Set Design: The White Model

Our set designer, Chad Dellinger, created a White Model of the set as a first step toward getting a sense of what the setting would be like in three dimensions...

The White Model from above.

The White Model from the audience's perspective.

Set Design Inspiration!

Below are images that our set designer, Chad Dellinger, consulted as he designed our unique set.

Parlour/Party Games in Victorian England

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Megan Duncan.

Victorian Parlour Games

In the 19th century, people had more leisure time than in previous generations. Parlour games became popular amongst the upper and middle class. These games were played in parlours with small groups and appropriately named "Parlour games." Games involved mostly logic or word-play and were created to amuse gentleman and ladies at small parties. They were especially played during Christmas and advertisements were made. The tradition became just as popular as the Mass Media of the time. Games usually have no set time allotment and end when players are ready to move on. Most games are competitive but don't have a cumulative score. Some games still exist today such as Charades and others have been modified and turned into board games such as Balderdash. Some popular games of the time include:
—The Laughing Game
—Animals
—The Ministers Cat

You can find more games and read the rules on this site: http://www.funjoint.com/parlour.htm

More on High Tea and Afternoon Tea

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Priscilla Mellado.

Afternoon Tea

English High Tea and Afternoon Tea are almost the same thing. It started out as Afternoon Tea with the British Upper Class but as time went on the working class changed it to High Tea. It is rumored to have gotten that name because of the high table it is served on whereas Afternoon Tea is not served in that way. The main difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea is what is served. Afternoon Tea consists of finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and cakes, all accompanied by hot tea. High Tea is more like supper and has hot savory dishes, it is more like a full meal with tea. The only difference is what is served because other than that it is served at the same time from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

For more information on Teas, please see:
http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/information/what-is-high-tea/
http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/information/what-is-afternoon-tea/
http://www.smittenbybritain.com/the-difference-between-afternoon-tea-high-tea-cream-tea-and-elevenses/

White Queen and Miss Havisham

This post was contributed by cast member Katie Rich.

Miss Havisham is a reclusive spinster in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. Her beloved conned, defrauded, and left her at the altar years before the story begins and so she lives the rest of her days in her wedding dress, with the clocks in her house perpetually set to the time at which she learned of her fiancee’s betrayal, and with her wedding breakfast and wedding cake sitting on her table in her decrepit mansion. Eventually she tires of a life of solitude and gets her lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, to adopt her a daughter. This young girl, Estella, is trained by Miss Havisham to disdain men and hurt them whenever possible. Estella does what Miss Havisham never could. Estella eventually gets Pip (the novel’s protagonist) to fall in love with her, she leaves for school, she marries Pip’s rival, Miss Havisham repents to Pip, her wedding dress catches on fire and she dies.

NOW, in terms of Alice: Elements of this story fit nicely within the Through the Looking-Glass. Estella is Miss Havisham’s pawn in that she gets Estella to do what she never could. Alice (nee Lily) is the White Queen’s pawn in a literal sense. It brings about this idea that the madness of Miss Havisham is present within the White Queen, as the queen gets Alice to do what she cannot…

It’s not the strongest analogy but it makes sense in a way…just a little bit of nonsense.

Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham in the 2012 version of Great Expectations.

Chess, Queens and Pawns

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Katie Rich.

"Pawn takes Queen"

One of the things I found most interesting in terms of chess and the story of the show was the concept of “promotion” in Chess. Promotion occurs when a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board from where it began. At this point, the pawn may become any other piece on the board. (Many people think that the pawn can only become one of the pieces that has been captured by the opponent, but that is false. It may become any piece.) The most common promotion is for a pawn to become a queen.

In Through the Looking-Glass, the White Queen first appears to Alice as a chess piece in a drawing room, looking for her daughter Lily. If we think in terms of chess, if the White Queen is a queen, then Lily (as her child who could grow into what the White Queen is, as so many children often do) could be seen as a pawn. And with Lily being ever-elusive in the text, the idea of Alice filling that role in the White Queen’s life comes into play.  This is solidified when we see Alice become queen at the end of the play. What was she before? Not a queen…what becomes a queen? A pawn. What was Alice? A pawn.

Briefly: White Queen mom to Lily (pawn) = Alice (pawn) = grows to queen in terms of text and chess

Nonsense language, post 1 (Why is a raven like a writing desk?)

This post was contributed by cast member Kelli Plaisted.

