Tisch New Theatre Will Present ALICE BY HEART This Month

Tisch New Theatre's production of Alice by Heart will take place at Theater for the New City from April 26th - April 28th, 2024. Directed by Juliette Markman, Choreographed by Erin Amstein, Music Direction by Chelsea Melnick, and Produced by Leah Frantz, this adaptation of Alice by Heart asks the question: can we ever truly escape our reality?

Tickets start at $17.85 for students and $29.75 for adults. This will take place at Theater for the New City at 155 First Avenue (between E. 9th and E. 10th Streets) New York, NY 10003. There will be a pay-what-you-can performance on April 25th at 8 pm accessible by emailing tischnewtheatre@gmail.com.

Above the concrete of the London streets, war has broken out. As the British join the allied powers to fight against the Nazi regime, a whole other world lies below their feet. The London Tube has been transformed into a bunker where, for five years, millions and millions of people seek shelter. People lived, breathed, worked, slept, died, and survived in the underground, but most importantly, children grew up.

Join young Alice Spencer as she escapes from her London bunker in the center of World War II and into her favorite book: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Amid her literary adventure, she discovers that the line between fantasy and reality has blurred, forcing her to confront the world around her. What was once an escape turns into reality, as she uses the story to come to terms with love, loss, dreams, and death in wartime.

Alice by Heart makes us question why we turn to stories in times of grief-and if we can ever truly get lost within them. When the story begins to slip away, what remains?

"Alice by Heart is an incredibly timely story despite taking place in 1941. I feel so lucky to be leading this incredible group of artists as they navigate what it means to be a child in times of political turmoil. At its core, this show is not about people living during war. It is about children using art to cope in times of need. Instead of using rehearsal as a way to suppress our thoughts, we have all taken a note from Alice's book. We have used this story as a catalyst to take on our world through a new perspective, discovering how important the arts are in our lifelong mission of understanding our universe and all the harm that comes with it. We are so lucky to be able to live, work, and create in a space like New York-a community that is home to diverse voices that are never afraid to speak up about pressing issues. We do not live in a vacuum, and so theatre should not live in a vacuum. Like Alice, we have discovered how we cope with war through art. We have discovered how theatre can be a vehicle for change. We have discovered how important it is to tell stories. This production will be enjoyable, though it won't serve as an escape - rather as a way to cope with your own grief through art. As long as there is art, there is a way out" Director Juliette Markman stated.

The cast will feature SAMANTHA CHU as ALICE, LEE BOWSER as UNDERSTUDY ALICE, Sam Cusson as ALFRED/WHITE RABBIT/MARCH HARE, ISABELLA SCOLARO as NURSE/QUEEN OF HEARTS, BRAIDEN LEE as HAROLD/MAD HATTER/MOCK MOCK TURTLE, KEIRA BOTJER as TABATHA/ CHESHIRE CAT, AIDAN RYAN as DODGY/DUCHESS/MOCK MOCK MOCK MOCK TURTLE, Mia Rose WILLIAMS as CLARISSA/MOCK MOCK MOCK TURTLE, HUDSON QUINN as NIGEL/DORMOUSE/KNAVE OF SPADES, ELIJAH DOR as ANGUS/CATERPILLAR, MICKEY WIRTZ as DR. BUTRIDGE/KING OF HEARTS/JABBERWOCK/MOCK TURTLE, NATALIA KANTNER as CATERPILLAR 2, and JOSIE AXELSON and AYDEN MAYA CHACKO as ENSEMBLE

*Please note that the cast is subject to change

PRODUCTION TEAM

Produced by LEAH FRANTZ in association with TISCH NEW THEATRE | Artistic Director JULIA FREITAS-GORDON | Production Managers BENOIT ELIAS-ROBERGE AND MOLLY LITVIN | General Manager and DEIA Co-Chair Rachel Lee | DEIA Co-Chair HANNAH STOBER

Directed by Juliette Markman | Associate Director ASTA TRIVEDI

Choreographed by ERIN AMSTEIN | Assistant Choreographers JAIDE MALONE and AUDREY RICHARDS

