Press Release: Alice's Wonderland

GO ON A VIRTUAL ADVENTURE WITH SOUTH COAST REPERTORY’S ALICE’S WONDERLAND

A Contemporary, Pop Version of the Children’s Classic For Theatre for Young Audiences and Families

COSTA MESA, Calif. (January 24, 2024)—South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Paula Tomei) takes audiences on an exciting journey with a remarkable young girl in Alice’s Wonderland, book, music and lyrics by Julia Riew and J. Quinton Johnson, conceived by Linda Chichester and David Coffman. Directed by Rob Salas, Alice’s Wonderland runs Feb. 10-25 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Tickets to the Theatre for Young Audiences and Families production of SCR’s 60^th season are available at scr.org. Alice’s Wonderland is suitable for children 4-years-old and up.

“Alice’s Wonderland is an empowering, fantastic adventure,” Ivers said. “This adaptation of the children’s classic not only takes audiences on a theatrical journey of wonder and spectacle, but carries a message of hope, perseverance and self-belief—positive messages that resonate not only with children, but adults as well. As a theatre, we view it as a mandate to tell stories that shatter barriers and push artistic boundaries and Alice’s Wonderland does both even as it entertains.”

A pop and hip-hop musical inspired by the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice’s Wonderland tells the story of a brilliant, passionate teen who dreams of making the world better by creating a video game called “Wonderland.” When a virus shuts it down, Rabbit pops from her screen asking for help and Alice leaps into the virtual world for an unforgettable adventure. To save Wonderland, she must level up and up and up, until she confronts the ruthlessly ambitious Queen of Hearts.

“Introducing young people to the joy of live theatre and the value of creative expression is central to SCR’s mission,” Tomei said. “Since the inception of our Theatre for Young Audiences and Families productions, we’ve been able to offer free school time performances to students in Orange County.  This year, more than 3,500 elementary school students will see Alice’s Wonderland, free of charge.  And, for many, this will be their first exposure to a live theatre experience.”

“I am thrilled Rob Salas (SCR’s Artistic Coordinator) is making his long-awaited SCR directorial debut,” Ivers said. “I’ve known Rob for many years and have watched him grow as a person and in his craft. He brings great talent, insight and skill to the job, inspiring the best in everyone he works with—on and off the stage. “ 

Salas previously worked at the theatre as an assistant director for One Man, Two Guvnors, Completeness and Doctor Cerberus. Previously, Salas spent 12 years as a founding artistic director of Davis Shakespeare Festival, where he directed more than 15 productions and was named one of the best young directors in the region by Sacramento News & Review. Salas’ other assistant directing credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory and Utah Shakespeare Festival.

“The excitement begins when we follow Alice on her quest to find her confidence as she ventures in Wonderland. Along the way she meets cool modern versions of the characters we know and love from the Lewis Carroll classic: Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Hatter,” Salas said. “The musical style is very Hamilton-esque—and the hip hop/rap approach really serves as a perfect medium to tell the story as it ultimately encourages Alice to believe in herself. The production is going to be a technical feat that utilizes every theatrical element, from music to projections to dance. It will feel like you’re inside Alice’s video game.”

Alice’s Wonderland features Shavonne Grandison (Alice), Lauren Du Pree (Queen of Hearts), Alexander Matos (Mad Hatter), Mitchell Gerrard Johnson (Caterpillar), Angel Dumapias (Cat), Roberto Antonio Martin (Rabbit), Sophia Barajas (Wonderlander) and Kita Grayson (Wonderlander). Johnson previous appeared at SCR in the 2019 Theatre for Young Audiences and Families production of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Matos previously appeared in the 2022 Pacific Playwrights Festival Samples from The Lab reading of Dr. Silver, A Celebration of Life. Martin returns to SCR after playing Tony in last summer’s Outside SCR production of La Havana Madrid at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

The design and creative team includes Shammy Dee, music director; Shaun Motley, set design; Alexis Carrie, costume design; Jesse Portillo, lighting design; Andrea Allmond, sound design; Hannah Tran, projection designer, and Brigette Dunn-Korpela, choreographer. Joanne DeNaut, CSA, is the casting director, Maisie Chan is the production manager, Talia Krispel is the production stage manager and Julian Olive is the assistant stage manager.

Alice’s Wonderland received generous support from Honorary Producer Leona Aronoff-Sadacca.

Tickets are now on sale and range in price from $30 to $48. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org or by phone at (714) 708-5555. More information is available at www.scr.org).