Achona article by Raquelle E. '22

On November 7 and 8, Academy’s theatre put on a production of Alice in Wonderland. Directed by theatre department head Vivian Kimbler, the performances took place in the Bailey Center and were open to the public.

The production of this classic was a joining of three performing arts classes: advanced acting, intro to acting, and technical theatre. The show was starred by the advanced acting students: Amelia T. ’24 as Alice; Julia A. ’24 as The White Rabbit, one of the Fish Footman, and one of the Sheep; Guiliana S. ’24 as The White Rabbit and the Dormouse; Sabrina G. ’24 as the Mouse, Gryphon, Humpty Dumpty; Ximena S. ’23 as the Lory, March Hare, and the White Queen; Bella O. ’24 as Eaglet, the Duchess, and the White Knight; Isabella F. ’24 as the Caterpillar, the Mock Turtle, and one of the Sheep; Amanda S. ’24 as one of the Fish Footman, the King, and the Voice of the Jabberwocky; Emily M. ’24 as one of the Fish Footman and the Red Queen; Georgia H. ’22 as Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and Tweedledee; and Mikayla C. ’22 as DoDo, Mad Hatter, and Tweedledum. Art teacher Melissa Lima allowed her cat Henry Wallace to star as Alice’s cat Dinah.

Amelia said, “I really enjoyed working on the show. I was able to work with and become friends with people I thought I would never talk to. I was a little overwhelmed at first but we were able to pull it together and I am so happy with how it turned out.”

The performances of the advanced students were enriched by that of the intro to acting students: Mia B. ’25 as Card 8; Jennon H. ’25 as Card 2; Sophia H. ’25 as Card 5; and the birds played by Bela B. ’25, Karly L. ’24, Madison M. ’25, Bridget M. ’24, Raquel R. ’25 and Ruby S. ’25.

“Alice in Wonderland was really an amazing experience as a newcomer to the Academy theater world. Between memorizing lines, remembering where to walk, and trying not to forget set pieces, it really was a challenging ordeal. But in the end, I believe the best part of it was to hear the applause and to feel proud of yourself and your fellow cast members, for completing the entire play.”

-Card 8, Mia B.

The show was produced, perfected and manned by the crew, led by stage manager Isabel B. ’23, consisting of the technical theatre students: Adeline A. ’24, Kylie B. ’22, Emily B. ’22, Nicole B. ’25, Addison B. ’24, Colleen B. ’23, Bella B. ’22, Grace C. ’25, Reese M. ’24, Gabby M. ’23, Morgan M. ’24, Gabrielle M. ’22, Marcela P. ’25, Meagan P. ’24, Emme S. ’24 and Jude W. ’25.

Tech theatre students Gabby M. ’23 and Colleen B. ’23 said, “It was a high stress environment, but it was all worth it in the end. The collaboration between the cast, crew and Mrs. Kimbler ultimately led to the success of the show. It made us feel very important to be in charge of stages right and left.”