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News Releases 
"Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic." -Tweedledee, Alice in Wonderland 
For Immediate Release: April 9, 2002
Minneapolis, MN - The Children’s Theatre Company brings the curtain up on the magical return of Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll’s classic books were adapted for the stage by Sharon Holland, with original sound and music by Victor Zupanc. The production will be directed by Dominique Serrand, with scenic design by Scott Bradley, costume design by Sonya Berlovitz, lighting design by Marcus Dillard, and choreography by Matt Jenson. Alice in Wonderland previously performed on the CTC stage in 1982, 1987 and 1994.
This theatrical staging of Lewis Carroll’s fantastic journey will be entirely reimagined under the direction of Dominique Serrand, a founding member and co-artistic director of Theatre de la Jeune Lune. True to his signature style, Serrand’s Wonderland is surreal, inventive and highly physical. Five Alices (three female, one male, one inanimate), all different in size and age, reflect how she views herself throughout the journey. This Wonderland is set in an urban environment, because Serrand believes that this story is taking place now.
"Children are in a constant process of discovery," says Serrand. "And, like Alice, they face enormous riddles of reality on a daily basis. The rules change for them, time is fluid for them and their relationship to the world is in a continual state of flux. Because they already live in Wonderland, they are the most receptive to Wonderland, no matter how it is conceived."
Alice in Wonderland is a triumph of imagination in which nonsense cavorts with meaning in a celebration of language. It reminds us to question what is conventional and believe what can be extraordinary. "When we decided to bring back Alice, we wanted to pair her with one of the great theatrical talents in this country, Dominique Serrand, so the production could benefit from his physical invention and visual poetry," said CTC artistic director Peter C. Brosius. "Dominque believes that the best way to work through a riddle is to inhabit it. That’s what he’s done with this entire production and that’s what he’s inviting the audience to do. It’s going to be a ride."
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) graduated from Christ Church College Oxford in 1854 with top honors. He remained at Oxford until 1881 lecturing on mathematics and writing treatises and guides for students. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1872) are his best known works but he also authored several mathematics books including A Syllabus of Plane Algebraical Geometry and Euclid and His Modern Rivals. He is credited with adding the words "Jabberwocky" and "chortle" to the English language. Sharon Holland started writing at the age of 10. By the time she was 23 years old, she had produced 10 plays and innumerable poems and essays. Holland graduated from Oberlin College before moving to Minneapolis to study playwriting at the University of Minnesota. In 1980 she wrote a musical for CTC’s studio series and another short play for the summer school institute. She was commissioned to write an adaptation of the Charles Perrault fable Puss in Boots followed by the 1982 adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classics about Alice.
Director Dominique Serrand, a native of Paris, studied at the National Circus School, the Winter Circus School, and the Ecole Jacques Lecoq. In 1978, Serrand co-founded Theatre de la Jeune Lune in France with Vincent Gracieux and Barbra Berlovitz. For seven years they performed in France and the United States, before permanently settling in Minneapolis. The theatre has developed a collaborative vision and a distinctive approach to performance that has garnered national and international attention for its immediacy, its physicality, its poetic beauty and its imaginative richness. In 1992, Serrand co-wrote and directed Children of Paradise: Shooting a Dream, which inaugurated Jeune Lune’s new performing facility, toured to Yale Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse, and received the 1993 American Theatre Critic’s Association New Play Award. He directed, co-authored, and starred in Don Juan Giovanni, a hybrid of theatre and opera commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 1994. Other directing credits at Theatre de la Jeune Lune include Red Noses, 1789, 3 Musketeers, The Pursuit of Happiness, Tartuffe, The Magic Flute and Gulliver, A Swift Journey. Sound designer/composer Victor Zupanc has been the Resident Music Director at CTC since 1989. His composing credits for CTC include Dragonwings, Pippi Longstocking, Whale, Afternoon of the Elves, The Miser, The Wizard of Oz, The Prince and the Pauper, Amazing Grace, Ramona Quimby, and Not Without Laughter. Alice in Wonderland is scenic designer Scott Bradley’s first production at CTC. He has designed at numerous regional theatres including Steppenwolf Theatre, The Globe, Arena Stage, and The Goodman where he received the 1996 Drama Desk Award and a Tony® Nomination for his work on Seven Guitars. He has also done design work for Latenight with David Letterman and the Ang Lee film Pushing Hands.
Sonya Berlovitz designed costumes for CTC’s world premieres of The Snow Queen (2002) and Mississippi Panorama (2001) as well as two CTC touring productions. She has also designed costumes for Theatre de la Jeune Lune, as well as Berkley Repertory Theater and Pangea Theater. Berlovitz is the recipient of fellowships from McKnight Theatre Artists and the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Lighting designer Marcus Dillard, previously worked on CTC’s productions of Dr. Seuss’ The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and Pinocchio. He has created numerous designs for theater and opera productions across North America and Europe including more than 50 productions at The Guthrie Theater and Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Choreographer Matt Jenson is the artistic director of New & Slightly Used Dance, a modern-based dance company, seen locally at the Walker Art Center and the Red Eye Theatre. For CTC he choreographed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mississippi Panorama, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Alice in Wonderland is performed by a 28-member cast, which includes three local guest artists, six CTC resident company members, four CTC performing apprentices, and 15 student actors. Sarah Agnew makes her debut on the CTC stage as Alice. She was an apprentice at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville and studied at Ecole Phillipe Gaulier. She has been a company member at Theatre de la Jeune Lune for 5 years. Brian Baumgartner is also making his CTC debut playing Big Alice, Cook, Humpty Dumpty, and the Queen of Hearts. He has been in numerous productions at Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Eye of the Storm, and Hidden Theatre, and was named Artist of the Year by Star Tribune and City Pages. Dakota Hills Middle School student Caroline Innerbichler plays Small Alice in her second mainstage production at CTC; last spring she played Pippi’s neighbor Annika, in Pippi Longstocking. Plymouth Creek Elementary student Natalie Sandberg also plays Small Alice in her second CTC production of the season - she was a Who in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Skilled character actor and CTC Resident Company Member Dean Holt plays the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedledee. Holt was last seen as Max the faithful dog in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and also as the gadget-crazy Mike Teevee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. David Cabot plays the Caterpillar and provides the voice for the White Knight. In eight seasons as a CTC Resident Company Member Cabot has been in many productions, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mississippi Panorama, and Starry Messenger: A Fantasia on the Life of Gallileo. CTC Resident Company Member Gerald Drake has been with The Children's Theatre Company for 30 seasons. In that time he has played just about everything, from the wicked stepmother in Cinderella to a hard-nosed teacher in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and numerous role that did not require him to put on a dress. For Alice in Wonderland he will play the Duchess, the Carpenter, and the King of Hearts. In addition to her performance in last season’s Stamping, Shouting & Singing Home, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the world premiere of The Beggars’ Strike, CTC Resident Company member Marvette Knight choreographed the CTC productions Two African Tales and Lady Hummingbird and Amazing Grace. She has also been on stage at Penumbra Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, and Mixed Blood Theater.
Alice in Wonderland previews April 23-35, opens April 26, and runs through June 16, 2002. Ticket prices are $9-22 for children, seniors, and students, and $15-28 for adults. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. For more information, call the CTC Ticket Office at 612-874-0400. The Children’s Theatre Company is located at 2400 Third Avenue South in Minneapolis.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and CTC will host the PAY WHAT YOU CAN performance of Alice in Wonderland on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:30PM. Tickets go on-sale Tuesday, April 30, one week prior to the performance.
Photos available at www.ctcpix.org as of April 10, 2002.
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