Manchester International Festival to Present WONDER.LAND

wonder.land is a new musical inspired by Lewis Carroll's iconic Alice in Wonderland, with music by Damon Albarn and book and lyrics by Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe, Handbagged). Directed by the National Theatre's incoming Director Rufus Norris.

wonder.land is a Manchester International Festival/National Theatre co-production.
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, National Theatre and the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Welcome to wonder.land, where you can be exactly who you want to be.

Aly, 12, loves this extraordinary virtual world. Bullied at school and unhappy at home, wonder.land lets her escape from her parents, from teachers, from herself.

Online, Aly becomes Alice: brave, beautiful and in control. But some of the people she meets - the weird Dum and Dee, the creepy Cheshire Cat, the terrifying Red Queen - seem strangely familiar.

As hard as Aly tries to keep them apart, real life and wonder.land begin to collide in ever more curious and dangerous ways.

wonder.land is designed by Rae Smith, with projections by 59 Productions and lighting by Paule Constable, the design team behind War Horse.

Damon Albarn and Rufus Norris return to MIF after their acclaimed opera Dr Dee (MIF11, ENO 2012). Following its premiere at Manchester International Festival 2015, wonder.land will visit the NT's Olivier Theatre in November 2015 and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2016.

Moira Buffini: ''I have never written a musical before so I am in at the deep end - but with two wonderful collaborators in Damon and Rufus. It has been a real pleasure so far and to my surprise I have enjoyed writing the lyrics most of all.

"Alice offers a great challenge. Carroll's stories and Tenniel's drawings are hard wired into our subconscious; characters curious and bold, treading a line between dream and reality. Finding a way to reinvent these icons for the digital age has been a fascinating journey."

Damon Albarn: 'I'm fascinated by the idea of going down a rabbit hole, the otherworldliness and what that might mean. Alice aside, The Queen of Hearts, The Duchess, White Rabbit, Caterpillar were the most threatening characters of my childhood. I was genuinely very frightened of them as a kid, which is probably why I was interested when Alex Poots suggested a reworking.'

Alex Poots, CEO and Artistic Director, Manchester International Festival: "In Alice in Wonderland we have found something I have been looking for for some time: an inspiration that is both curiously and eccentrically English and yet has a universal currency. It is the perfect combination for this fantastic creative team and for Manchester International Festival."

Creative team:
Damon Albarn, Music
Moira Buffini, Book & Lyrics
Rufus Norris, Director
Rae Smith, Set Designer
59 Productions, Projections
Katrina Lindsay, Costume Designer
Paule Constable, Lighting Designer
Paul Arditti, Sound Designer
Javier De Frutos, Choreographer
David Shrubsole, Music Director
Mike Smith, Music Associate
James Bonas, Associate Director

LISTINGS
wonder.land
PALACE THEATRE, OXFORD STREET, MANCHESTER, M1 6FT
PRESS NIGHT: THU 2 JULY, 7.30PM
2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 JULY, 7.30PM
5, 8, 10, 12 JULY 2.30PM
PREVIEWS 29, 30 JUNE, 1 JULY 7.30PM

Tickets on public sale 11.30am Thu 22 Jan, to MIF members 11.30am Wed 21 Jan

Tickets £45 - £18 (no per ticket booking fee; transaction fee applies)
Concessions available
Box Office: www.mif.co.uk | 0844 817 7654

£12 tickets for Greater Manchester residents on a lower wage, available on a first come first served honesty basis