Theatre Company, a fine arts class offered at Heritage, just finished a one-act version of Alice in Wonderland. TheaCo [Theatre Company] is a class where students and our theatre director, Mr. Liam Kelley, go through the ins and outs of putting together plays and stage work. The class requires that students are juniors and seniors and that they take Drama 1 and 2 and/or Stagecraft one and two.
Alice in Wonderland, the one-act version, follows a young Alice and a wily White Rabbit down a hole, tumbling into a surreal Wonderland. She encounters bizarre characters like a grinning Cheshire Cat, a frantic Mad Hatter, and an angry Queen of Hearts while navigating constant size changes, ending with a chaotic trial before realizing it was all a dream.
The Theatre Company’s one-act serves as a way for people to act more if they usually do tech and vice versa. An aspect a lot of people don’t typically know about is tech for theatre. James Bagshaw ’26, the Co-head of Construction, decided to do sound for the Alice. Sound controls all sound effects and mics, including hanging mics above the stage. Bagshaw’26 regards his experience as “I would say it was very chaotic because of the multiple date changes and the very student-led instruction for everything I learned. But it was a valuable learning experience.”
Evan McAdams ’26, someone who usually acts, ended up doing the painting. Construction of the set, and ended fulfilling a role that he wasn’t originally cast as, says this about making the set. “Designing, building, and painting the set for Alice in Wonderland was nothing short of difficult; however, because I pushed myself with such a daunting task, combined with the challenge of having limited time, materials, and money, I was able to create something super unique that I am proud of. Being able to literally create a wonderland was an absolute blast and helped me grow creatively as a person.”
Overall, the Theatre Company version of Alice in Wonderland was a fun experience for everyone who was there. Bagshaw recalls his final thoughts as “Overall, it was a good time.”