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  • 1.  Classic Alice in Wonderland?

    Posted 05-29-2016 15:12
    I am considering producing one of the early versions of Alice in Wonderland this fall (thinking the Le Gallienne or maybe Gestenberg/Tobin or even the Slaughter/Clark version). Has anyone tried any of these with high schoolers? And what should I know going in?

    And/or might you be able to recommend a good play and/or classic version of the Alice story?

    Thanks all!
    Jake


  • 2.  RE: Classic Alice in Wonderland?

    Posted 05-30-2016 07:04
    I did a version I adapted myself last year with my 8th graders and loved it. It is easy to adapt yourself because it is dialogue heavy anyway. I would do it again in a heartbeat because it was lots of fun. The only thing I changed was I had Alice "transform" for part of the action in Wonderland, merely so I could have two children split that major character. The singing flowers transformed her and I just had a line in there that was something like "well, I have been taller and shorter today. I suppose it isn't odd that I should look and sound much different than myself here." It worked great! My kids loved doing it. It is great, too, because while Disney has the title as well, you can stray far from that concept without students being confused or disappointed. (I am changing schools next year and have already been contemplating doing it again because it was so fun and I have even more ideas for it after having done it once.)

    Sent from my iPad


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  • 3.  RE: Classic Alice in Wonderland?

    Posted 05-30-2016 08:38

    We produced the Alice Gerstenberg version in the fall of 2013 to great success, both with our cast and the audience. We added one scene at the top of Act Two in which Alice encounters the flowers. This allowed for some additional female roles. I got the initial heads up/recommendation from Dr. Diane Merchant at Cedarville University. You would do well to at least give this version a read. Break a leg!

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    Rich Luedeke
    Blackhawk Christian Theatre
    Fort Wayne, IN

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  • 4.  RE: Classic Alice in Wonderland?

    Posted 05-30-2016 13:37
    When I was shopping for an Alice script, I found these versions full of awkward non-Carroll language to substitute for the missing narration. I adapted a version using the style of activated narration-preserving the narration and assigning it to characters. It's like fully produced Reader's Theatre, a style that was challenging for my actors and enjoyed by the audience. It introduces the audience to the best of Carroll's language. I also split the character of Alice into five parts to show her fragmented personality (and share the responsibility for her dialogue).

    Write me if you want to see the script. It's been produced at five schools all over the U.S.


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