STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK
PHOTOS BY ANNELIESE TURCK
In 1865—right as the United States was nursing its wounds from the bloody Civil War--English author Lewis Carroll took readers on a strange but magical journey down a rabbit hole.
Relive the story Friday and Saturday when Sun Valley Community School’s Middle School Masque presents Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland JR.” The play starts at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, and 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in the school’s theater.
The musical follows 7-year-old Alice as she navigates the curious world of Wonderland on a journey of self-discovery. She encounters the ever-tardy White Rabbit, a grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, a Mad Hatter, a hot-tempered queen and others.
As she vacillates in size—from too big to tiny—she’s introduced to a Mad Hatters Tea Party and the trial of the Knave of Hearts.
The musical includes such favorites as “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”
“The show always brings out the child in everyone,” said Joel Vilinsky, Sun Valley Community School’s seventh-grade teacher and Middle School drama coach. “It’s filled with imagination, excitement and just a touch of danger. As soon as Alice slides down the rabbit hole, anything can happen.”
The hour-long musical features a “Wonderland-full” cast and crew of 30 Middle Schools students.
Among them: Abigail Sheerin, an Upper School student who designed the costumes, and seventh-grader Charlotte Andrews, who designed the set with assistance from Thomas Andrews.
Anika Vandenburgh plays Alice; Maeve O’Connell, the wicked Queen of Hearts; Marley Geist, the White Rabbit, and Etienne Blumberg, the bubbly Caterpillar.
Additional cast members include Attie Murray, Alexandra Thomson, Bodin Lee, Brady Giles, Bridgette Silva, Colin Pogue, Elyse Duffield, Eloise Hebert, Emma Klingenfuss, Kenzie Giles, Kiki Pate, Walker Pate, Lucy Weekes, Lucy Lamoureux, Niki Cohen, Norah Davis-Jeffers, Paxton Sammis, Phoebe Williams, Sawyer Vogel and Tyler Salvoni.
The technical crew consists of Middle School students Koa Mott, Finn Heekin, Charlotte Andrews and Cooper Taylor.
Middle School Music and Elementary School Performing Arts teacher Megan Mahoney created the choreography; Upper School Music Teacher, John Mauldin is providing the musical direction. Eighth-grader Koa Mott designed the lighting .
Tickets are $5 for students and children and $10 for adults, with tickets sold online at www.communityschool.org/news/events. Some tickets will be available at the door.