Previews: DREAM CHILD: THE TRIAL OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Powerstories Theatre
Powerstories FundraiserHER on May 15-17
On stage at Powerstories Studios on May 15–17 is an intimate FundraiseHER, Dream Child: The Trial of Alice in Wonderland. With only twenty‑five seats per performance, audiences will sit within arm’s reach of actor and playwright Roxanne Fay as she portrays Alice Liddell, the real girl whose childhood friendship with Charles Dodgson, the quiet Oxford mathematics tutor who would become Lewis Carroll, inspired a literary legacy.
The Boutique Micro Theatre will be transformed into Wonderland where memory and imagination overlap. Guests will be surrounded by the story, close enough to feel every shift in Alice’s reflections as she revisits the friendship that ended abruptly in June 1863. The missing pages from Dodgson’s diary and Alice’s lifelong silence about that moment create the central mystery that Dream Child explores. “By placing ourselves as the audience inside the whimsy of Wonderland from where we peer through the looking glass to find the Alice who inspired it all, we become part of an adventure where the interplay between history and fiction is as beautiful as the Lobster Quadrille,” says Clareann Despain, Powerstories Executive Artistic Director with a wink.
As part of the immersive setting, guests will enjoy Eat Me and Drink Me treats and potions provided by Nothing Bundt Cakes, Brides and Blooms, and Sherry Ragsdale Delgate Reinhardt before stepping into the performance. Once inside, they will discover a fully realized Wonderland environment in Powerstories’ newly renovated studio. Guests may claim the Red Queen’s throne, settle into a tea‑party chair, perch on curated stumps beneath the trees, or choose another cozy, quirky seat for the one‑hour performance. Doors open an hour early for wandering, photos, and surprises, and guests will also search for handmade bunnies and bowties crafted from playing cards hidden throughout the space.
Dream Child is part of Powerstories Theatre’s FundraiseHER initiative supporting its mission to amplify true stories of women and girls. The event offers tiered pricing from $45 to $150 so guests can choose the option that fits while still experiencing an unforgettable evening in Wonderland.
A second component of the special event is an online raffle featuring artwork and gift certificates from local businesses. The raffle includes seven themed Wonderland realms, each available for only a $2 ticket, with prize packages valued up to $500. Realms include White Rabbit, Lobster Quadrille, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Caterpillar, Queen of Hearts, and Jabberwocky. Prizes range from Lightning hockey tickets for next season to a forest bath experience, an acupuncture somatic session, dance gift certificates, and a handcrafted Alice‑themed three‑dimensional paper artwork, and much more. Participants do not need to be present to win, and the raffle is available to browse through May 31.
“Your Dream Child ticket purchase helps Powerstories continue its work in a year when arts funding has nearly disappeared. Every seat reserved during our FundraiseHER keeps our incredible season of plays and PowerUps on stage, lets the Voices of Women Theatre Festival reach even further, and ensures that girls in our Girlstories Leadership Theatre program continue to grow as confident storytellers,” explains Despain. “You create an opportunity for our STAGE Initiative (Sponsored Tickets for Access, Gathering and Equity), to provide free tickets to a local nonprofit, so people who might never experience live theatre can enjoy the magic of our Greater Good season 26, starting with Predictor in July. Your one ticket becomes a doorway to belonging, to being welcomed into the story instead of standing outside of it.”
Dream Child is on May 15–17 at Powerstories Studio, 4237 El Prado Blvd., Tampa. Learn more and buy tickets and $2 raffle tickets at powerstories.com/dream-child.
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