“When presented with the task of performing children’s theater, Alice is an obvious choice,” said Theatre Lecturer Lenore Grunko of Eastern Connecticut State University, who directed Eastern students in their performance of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” from Feb. 18-22 in the Harry Hope Theatre. The performance was part of the students’ Children’s Theatre course.   Most people are familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland, whether reading the original book by Lewis Carroll or seeing the film adaptation. Nonetheless, each adaptation is unique. With the intent of performing a play that elementary schools were invited to attend, Grunko decided on Alice, because “we all need to learn about her fear, her bravery, and yes, even her foolishness.”

The cast and crew of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” put their own twist on the story, using their imagination to create elaborate costumes and encourage audience interaction, making the performance distinct and memorable. The cast consisted of six actresses, several of whom played multiple characters. “Flow, weight, time and space were all part of the formula for exploring possibilities that would eventually become our defining characters,” said Grunko.

“Mixing and matching movement, voice, accents and anything else that the actors brought to the table was considered part of the process to develop our versions of this much beloved tale.”

Julia Leitao (Knave), a freshman double majoring in theatre and early childhood education, said, “My favorite part of the play was the audience interaction, because the children really lit up when they were included, and you could tell that they believed they were in Wonderland and played a part in the story.” Emily Rieser (Alice), a junior theatre major, talked of her experience after the performance: “I had two families with young daughters ask me to take pictures with them. I felt like a Disney Princess.”

The cast was successful in getting a good response from the elementary schools children and other young audience members, which was one of their goals in presenting the play. Mikayla Zagata (Queen of Hearts), a junior double majoring in English and pre-secondary education said, “We had a great level of response from the kids that came to the show during the week to the point where in one of the shows the kids started a chant similar to the signs. It was such an awesome and surprising moment that really showcases the power of chance and opportunity.”