Illustration: Rōnā Ebert
Part of ZACH’s Theatre For Families Series, produced in partnership with Underbelly
Audience Enrichment Guide
Theatre for Families Season Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
Media Sponsor
n Ups: For Grofw rom the Notes directors and playwrights Katie Bender a& n Gabrielle Reism
When Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, he was responding, in part, to the buttoned-up rules and regulations of the Victorian world around him. In the original story, Alice is bored sitting by her sister on the riverbank and, out of pure curiosity, follows a rabbit wearing a pocket watch. In Underbelly’s adaptation, it’s Alice’s frustration with the adults around her (who are more interested in checking their email than looking at the cool paper boat she’s made) that sends her down the rabbit hole. And that rabbit’s pocket watch has become a boom box, rumbling us along on Alice’s journey. Underbelly plays are mash-ups of era and influence. For Alice, we looked at the ways Middle Eastern and Roma dance music influenced 1960s surf rock. And the way that same surf rock inspired punk bands like The Clash and Agent Orange. As Alice runs through Wonderland, those rolling, surf-rock sounds surround familiar characters from both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Though the bluster and backwards-up logic of folks like The Red Queen, Mad Hatter, and Humpty Dumpty carry over from Carroll’s originals, we’ve updated some of the language for an Alice that lives with us in 2016.
May Alice’s adventures be your own today. May we all stay curiouser and curiouser.
About the Set Design by Stephanie Busing This adaptation of Alice in Wonderland invites audiences to move through many scenes around ZACH’s campus and experience the play with the characters in their environments. This walkway transforms into the Garden of Flowers, above for example, and is designed so that actors can become the flowers, talking to the audience through the petals. And some lucky audience members are even given watering cans to spritz the flowers with!
About the Costumes by Mercedes O’Bannion The challenge for the costume design of this production is to create a new way of experiencing Lewis Carroll’s iconic Wonderland characters. What you see is a colorful, quirky, and crafty crew as if it was handmade by Alice herself. By using old crochet granny blankets to build the costumes, a new interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s world comes to life. Some of the sketches are shown above right.
MATH: Homework from The Red Queen Count the hearts on the cards to solve the math problems below.
7-5=
2+4=
4x2=
11 - 8 =
2x5=
3+2=
9-2=
10 - 9 =
Design your own costume
Amazing!
Here are some of the costume designer’s drawings of different characters.
Humpty Dumpty wants to help Alice find her parents. Please show him the way.
Humpty Dumpty
in
Alice
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
Red Queen
Which character would you like to design for? Draw your design on the blank paper below.
out Alice’s parents
LANGUAGE ARTS: Create a Wonderland Character
Discussion Questions
In his stories, Lewis Carroll creates many wonderful characters. Use your imagination and create your own Wonderland character in the spaces provided.
• How was the play like the books Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass? How was it different?
What kind of creature are you? Are you an animal? An object? A plant? A combination of different things? Name your character below: _____________________________________________ How does your character behave? What makes them special? Do they have any powers? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ If your character were to meet Alice, what would they say to her? What riddles would they tell? What advice would they give her? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Draw your character in the box below. If you have time, see if you can put that creature in your body and act it out for your class or family!
• What were your favorite parts of the play? Why?
• Who were your favorite characters in the play? Who would you invite to a tea party? • What was your favorite part about traveling around ZACH? How did it help tell the story? • Why was Alice so upset at the beginning of the play? How did traveling through Wonderland help her solve her problems?
The Alice in Wonderland Team Directors/Playwrights..............Katie Bender and Gabrielle Reisman Alice.......................................................Lilah Guaragna / Trinity Johnston Red Queen/Cheshire Cat/Flower........................Madison Weinhoffer Helena/Humpty Dumpty/Mad Hatter.................Francesca Douglas Mark/Paper Queen/March Hare.........................................Nicholas Kier Edwin/Knave of Hearts/Sheep Duchess....................... Chase Brewer White Rabbit/Caterpillar........................................................ Joseph Urick Mouse...................................................Cassie Reveles / Oktavea Williams Dodo........................................................ Sam Pavich / /Robert Di Donato Lizard.......................................................Austin Dowling / Malyssa Quiles Tortoise............................. Kinsey Shackelford / Sommer Neugebauer Tweedle Dee/Flower..................................Sam Gorena / Janie Macklin Tweedle Dum/Flower........................... Briana Garcia / Jacob Basquez Stage Manager.........................................................................Megan Smith Assistant Stage Manager..............................................Kristian Wolf Piña Set and Video Designer................................................ Stephanie Busing Costume Designer...................................................Mercedes O’Bannion Prop Designer.................................................................................Scott Groh Lighting Designer.............................................................. Rachel Atkinson Sound Designer/Composer......................................Peter Stopschinski Dramaturg/Assistant Director..........................................Marian Kansas Education Director..........................................................................Nat Miller Associate Education Director................................................... Chad Dike Pre-Professional Manager.......................................................... Jen Young Education Associate.....................................................................Kate Shaw Education Assistant.................................................................Shannon Fox
Write to Us! Write a letter or draw a picture to describe your favorite part of the play and mail it to:
Dear ZACH;
ZACH Education Department 1510 Toomey Road Austin, Texas 78704
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Official Healthcare Sponsor of ZACH
This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
1510 Toomey Road, Austin, Texas 78704 | Phone: 512-476-0594 x236 | Fax: 512-476-0314 | zachtheatre.org | education@zachtheatre.org