Concordia students perform “Alice@Wonderland” over six shows, two weekends
Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh
By Josiah Horvath
Concordia students put on the fall mainstage play “Alice@Wonderland,” a dream-like experience of a girl going through a strange and often confusing world, for an audience of their peers and the general public throughout two weekends in November.
The play was performed six times over the weekends of Nov. 8-10 and 15-17. It is based on Lewis Carrol’s story “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and adapted by Jonathan Yukich.
The plot centers around Alice, played by sophomore April Abbett, beginning with her fall through the rabbit hole and following her journey through Wonderland, where she encounters many weird things such as a caterpillar blowing bubbles, a mysterious cat, and the Mad Hatter.
Director and Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts Bryan Moore encouraged the audience to compare Alice’s journey to their own lives.
“Alice’s challenges are relatable to us, and they invite us to consider the adventures that may await us in our lives and the choices we face and make along the way,” said Moore in the Director’s Note.
He also said the “madness” of the characters can make the audience think about their own emotions and Alice’s emotions.
“[The characters] discuss and often exhibit various characteristics of madness,” Moore said. “It invites us to consider how emotions and feelings, from happiness to anger to grief, can be expressed in many unique ways. We should also consider if these characters represent various aspects of Alice’s persona.”
LeAnn Frauendorfer, an English teacher and play director in Battle Creek, Nebraska, said she enjoyed the play and loved the Humpty Dumpty scene, especially the part where he fell, with the “cute little clever stretcher coming out to pick him up.”
She said that all of the cast members played their parts well and all “had a significant part of the production.”
Senior Caleb Jalas, who played the Mad Hatter, said the show ran smoothly.
“There was a lot of tech in this show,” Jalas said. “There were a lot of moving parts. I’m glad things went smoothly.”
He said he was happy to see so many people from the community, performers’ family members, and professors and their families attend the shows.
