CAST
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE Alice - Sylvia Padgett* White Rabbit - Callie Crawford* Mouse - Gabby Marmon Lory - Theresa Bagley Dodo - Abigail Stallbaumer Eaglet - Katie Schieferecke* Caterpillar - Bailey Ramos Fish Footman - Rosemary Huseth Frog Footman - John Meinhardt Duchess - Corey Cochran* Cook - Katlynne Hobart Cheshire Cat - Megan Farrington March Hare - Katie Schieferecke* Mad Hatter - Jackson Schrickel* Dormouse - Samantha Ford Two of Spades - Kassy Short* Five of Spades - Caitlyn Gardner Seven of Spades - Savannah Schrickel Queen of Hearts - Ann Baldridge* King of Hearts - Corbin Eakes* Knave - Michael Soza Gryphon - Katherine Moore* Mock Turtle - Tori Everett Red Queen - Sarah Fletcher* Train Guard - Abigail Stallbaumer Man Dressed in White Paper - John Meinhardt Tweedledum - John Kyle* Tweedledee - Mike Quaney* White Queen - Marya Feldt* Sheep - Katlynne Hobart Humpty Dumpty - Anthony Maldonado White Knight - Aaron Broxterman* * denotes member of Thespian Troupe 7275 |
PRODUCTION CREW
Kelsie Bigenwalt, Amanda Evans Brooke LaRue, Jenni McNary Catherine Padgett* SET/COSTUME CONSTRUCTION Callie Crawford*, Corbin Eakes* Marya Feldt*, Sarah Fletcher* John Meinhardt, Catherine Padgett*, Sylvia Padgett*, Vickie Ruiz Katie Schieferecke*, Kassy Short* * denotes member of Thespian Troupe 7275 |
ABOUT THE PLAY
Notes from the Playwright It was not without considerable trepidation that I started work on my first “Alice” production at the Civic Repertory Theatre. I realized that the word “faithful” must be the keynote of any such venture if it were to find favor with an audience. The love that countless people feel for the “Alice” books amounts to fanaticism, and I felt a deep and solemn responsibility to Carroll and the public. Carroll is not one of those writers for children who become “as children” themselves. He presents the problem as seen by a child, but comments upon it as an adult mathematician on a holiday. Hence the bewildering and fascinating texture of his story; half adventure, half chop-logic and shrewd caricature. This production, therefore, is not designed primarily for children. The “pretty-pretty,” the “cute” and the “saccharine” must be as drastically eliminated on the stage as in the books. They are by no means children’s books, in the sense of being “kid-stuff.” On the contrary, it seems to me that no child could possibly appreciate or understand the wit and wisdom of their nonsensical logic. The “adventures” part of the books is of course fascinating to children; the fact of going through a looking-glass, of talking to caterpillars, cats and rabbits, of using flamingoes as croquet mallets, and the hundreds of other strange happenings that make Alice solemnly exclaim: “Curiouser and curiouser!” are absorbing and delightful. On the other hand, who but a grown-up could possibly appreciate the bitter truth of such a remark as: “Jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today.” It seems to me that a stage presentation of “Alice,” in order to be faithful to the books, must appeal equally—though for different reasons—both to children and adults. Through the use of various devices of modern stagecraft the action is continuous, Alice never leaving the stage. I felt it important to devise a technical scheme whereby all the places and characters of Alice’s dream come to her—that since we experience these through her mind, she must never disappear from our sight. E. Le Gallienne Westport, Connecticut, 1948 |