“The nonsense genre involves playing with words and rhyme, writing riddles with no answers, and composing limericks that make no sense.  Although English nonsense verse was first invented in 1611, its use dwindled until its revival in the nineteenth century by authors such as Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. Lear primarily wrote absurd limericks intended for children, though many might also contain political commentary. In this era of word games, Lear's nonsensical use of words and rhyme to create not only limericks but near-gibberish stories illustrates the movement towards using this genre, a kind of fantasy, as a harmless escape from life while still tackling larger issues. Lewis Carroll, another master of nonsense verse writing around the same time, brilliantly delivers a critique of the English school system with his character Alice as she constantly misapplies her rote-learned classroom teachings.” 

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/carroll/kwoka8.html

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

“Technically this riddle has many answers. People have had a lot of time to think up something clever. A satisfying answer is, "Poe wrote on both," given by puzzle enthusiast Sam Lloyd. More in the spirit of the nonsense genre, Aldous Huxley ventured, "Because there is a 'b' in both and an 'n' in neither." Beautifully bizarre.  The unanswerable riddle has been answered, though.  Lewis Carroll said that, in the original book, there was no answer but to end the pain of ceaseless inquisitive fan letters, though, he went ahead and thought up an adequate response that he put in preface to later editions. Carroll's answer to “Why a raven is like a writing desk? "Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!" Carroll spelled 'never,' as 'nevar' — 'raven' spelled backwards — but a proofreader erased the inverted pun before it was published.”

http://io9.com/5872014/the-answer-to-the-most-famous-unanswerable-fantasy-riddle

Mathematics!

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Kelli Plaisted.

“Mathematics may be defined as: the study of relationships among quantities, magnitudes and properties; the study of quantity, structure, space and change; some have seen it in terms as simple as a search for patterns.” 

 http://www.storyofmathematics.com/

Alice says, "Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is—oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!"

Alice is correct. 4 x 5=12... when expressed in base 18. Bases are different standards by which numbers are measured. We count in base 10, computers count in base 2 (a.k.a. binary)… So anyway, following this pattern...

4 x 5=12 (base 18)

4 x 6=13 (base 21)

4 x 7=14 (base 24)

4 x 8=15 (base 27)

4 x 9=16 (base 30)

4 x 10=17 (base 33)

4 x 11=18 (base 36)

4 x 12=19 (base 39)

4 x 13=1A (base 42) (or about 32 (base 10) short of 20). 

The equation falls apart here. Alice will indeed never get to 20 at this rate. :)

http://www.eeggs.com/items/20350.html

Alice in the Real World

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass have delighted children for 150 years. The nonsense adventures and vivid imagery have also caught the imagination of many adults. Countless artists, musicians, writers, and others have been inspired by Lewis Carroll's stories. Below are some examples of the Alice-inspired work from various creative minds.

From classical orchestration to classic rock, musicians around the world have been inspired by Alice. Here is just a sampling:

1. Alice in Wonderland- Neil Sedaka- 1963
2. Sunshine- Aerosmith- 2001
3. White Rabbit- Jefferson Airplane- 1967
4. Through the Looking Glass- Deems Taylor- 1918
5. Three Choruses from Alice- Irving Fine- 1942

Salvador Dali created 12 works inspired by Alice.

Australian artist Charles Blackman first became acquainted with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  after listening to an audio book. He was inspired to create a series of 46 pieces. Here is a select few:

Victorian Card Games

Cast member Allen Hopkins compiled this entry on Victorian Card Games. Card games and their often arbitrary rules are a key organizing principle in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

A sample of the cards in an Old Maid deck.

 Many card games that we all play today were created and extremely popular in the Victorian era. Some of the ones that I discovered include Chemin de fer, Cribbage, Ecarte, Faro, Loo and Whist. Old Maid was one of the most popular. Old Maid is a term that refers to an unmarried and childless woman or a "spinster." It can also mean an unpopped kernel in a pot of popcorn and was used as the title of a play by Arthur Murphy in 1761. Unlike modern playing cards with suits on them, most of these decks featured characters such as a butcher, a butcher’s wife, a tailor, a tailor’s wife, and one “old maid” card in the deck. Many Victorians played these card games in gambling parlors (or parlours) usually after dinner, and children were also allowed. One of these games, Faro, was very popular in the American West during this time. Playing in these parlors was a fun after-dinner activity for everyone. Victorians played card games but also played guessing games that involved a lot of conversation, blindfolding, and physical contact (“racy games”). In fact, Lewis Carroll had invented his own card game, called Court Circular, which he developed for two years and successfully published in 1862.

Victorian card players in the parlour.

