Musical Of Alice In Wonderland 'WONDERLAND' Opens 12/20

Wonderland, a musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland will be performed Saturday, December 20th at 7pm on the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's stage.

As part of the Theatre's Emerging Artist Series in Musical Theater Playwriting, made possible through a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fund at the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties; Wonderland is the second selection of four for this season and was written by the students of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA).

During the weekly class, "Making a Musical," taught by Andrew Kato, Artistic Director of the Theatre, over twenty students have written the entire musical including script, music, lyrics and choreography. They will be performing the complete show for a public audience on the Theatre's professional stage.

Kato, an Emmy award-winner and Producer of the Tony Awards for the past five years, is directing this musical adaptation and working with the students in every aspect of putting on the production. The Maltz Jupiter Theatre's 2008/2009 theme, "We Create Art," takes on a new meaning with this modern musical adaptation, created by students, as the Theatre is "creating artists."

"It is an honor to be such a big part of this special opportunity, creating an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland from top to bottom," says Brianna Scully, a 13-year old writer and co-director of Wonderland. "It is amazing to hear my classmates singing lyrics that I wrote!"

This new work is a contemporary pop musical that will incorporate dramatic visual effects and puppets to help tell the story. The students have worked in every discipline of producing a musical from conception to production by taking "workshop" classes in technical theatre, costume and set building, and playwriting. On December 20th they will present the final piece in an hour-long production on the professional stage at the Theatre.

"Helping these students learn the process and create their own work has been an incredible experience for me and for the Theatre," says Kato. "The opportunity to develop new work has been a goal of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and a personal ambition for me. This series gives us the chance to educate audiences of all ages in the process of how a producing theatre works."

Tickets are $20 for Wonderland on Saturday, December 20 at 7pm. The performance will honor Diane and Jim Perrella, whom provided vision, guidance and support for creating an educational program for children six years ago when the Theatre was just a hope and a dream.

COPA offers classes in dance, voice, acting and musical theatre as well as workshops featuring local and national talent throughout the year. COPA is now registering for Spring Semester, January 5 - May 2, 2009 featuring performances of Les Miserables School Edition on April 24 & 25 and 7:30pm and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on May 8 & 9 at 7:30pm. Tickets for all of the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's season plays, musicals and limited engagements are now on sale! Call the box office for more information at (561) 575-2223 or visit us online at www.jupitertheatre.org.

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is a professional not-for-profit regional theatre dedicated to the performing arts whose mission is to entertain, educate and inspire our community. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and is located east of U.S. Highway 1 at 1001 East Indiantown Road and State Road A1A in Jupiter.