Oakmont Regional High School senior James Beaudry, center, plays the role of Captain Hook during rehearsals for Peter Pan on Friday afternoon. (photo by John Love - Sentinal & Enterprise)

ASHBURNHAM -- A play long criticized for its racist depiction of indigenous people has been re-imagined for the Oakmont Regional High School stage.

Sixty-seven students are acting in the school's sold-out production of "Peter Pan," which, according to history teacher and director of theater Jeffrey Aubuchon, avoids stereotypes when depicting native characters.

"We have emphasized in our presentation the relationship between the Indians and the lost boys as friends," he said.

Aubuchon invited several Native American scholars to a forum with his student actors in February.

Robert Goodby, an anthropologist from Franklin Pierce University who studies the native heritage of tribes in New Hampshire and Harvard University theater professor James Stanley joined native author and musician Larry Spotted Crow Mann and storyteller Donna Mitchell, a descendent of the Pocasset Wampanoag Peoples, joined the forum.

Aubuchon said that in talking to the guests it became clear that the student cast would not be able to "authentically represent Native American history."

The cast playing the pirates dance around the stage during a rehearsal for Peter Pan at Oakmont Regional High School on Friday. (photo by John Love - Sentinal & Enterprise)

So instead, Aubuchon produced a play that uses costuming and stage design to show the characters of the lost boys and the Indians are equal.

"When our Native American scholars came in to observe what we were doing, their number one reaction was everyone on stage appeared as equals no group was belittled by another group," he said.

Waiting in the wings at a rehearsal Friday was Oakmont senior Lauren D'Attilio. To her left, students sang from balcony of a 20-foot tall prop pirate ship that was built by the school's engineering students.

D'Attilio said she plays an Indian on stage. The cast, she said, avoided costumes that use the animal skins and feathers, commonly associated with indigenous dress.

Instead, she and about a dozen other students are wearing flowers in their hair, which her director said symbolizes friendship.

From left, Oakmont sophomore Simon Rodriquenz plays John Darling, junior Amanda Porter portrays Peter Pan and fifth-grader Kaden Aubin as Michael Darling. (photo by John Love - Sentinal & Enterprise)

D'Attilio said she was skeptical of Aubuchon's "culturally appropriate" rendition at first, thinking it was an example of being too "politically correct."

After speaking with the indigenous people and scholars see saw the original version of Peter Pan, penned by J.M. Barrie in 1904 and later made into a Disney movie, she saw that in depicting the native characters as "savages" they were "cartoonishly poking fun at a community."

This play, she said, is geared toward children, and should not further that message, she said.

"They don't need to see that that's what we thought of (indigenous people) back then, and that's how we represented them and that's not right," she said.