‘Alice in Wonderland’ in a whole new way

Photo by Erica Cooley

IT SEEMS THAT HUNTER ROY WAS BORN TO PLAY THE ROLE OF THE MAD HATTER. Here at dress rehearsal he kept everyone present highly entertained as he cavorted onstage like the eccentric, kooky Hatter fans of “Alice in Wonderland” know and love.

Rehearsals are continuing in full swing at Columbia Junior High’s (CJH) Performing Arts Center in preparation for performances of “Alice in Wonderland” running Feb. 5, 6 and 7. Starring a cast of more than 40 eighth and ninth graders from the junior high, this is not the usual tale of Alice falling down a rabbit hole, but an original dance musical with all kinds of new elements added to the story to keep the young thespians challenged and audiences delighted. For the mere $6 admission price, this promises to be the best show in town. Tickets will be available at the door.

Written by teachers Dave and Theresa Hockman, legendary for their talents at making actors/singers/dancers out of just about any interested pupil they encounter, the Hockmans authored this “Alice in Wonderland” with every student in mind who wanted to participate. “That’s how we like to do it at the junior-high level,” says choreographer Kimberly Lee, who is also directing the play with her brother Tristan. Both siblings are graduates of Fife High School. “Everybody who auditions gets a part,” Kimberly Lee said. “That way we include as many kids as possible. And if there are too many kids and not enough parts, we’ll write in parts for them. For a lot of these kids it’s their first time with a theater experience so we want to make it about having a fun experience and learning the basics of theater.”

Thus, not only will the beloved Cheshire Cat be in the story, but a few other cats as well like Cool Cat, Top Cat and Fraidy Cat. The Hockmans threw in a few turtles as well, like Ike and Tina Turtle, Myrtle, Flirtle and Purtle Turtle. And there is a Raggedy Ann doll too that Alice brings with her on her strange journey, and it comes to life much to Alice’s surprise.

All the colorful characters “Alice in Wonderland” fans have loved for generations are in this play. So that all of the students get equal stage time, the cast has been split in two. Cast One performs Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 2 p.m., and Cast Two performs Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.

When one cast is performing, the other cast plays background dancers. Emily Rathburn plays Alice in Cast One, and Kyla Krieg plays Alice in Cast Two. While Rathburn has appeared in many Fife school plays, this will be Krieg’s

premiere on the CJH stage.

Casting the Mad Hatter was easy, according to the directors, for eighth-grader Hunter Roy brings with him a boatload of confidence and abilities to play the role in both Cast One and Two. Roy said he auditioned specifically for the Mad Hatter, his favorite character in the book.

“I can add craziness and madness,” he said of his character, and he does exactly that with panache.

Tristan and Kimberly Lee agreed that learning theater arts benefits these young students in other areas of their life, including in the classroom.

“It’s amazing because you’ll see kids who are

quiet at the beginning just blossom on stage,” Kimberly Lee said. “Teachers will actually notice it in their classrooms,” when students who are normally reserved start becoming more outwardly engaged in their lessons in class.

“We have such talented kids, and it’s really great to get them into an environment where they can really shine.”

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