Costume for the Queen of Hearts

 

Our Costume Designer is Emily Smith. This is the rendering and fabric swatches for the costume.

 This is a mock up of the skirt.

Here is the image that inspired the design for the costume.

The English Tradition of Afternoon Tea

    Free word association: when one thinks "British" the term "tea" usually follows. This is not surprising, as British characters in movies, books, and TV shows are often depicted circled together drinking tea, or offering tea to another as a cure for any ill. But, the British relationship tea is not as old as one might think- in fact, England was not the first of the European countries to take a liking to the foreign import. However, the traditions of High Tea and Afternoon Tea are a uniquely British creation.

   Tea was introduced to England in the 17th century, and became popular in the 18th century when Queen Anne chose tea over ale as her breakfast beverage of choice. In those days, people ate two meals a day: breakfast in the morning and a late dinner served at 8pm. The tradition of Afternoon Tea began in the middle of the 18th century when the Duchess of Bedford found she had a "sinking feeling" in the afternoon because of the long gap between the two meals. She began having tea with a light snack in the afternoon, and after a time began inviting friends to join her.
    Afternoon Tea quickly became a fixture of upper-class society. Such a luxury, taking a break for tea and snacks in the middle of the day, was not available to the middle- and working-classes. They worked until 6pm daily. By the time they came home, they were famished, and a meal of tiny sandwiches and cakes would not be enough. Members of the lower classes would eat a large meal upon returning home, with such food as bread, vegetables, cheese, and meat. They 'took'  tea with this meal, served at a high dinner table, which is how the term "high tea" came to be. Thus, Afternoon Tea and High Tea, though now often used synonymously, have quite different origins.
    The tea party with the March Hare, Dormouse, and Mad Hatter at which Alice finds herself is served at six o'clock, indicating that it is the sort of High Tea of the lower classes.
   The foods served at Afternoon Tea may include small sandwiches cut into fingers- sliced cucumber, egg salad, and smoked salmon with cream cheese being among the selection- a variety of cakes and pastries, and scones with jam and clotted cream. A variety of teas is served, the most popular being Assam, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and Lapsang Souchong.

Will-o'-the-Wisp

    The term Will-o'-the-wisp (Latin ignus fatuus= "fire" + "foolish") refers to ghostly lights seen floating at night or twilight-often around bogs or wooded locales. Though science now offers a logical reason for their appearance, centuries of folklore provide more mythical explanations for this phenomenon.
 

   The folk stories vary by location. Since Alice! is set in England, we will focus on myths from surrounding areas, perhaps the ones Lewis Carroll would have been most familiar with. One is told in varying versions across the British Isles, the other is distinctly Irish.

     The first tells of Will the wicked blacksmith, who, upon his death, is given a second chance by Saint Peter. He squanders his second chance by leading a terrible life once again-- he is so bad the devil will not even admit him into Hell. Will is doomed to wander the Earth. The devil, out of pity, provides him a single coal to arm himself. Will uses the light to lure lost travelers into marshes.
 
    Thus the origin of the term Will-o'-the-wisp, short for William of the wisp (a word that means a bundle of sticks or paper used as a torch).

      Another term for the phenomenon is Jack o'lantern. The origin of that name is from the following tale:
      A bum named Drunk/Stingy Jack makes a deal with the devil, offering his soul for the price of his bar tab. When the Devil comes to take his soul, Jack tricks the Devil by making him climb a tree. Jack then draws a cross at the foot of the tree, so that the Devil cannot get down. Jack exchanges the erasure of the cross for forgiveness of his debt. When Jack dies, the Devil denies him entrance to Hell out of revenge. As a kindness, the Devil provides Jack with an ember to light his way through the twilight world to which his wandering soul is condemned for eternity. Jack places the ember in a turnip that he uses as a lantern.   

    Other myths say the lights are fairies, or spirits of the dead, meant to mislead travelers. Where they have appeared in literature around the United Kingdom, their intentions are often malicious. The Will-o'-the-wisp is not to be trusted.
1. http://www.reference.com/browse/Will-o'-the-wisp?s=t
2. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/willowisp.html#goodrich

Assignments for the Company of ALICE!

The company working on the production was asked to do a handful of assignments to prepare for the start of rehearsals in January. Below are the assignments.

Assignment 1: Memorize your lines.

Assignment 2: Read chapters from the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass... relevant to your character(s).  There are many free online versions of the books that you can download. See also the link to the audiobook on this blog.

Assignment 3:

Watch the production inspirations, below, for helping to construct the physical life of your characters:

Assignment 4: Write down three things you are or have always been curious about.

