Putting together a unique production
The Jordan-Elbridge drama department is getting ready for opening night of its production of Alice in Wonderland, and it will look different than in years past. Friday, March 5th and Saturday, March 6th you’ll be able to stream the show from the comfort of your home. But the finished product may not give away just how much hard work went into putting it all together.“Just as Zoom classes and meetings have issues, so do Zoom rehearsals,” said director Denise Deapo.
“It was frustrating when students had no sound, or no camera, or the virtual backgrounds wouldn’t load. But we persevered through all those early issues and the JE tech department helped us out a lot,” Deapo said.
It was a unique experience for cast members as well.
“The technical difficulties were a major obstacle, especially with such a loud character as the Queen,” said senior Tiffani McMahon. She plays the Queen of Hearts.
“Sometimes when I would say my line, "off with their heads!" the audio would just cut out entirely and the others would have to read my lips to continue!”
Nicholas Webster played the Mad Hatter, and he said the virtual show taught him a lot. He’ll be studying theatre in college.
“I found the experience to be incredibly useful and a great learning experience that I'm sure I will use in future performing,” said Webster.
“This show was a ton of fun and I'm sure that everyone with a ticket will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating our first virtual show!”
The story by Lewis Carroll was adapted by Anne Coulter Martens. The timeless classic takes you down the rabbit hole with the ever-curious Alice to a land of adventures where nothing is as it seems. The show includes favorites from the book, such as the White Rabbit, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts.
Tickets are $12 per streaming device and can be purchased here. The show will air at 7 p.m. each night.
Cast (In order of appearance)
Cheshire Cat - Allen CassickWhite Rabbit - Sophie Meixner
Alice - Kyra Dominick
Caterpillar/2 of Hearts - Aydan Piper
Frog Footman/Executioner - Johnathan Trinh
Cook/Gryphon - Emma Donvito
Duchess - Bayleigh Clark
Humpty Dumpty/5 of Hearts - Dylan Brown
White and Purple Flower/1st Heart Child - Laney Green
Blue and White Flower/2nd Heart Child - Alyssa Loveland
Mad Hatter - Nick Webster
March Hare - Fernando Guzman
Dormouse - Bradley Loveland
Queen of Hearts - Tiffani McMahon
King of Hearts - Cooper Childres
Knave/Jack of Hearts - Matt Hubbard
Tweedledum/Rainbow Flower - Elora Kunz
Tweedledee/Orange and Yellow Flower - Haylee Salmonsen
First Lady - Hannah Porter
Mock Turtle/Pink Flower - Frankie Brown