rigging to fly the performers. We get calls from all over the place. We flew the Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl when they did their lowering effect,” Peterson said.

In Windham, Peterson said, the performers will be strapped into harnesses and fly about 7-10 feet above the stage, with the help of a backstage crew consisting of several adults.

“In this production, specifically, we have Peter Pan flying, and he teaches the children to fly as well in the nursery scene,” he said. “Then, of course, (Peter Pan) does different flying effects throughout the show as well, while fighting Captain Hook or when the Wendy bird gets shot down by the Lost Boys when she’s coming into Neverland.”

“It looks like they are doing aerial tricks,” said Juergens. “I’m impressed.”

Putting on a “Peter Pan” show without the flying aspect, he said, though possible, would be like showing the “The Wizard of Oz” without the Munchkins.

Senior Ali Wintle, who will be playing the part of Wendy Darling, said she is excited about being able to fly in “Peter Pan” over the next couple weeks. Like Giroux, Wintle has performed in musicals at the school since she was a freshman.

“I was kind of afraid at first, because I am kind of afraid of heights, but it’s really safe, and well done,” Wintle said. “They started us off by lifting us off the ground a little bit so we could get used to not having our feet on the ground. Then they started flying us way up into the air.”

In “Peter Pan,” Wintle said, the students fit their parts “perfectly.” Her favorite part of playing Wendy, so far, she said, is the opportunity to fly.

“I love flying. It’s such a neat and unique experience,” she said. “I am enjoying being with the whole cast and watching (the show) come together.”

Wintle said she would encourage people to come out to see the show because of the variety of special effects and because it is “something that everyone will enjoy.

“(The entire cast) has put a lot of hard work into it, and I think it has really paid off,” she said.

Giroux said she would encourage people to show because, “even though it’s aimed at kids, it’s definitely relatable” for adults, as well.

“It’s fun and light, and good for anyone who wants a night out to erase their minds, and enjoy theater,” she added. “I know a lot of kids at our school who generally don’t come see the show, are going to come see it because they heard people are flying.”

Anna Giroux, a senior at Windham High School, will be playing Peter Pan in this year’s fall musical. Here, Giroux strikes a “Peter Pan” pose during rehearsal at the high school Monday.Peter Pan, played by Anna Giroux, flies across the stage during a recent full dress rehearsal. The upcoming production, which starts this weekend, marks the debut of a flying apparatus at the Windham High School.Senior Ali Wintle is playing the part of Wendy Darling in Windham High School’s upcoming production of “Peter Pan.”