Travel Down the Rabbit Hole at The Rose Theater

The Rose Teens 'N' Theater program will present Alice In Wonderland Jr. on Thursday, March 2 at 7 pm, Saturday, March 4 at 7 pm and Sunday, March 5 at 4:30 pm on The Rose Theater's Hitchcock Stage.

The show follows the adventures of Alice, played by Larissa Johnson, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a world where flowers talk, cats can stand on their heads, and the rules keep changing. The musical retelling of the classic 1951 film includes favorite moments from the book and more, including meeting the Tweedles, the girls of the Golden Afternoon, members of the Mad Teaparty and, of course, the Queen of Hearts.

Participants have had the opportunity to experience lessons in in acting, movement, stage combat, and voice, while incorporating these techniques in a professional rehearsal setting, directed by theater professionals from The Rose.

"Students have had the opportunity to improve their own individual performance techniques to understand the entire show process and to work together as an ensemble," said Robyn Helwig, director.

The actors are all very passionate about acting and learning, and this experience helped them to further that passion. "I am more comfortable on stage and I am reacting to the other people on stage better," said student Larissa Johnson.

Helwig and fellow teaching artist Katy Kepler lead the production, and they both want to make sure that the kids learn as much as possible in the time they have together. "This adventure into Wonderland has a lot of what you're expecting, and a lot of the... unexpected," said Helwig, who is directing her first Rose Teens 'N' Theater production.

Throughout the class, the directors aim to teach these students through the art of acting, while preparing the students for a full-length production. In the end, Alice In Wonderland Jr. promises to be a fantastic experience.

Part of this class involved learning how to get into character for a show. The students started by getting their own roles for the show, and with each rehearsal came new knowledge of how to adapt and feed off of the energy of your fellow actors.

"Twenty-two kids, eight weeks, one wacky trip down the rabbit hole," said director Katy Kepler.

The cast of Alice In Wonderland Jr. includes Larissa Johnson, Caitlin Wilson, Gwyneth Weiss, Lily Drannen, Megan Rannells, Landon Creighton, Sarah Bunnell, Abbey Lienemann, Maci Martin, Ian Imhoff, Darrian Plebanek, Kember Huber, Belle Johnson, Ellie Melton, Ulyana Romanova, Allison Arkfeld, Megan Venter, Banyan Williams, Trey Leasure, Emily Schmid, Lovisa Nelson and Elsa Covi.

Schools represented include: Arbor Park Middle School, Beadle Middle School, Bell Elementary School, Conestaga Junior Senior High School, Fullerton Magnet Elementary School, Plattsmouth Middle School, Saddlebrook Elementary School, Millard North Middle School, St. Vincent De Paul, Harry Anderson Middle School, Gretna Middle School, Gretna Elementary School, Ponca Elementary School, Titan Hill Intermediate School, Washington Elementary School, Dundee Elementary School, Carraige Hill Elementary School, Elkhorn Ridge Middle School, Grandview Middle School and Homeschooled students.

Alice In Wonderland Jr. will be presented in The Rose Theater's Hitchcock Theater
on Thursday, March 2 at 7 pm, Saturday, March 4 at 7 pm and Sunday, March 5 at 4:30 pm. Teens will be admitted for free at the Thursday night performance. Tickets are $6 each and available at The Rose Box Office, (402) 345-4849, or at the door the day of the show.

Alice In Wonderland Jr. is sponsored by The Mukti Fund, Mammel Family Foundation, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

Teens 'N' Theater is open to high school students who have not yet graduated. There is no cost to participate and the program is open to all interested students. For more information about Teens 'N' Theater, visit www.rosetheater.org/education/teens.

This program provides teens, ages 13 to 18, opportunities to roll up their sleeves and get active in world of theater. The Rose produces six teens-only shows each season, where teen participants are given opportunities to act, direct, write, design and stage manage. Students perform fresh, thought-provoking work at The Rose's Hitchcock Theater.