Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland was selected because it offered enough depth and creative freedom to become a canvas for the students creating it. Our process began with the question: Why this play now? Rather than entering Wonderland with a predetermined concept, we worked as a team to paint the story in the way we saw as necessary at this moment. The production grew from the perspectives, anxieties, questions, and experiences of the young artists in the room, allowing this familiar story to become personal and immediate.

Alice became one of us—a contemporary young person navigating a world filled with noise about what to believe, how to present herself, and what defines success. Her fall down the rabbit hole was connected to the fears, anxieties, expectations, and social pressures that made it difficult for her to hear her own voice. Each Wonderland character represented an internal struggle or outside pressure identified by the cast as relevant to their own lives. Wonderland was not simply a fantasy world; it was a heightened reflection of Alice’s thoughts, relationships, fears, and developing understanding of herself.

The visual and physical world embraced theatrical freedom, heightened character work, movement, color, and transformation. These creative elements allowed the audience to experience Wonderland through Alice’s shifting perspective as she moved between confusion, fear, curiosity, and self-discovery. Alice’s journey ultimately guided her toward a home within herself. By learning to think independently, trust her own perspective, and separate her identity from the noise surrounding her, she began to understand who she was and who she wanted to become.