Music Directed by CHELSEA MELNICK | Assistant Music Directors ZOË FARAJIAN, MAYA KILE, and NYA HOLMES

Production Stage Manager JESSE YOUNGSTEIN | Stage Manager ARYANA PIROS | Assistant Stage Manager ISABELLE ORMSBY

Technical Director NAVEEN BANGALORE | Assistant Technical Director ALEXANDRIA NATION | Assistant Production Manager ESME CUAUTLE | Head of Scenic Design WENDY ZHANG | Associate Scenic Designers DYLAN DUGOURD and Z WECHSLER | Props Designers Taylor Williams and ELI KAN | Lighting Designer BENOIT ELIAS-ROBERGE | Assistant Lighting Designer and Lightboard Operator Sarah Clarke | Sound Designer ELLA DANYLUK | Assistant Sound Designer EMMA MCANINCH | Sound Board Operator TINA QIU | Costume Designer CAMILLA CARRASCO | Assistant Costume Designer MAXWELL GUTIERREZ | Hair and Makeup Designer EMMA LI | Intimacy Director SOFI LOPEZ ARRENDONDO | Dramaturg LAKE MERRITT | Dialect Coaches JOSE ROMERO and LUKERIA PETRUNINA | Assistant Producers SIGNY ACKERMANN and JAYLA EBANKS | Assistant Artistic Director IFE DAVIS | Head of Development Julia Lipsztein | Development Assistant MULTI MCMACKIN | Marketing Director ASPEN NARAIN | Marketing Assistant HANNAH STOBER | Photographers ARI ISENBERG, MASON JIN, JESS EICHEN, FRANCESCA DIMICELI, and AYDA BAHRAMPOUR | Videographers MARIA RENKAS and LUCY TIAN | Graphic Designers JINGWEI MU and RITZ FAN | Wardrobe Supervisor KADY NANKIVEL | Assistant Wardrobe CARTER NARANJO

Book by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson | Lyrics by Steven Sater | Music by Duncan Sheik

Orchestrations by Duncan Sheik Additional Orchestrations by Vocal Arrangements by Simon HaleJason Hart Alice by Heart was first commissioned and produced by National Theatre Connections in 2012 Developed with the Assistance of Theatre Aspen, Aspen, Colorado A workshop production of Alice by Heart was presented by New York Stage and Film & Vassar at The Powerhouse Theater, Summer 2018 New York Premiere at the MCC Theater February 26, 2019 Artistic Directors: Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, & William Cantler Executive Director: Blake West. Alice by Heart Is presented through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

About Tisch New Theatre

Tisch New Theatre allows students to work in all facets of the theatre: performance, management, direction, production, and other technical and design aspects. TNT is committed to developing and presenting technically and ideologically ambitious works with the intent to teach, challenge, and synthesize the artistic efforts of the Tisch Community and NYU's undergraduate student body.

Educating, entertaining, and empowering artistic minds is at the heart of our mission, exemplified in our presentation of musical theatre as a tool of storytelling. Our organization empowers its young artists to hold leadership positions with the caliber of professionalism they will possess working in the industry. TNT prioritizes fostering artistic growth in all NYU students, offering a safe environment for learning and personal development.

About Theater for the New City

Established in 1970 by Crystal Field, George Bartenieff, Larry Kornfeld, and Theo Barnes, Theater for the New City has reached its 53rd year with a steadfast commitment. This dedication revolves around fostering both established and emerging playwrights while providing a platform for small developmental theater companies that push the boundaries of conventional forms. Through our Community Programs, we strive to enhance theater accessibility and enrich cultural discourse. Guided by our core values, we endeavor to embody a vision of innovative theater arts accessible to both the community and its artists, nurturing new voices in playwriting and fostering connections between playwrights, experimental theater artists, and the community. We cultivate environments where creativity can flourish without commercial constraints and design systems to integrate theater into the community fabric while bringing community members into the theatrical experience. Additionally, our efforts extend to engaging underserved youth in theater arts, channeling their energies toward creativity and empowerment.

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