Fifth and sixth-grade students brought the world of Alice in Wonderland to life at the performance of Lewis Carroll’s infamous novel on Thursday, February 26. The play chronicled the adventures of young Alice, played by Ellery Young, after shrinking and being blown into a fantasy world behind the frantic White Rabbit, played by Joseph Santone. Whitefield students played the outlandish characters of the Gryphon, the Red and White Queens, the Cheshire Cat, and many other quirkish characters with humor and pizzaz.
Some of the audience’s favorite moments during the play were Scott Hellier’s dramatic rendition lip-synching Turtle Soup, when James Heiskell, as the dormouse, fell asleep at the tea table during the Mad Hatters’ (Katie Douron and Kaighleigh Golden) Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, and, or course, every audience member loved Amanda King’s Humpty Dumpty costume.
In addition to playing the characters of Wonderland, Whitefield students also served on the stage crew, managing scene changes and props. The play was directed by Carter Fawcett, fifth-grade teacher, and Hayley Davis, Middle School English teacher. It was dedicated to DeAnna Baldwin, Whitefield orchestra teacher, who typically directs this production and casted Alice in Wonderland.
The directors said they were very proud of the performance and how hard the young actors and actresses worked memorizing their lines, practicing projecting, and blocking scenes.
“My favorite part of directing this play was seeing each of their senses of humor come alive in their characters!” Mrs. Fawcett recollected on the many play practices, “Each one of them is so gifted, I hope they continue to pursue acting and use the talents God has given them.”