The Marx Brothers 
The mirror scene from their landmark film Duck Soup.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus Ministry of Silly Walks

Classic Monty Python virtuosic physical humor.

The Beatles's Magical Mystery Tour

"I am the eggman, I am the walrus..."

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, audiobook link

Illustration by Sir John Tenniel

Here is a link to a full audiobook reading of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on Youtube. Enjoy!

Initial Thoughts from Director & Adaptor Margaret Larlham

Illustration from Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Sir John Tenniel

A being with an open mind encounters the prescriptions and chaos, the logic and nonsense of the world into which she falls.  The natural and constructed, formless or structured phenomena she finds are perhaps all the makings of her own mind. Friendly, sinister, dark, mysterious, whacky, intense—the characters are really all aspects or parts of Alice, and conversely all characters are versions of Alice as well. 

She approaches each person or moment with freshness and sense of aliveness, drawn by a thirst to know, or curiousity which is not always satisfied: “Curious and curiouser!”

The physical actions of the story are dreamlike. Reflections in the mirror confirm existence. (I see that I am me!). But the journey on the giant chessboard through garden, palace, beach, woods  reflects the serendipity of nature as well as the maverick schemes and structures of generations past and present.  (I see that I am nobody and somebody too!)

—Margaret Larlham

ALICE Research Topics

Each member of the company was given a special research topic to delve into during the winter break between the Fall and Spring semesters. Everyone will share what they have discovered with the rest of the company when we return to rehearsals in January. We will also post information on this blog.

Belle Adams  (Alice)

Special Research: Alice Liddell and fictional Alice

Megan Duncan  (Tiny Alice/Cook/Seven)

Special Research: Victorian Party Games

Kirstie Newman (Walrus/Queen of Hearts)

Special Research Topic: Royal behavior (also Bloody Mary)

Michelle Pavao (Duchess)

Special Research: A bit about Vaudeville (Also about performance style of Janis Joplin for Duchess)

Kelli Plaisted (Giant Alice/Mock Turtle/Knave)

Special Research: Mathematics, The tradition of Nonsense Stories, Verses, and Riddles

Katie Rich (White Queen/Tweedledum)

Special Research: The rules of Chess (Also Dickens's Miss Havisham informing White Queen?)

Priscilla Mellado (Cook/ Dormouse/Five)
Special Research: English High Tea, Afternoon Tea

Austin Book (White Rabbit, White Knight)

Special Research: The evolving concept of Time in Victorian England

Jack Holdeman (Lewis Carroll and Mad Hatter)

Special Research Topic: Lewis Carroll, Oxford, Nonsense Verse, Mathematics

Allen Hopkins  (Caterpillar/March Hare, Two)

Special Research: Victorian Card Games

Juan Salvador (Table/Jabberwock, Carpenter)

Special Research: The tradition of Nonsense Stories, Verses, and Riddles

Chris Yarrow (Tweedledee/King of Hearts)

Special Research: Victorian Societal Rules 

Kellen Gold 
Special Research: Knights' Battle Conventions, Jousting, Tournaments, etc.

ALICE Workshop #1 Discussion Topics

The discussion led by Joseph Thomas and Phillip Serrato was interesting and wide-ranging. The professors answered questions that the company had about Lewis Carroll and his life. They also addressed some of the popular rumors that have been circulated about the author. Here is a list of topics that were taken up during our first workshop.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865, the correct title of the book)
   Cards and card games are central organizing principles

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)
    Chess rules are the central organizing principle

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll's name) taught math and logic at Christ Church, Oxford.
        Took photographs, portraits of children

In the form of the White knight, Lewis Carroll seems to have put himself into the world

Alice Liddell (daughter of Dodgson's Dean at the university)
On July 4, 1861, Dodgson took a boat ride with Alice and her family. He told the ALICE story for the first time on the boat. He then hand wrote the text and drew pictures for Alice.

The "Cult of the Child" was a strong influence in Victorian England, as was Motherhood Anxiety

The Garden. Seems to symbolize Childhood and Innocence

Possible interpretations:
Perhaps the Duchess is Dodson in drag?

Perhaps Wonderland can be seen as Alice's psyche?

Was the story addressing a concern about the hurry to grow up??

ALICE Workshop #1

On December 9, 2014, the company met to read through the script and to hear from two experts in Children's Literature from the SDSU National Center for the Study of Children's Literature.

We heard from Joseph Thomas, the Director of the Center and his colleague, Phillip Serrato, who spoke about a variety of topics related to Lewis Carroll and the Alice stories.