Redwood’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was far more than EPiC
May 1, 2023
On April 28, 29 and 30, Redwood’s campus transformed from school grounds to an Underland. Filled with magic and creatures of all sorts, Redwood’s Ensemble Production Company (EPiC) drama program hosted three nights of an interactive and walkable production of “Alice in Wonderland.” When entering the theater, audience members received a playing card that specified which Alice they would follow for the night. There were four Alices, each undergoing a different absurd adventure for an hour and a half before finally meeting together again for a trial to determine who stole the Queen of Heart’s tarts.
As each Alice walked the campus and visited different creatures in various locations, a quarter of the audience followed. The Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit and many more were featured throughout the play and engaged with the audience in various ways. In the courtyard, Alice interacted with the Queen and King of Hearts while they played croquet. She also met Humpty Dumpty on his wall, which is placed in the World Language hallway, and watched him contemplate the decision to jump or not. In the Little Theater, Tweetledee and Tweetledum recited a long, possibly thought-provoking poem while competing for the spotlight. Each location was filled with confusion, humor and absurdity.
Senior Jacqui Domet played one of the Alices in the show and has been participating in theater since they were in kindergarten. Domet felt that the interactive design of the play offered more than past productions.
“It’s been a really cool experience for me. This is the most fun I’ve ever had doing a play; it [was] an absolute blast,” Domet said.
While Domet has years of experience in theater, “Alice in Wonderland” allowed her to develop improvisational skills due to its unconventional structure and loose plot. Similarly, senior Julian Bal and Mock Turtle in “Alice in Wonderland” noted that the show’s interactive concept allowed for hiccups.
“You need confidence. Things can go wrong, and things did go wrong, but you have to stay in character the whole time,” Bal said.
“Alice in Wonderland” cast members began rehearsal at the beginning of the spring semester and have been rehearsing multiple times a week since. All characters rehearsed in the drama class and participated in run-throughs and rehearsals outside of school. Larger roles, such as Alice, spent more time outside of class perfecting the performance. The first official run-through occurred only a couple of
days before opening night.
EPiC drama’s “Alice in Wonderland” provided a night of entertainment for both the actors and the audience.
“‘Alice in Wonderland’ is so weird, but it works so well,” Domet said.
