Mudlark Theater Company continues its sixth season with Artistic Director Andrew Biliter’s imaginative interpretation of a girl trying to sort out a secret world of wonder, while figuring out who she is and her place in the world. This original stage adaptation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6 with additional shows at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 8 at the McGaw YMCA Children’s Center Auditorium, 1420 Maple Ave., in Evanston. Admission is $10 for adults; $8 for children and students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at www.mudlarktheater.org.
This production of ALICE IN WONDERLAND concludes Mudlark’s spring double header which saw two American classics remade for modern audiences, first ROBIN HOOD and now an original adaption of Lewis Carroll’s tome Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “When we adapt classics at Mudlark, we like to return to the original text,” Biliter explains. “As a relative newcomer to this work, I was amazed at the character of Alice. Film adaptations tend to make her this passive foil for all the wackos she meets underground. And here I find Carroll’s Alice is this incredibly complicated person; wildly imaginative, combative and adventurous.”
Even for those familiar with the story, audiences should prepare for surprises. “Wonderland is all about visual tricks, and we’ve got some good ones,” Biliter says. “Look for puppets made of kitchen utensils and Hula Hoops, an endless card table, and lots of things that roll. And that’s not to mention the multiple Alices.” Yes, that’s right, multiple! An idea that originated in Carroll’s text. “Alice, like so many kids, is in the midst of a great sorting,” adds Biliter. “Do I like this or do I like that? If I like something, does it define me? Is it OK to be different? The struggle is what I’m trying to foreground by having three actresses play Alice.” In one scene, the three Alices struggle to determine whether Alice is still the same person she was when she woke up that morning. “Perhaps I’ve become someone I know from school,” she tells her counterparts. As Biliter says, “it seems like something we’ve added, but the words are taken almost word for word from the original text. You couldn’t do that moment justice without playing it as dialogue.
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Mudlark Theater Company is dedicated to providing children ages 8 to 18 with hands-on acting and backstage experiences, and audiences of all ages with entertaining theater. Founded by Amy Eaton in 2005 on the belief that children are capable of creating compelling, honest, laugh-out-loud funny performances, Mudlark offers young artists a safe, challenging environment in which to hone their skills. More information is available at www.mudlarktheater.org.
