Original Illustrations from published books by Sir John Tenniel

This posting was kindly contributed by Projections Designer Sean Murray.

The original illustrations from the published books were created by Sir John Tenniel. You can find all the illustrations for both books at this fan website.

Light Plots for our production

The images included here pertain to the work of ourLighting Designer, Conor Mulligan. These are light plots that show where each of the lights will be placed in the theatre. 

 A view from above.

 Designs for the lights that will be wired into the tree branches featured on the setting.

 A view from the side.

Fashionista ALICE?

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Austin Blake. 

These images appeared in a recent issue of VOGUE magazine. Even 150 years after the first book was published, the iconic images associated with ALICE have a strong impact on many areas of our culture.

Royal Behavior and "Bloody Mary"

This post was kindly contributed by cast member Kirstie Newman. 

Royal Behavior and “Bloody Mary”

Mary I of England was born February 18, 1516, and reigned as Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until November 17, 1558, when she died. She was known best for her Roman Catholic restoration and having over 280 Protestant and religious dissenters burned at the stake, which earned her the loving nickname of “Bloody Mary.” AND THIS WAS ALL ONLY IN A 5 YEAR REIGN. It should be noted that she was the only child of King Henry and Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Her mother had countless miscarriages, 4 stillborn daughters and 3 stillborn sons, which adds a spooky layer of drama. Maybe Queen Mary was the ONLY child and sabotaged others in the womb! (Note: not factual, just speculation and imagination.)

Mary I of England

Royal behavior, as a topic, is a bit broad, and attempting to research in this area yielded mostly results of how one is to act while in the presence of royals. I did, however learn about the ruthlessness of Queen Mary I and the incest that is ever-present in most royal bloodlines, which was fascinating. For reasons of diplomacy and “keeping the bloodline clean,” many royal families intermarried, resulting in deformities from inbreeding. The most notable cases are “The Habsburg Jaw” from King Charles II of Spain, and the long line of hemophilia beginning with England’s Queen Victoria. 

King Charles II of Spain

"Secret World of Lewis Carroll" Documentary on BBC

Cast member Austin Book sent the following helpful link to an article about a BBC documentary:

"Alice is always with us; the most quoted work of literature, after the Bible and Shakespeare." Thus begins an article about a new BBC documentary on Lewis Carroll.

Read an article about the documentary:
http://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/secret-world-lewis-carroll-bbc-two

Watch a three-minute clip, and if you have the BBC player, watch the one-hour documentary:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051wml4

Alice through the Age—A Taste of Carroll's Influence in 150 years

"Feeding the Rabbits" or "Alice in Wonderland"-Fredrick Morgan (1956-1927)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass helped changed the face of children’s literature and have made a permanent shift in the ways in which children’s stories can be told. Not only do the stories themselves survive, but their themes and characters survive in the many adaptations and inspirations of the story that have been utilized in the nearly 150 year since the stories were penned. Since the time of the stories publication,

 33 re-tellings and sequels have been listed as being published.

17 various film adaptation expressly drawing from the Wonderland material have been produced

6 stage adaptations, (including out own) have been listed.

This list does not and cannot include the numerous stories, manga, television episodes, movies, and plays that have been written using this story as material without expressly giving credit to the original story. 

1935-All Saint's Church, Daresbury Stained-Glass Windows 

1937-Betty in Blunderland

1951-Alice in Wonderland 

1997-Alice in Wonderland, a Musical Adventure in One Act 

2013- Once Upon a Time in Neverland 

Portals/Rabbit Hole

A portal in science fiction and fantasy is a technological or magical doorway that connects two distant locations separated by space-time. It usually consists of two or more gateways, with an object entering one gateway leaving via the other instantaneously.

Portals can link the character with other places or worlds like the Wood between the Worlds in his Chronicles of Narnia, or even to different times or existences such as the past, or heaven/hell.

The Rabbit Hole is seen as a specific form of this greater portal image, which specifically refers to a metaphor for an entry into the unknown, the disorientating or the mentally deranging. It has been used by psychotropic drug users to describe the experience of hallucination causes by its use.

Picture Credit:

www.astonrep.com

www.deviantart.com