York School Presents The Amateur Premiere Of ALICE BY HEART This Spring

York will be producing the West Coast premiere of a new musical called Alice by Heart. From the Tony and Grammy award-winning creators of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress), Alice by Heart is a touching musical inspired by Alice's madcap Adventures in Wonderland. Straight from New York to York School, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has been an incredible chance for York students to dive into a brand new musical.

"In the rubble of the London Blitz of World War II, Alice Spencer's budding teen life is turned upside down, and she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

As they travel through the tale, Alice by Heart explores the poignancy of first love, coming to terms with loss, and finding the courage to move forward. This world premiere musical encourages us all to celebrate the transformational power of the imagination, even in the harshest of times."

Alice by Heart will be directed by Santa Cruz resident, Andrea L. Hart, musically directed by Spencer Williams and Taylor Safina, and choreographed by Hart and Williams. Hart was just appointed the new artistic director of Cabrillo Stage which is in its 40th year of producing large-scale musicals for the Monterey Bay community. Hart moved to Santa Cruz last July after finishing a master's degree in Directing at the University of Texas at Austin.

"I am completely thrilled to have this amazing opportunity to direct this brand new musical by one of my favorite writing teams." Hart begins. "This renowned story of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, is beautifully captured by Sheik's music, and Sater and Nelson's beautiful reinterpretation of the book. It will be a lovely golden afternoon as we venture into the mad-cap characters of Wonderland."

For more information, please visit www.york.org/theatre