A Guide for Creating Your Own Immersive, Promenade-Style, Alice in Wonderland Performance Piece.
This step-by-step guide will help you create your own immersive, promenade-style Alice in Wonderland performance piece. This project is great fun for elementary through high school and is especially effective if you don’t have adequate theatre space. Alice in Wonderland is a great choice because, in many ways, it is nonsensical, and the audience need not experience the story linearly. It also provides an opportunity to collaborate with the art department at your school! 25 pages filled with creative ideas, scenes, and practical suggestions.
More versions of Alice in Wonderland Scripts
Short Alice in Wonderland Play Script
Alice in Wonderland Full Length Play Script
Alice in Wonderland for Early Readers
Alice in Wonderland Rhyming Play Script
About the Playwright:
Jennifer Reif has taught, directed, and performed around the Pacific Northwest for decades. Her shelves are lined with children’s books and her happy place is in the woods. She loves devising creative theatre projects with kids and sharing ideas with teachers. Jennifer holds her BA in Theatre from Morningside College and also studied at Oxford University in England.
What is promenade theatre?
In a promenade performance, the audience moves to follow the performers around the space. Performances are often site-specific, sometimes in interesting and unusual locations, even outdoors, rather than in a typical theatre space. Sometimes audience members rotate through different locations where they see different scenes. Sometimes the actors stay in their specific location, and sometimes they move as well.
Excerpt from the play:
CHARACTERS 10+
The number of characters depends on what scenes you choose and how you want to guide the audience through the performance. You can easily eliminate some of the scenes or pair down the characters. Here are some possibilities:
Cheshire Cat (tour guides or characters in scenes) 1-3
White Rabbit (tour guides or characters in scenes) 1-3
Alice (1-4, or as many scenes as you have. You could have a different Alice actor in each scene, or Alice could rotate through the scenes depending on your approach.)
Tweedle Dum 1-2 (depending on how you handle final scene with everyone)
Tweedle Dee 1-2 (depending on how you handle the final scene with everyone)
Mad Hatter 1-2 (depending on how you handle final scene with everyone)
March Hare 1-2 (depending on how you handle final scene with everyone)
Dormouse 1-2 (depending on how you handle final scene with everyone)
Queen of Hearts 1-2 (depending on how you handle final scene with everyone)
Guards 1+
Caterpillar 1+
(More characters: Duchess, Gryphon, Humpty Dumpty, Knights, etc.)
Alice Meets the White Rabbit
ALICE: (Reading from The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll)
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the more raths outgrabe.
(The White Rabbit runs by in a hurry, unseen by Alice. After he passes, Alice looks up as if she may have seen something.)
Curious. (Returns to her reading)
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
(The White Rabbit runs by again in the other direction, rather confused. He stops and checks his pocket watch. This time Alice takes notice.)
WHITE RABBIT:
Oh dear, oh, dear! I’m late again!
ALICE:
A talking rabbit? Curiouser and curiouser.
WHITE RABBIT:
Oh dear, oh, dear! The Queen will be angry!
ALICE:
Mr. Rabbit, would you like to play with me? (standing)
WHITE RABBIT:
I’ve no time to play! It’s nearly twelve o’clock. The Queen of Hearts is waiting! (Exits quickly)
ALICE:
Mr. Rabbit, wait for me!
Alice and Cheshire Cat
ALICE:
Where am I? (Alice looks left and right, then UP) Oh, dear! I must have fallen down that rabbit hole. How do I get out?
CHESHIRE CAT: (Hiding so Alice can’t see)
If you chase after strange rabbits, you’ll discover strange things happen.
ALICE:
Who said that? Is it you Mr. Rabbit? (Alice looks about)
CHESHIRE CAT:
No way and no how.
ALICE:
Then who are you? Show yourself.
CHESHIRE CAT:
Who are you?
ALICE: (Still looking for where the voice is coming from.)
I came here by mistake. Can you show me the way out?
CHESHIRE CAT:
I can show you a great deal. But first, we must have a proper introduction.
ALICE:
I am Alice.
CHESHIRE CAT: (Appearing grandly)
And I am the Cheshire Cat.
ALICE:
First a talking rabbit and now a talking cat?
CHESHIRE CAT:
It would be very wise of you to be more polite.
ALICE:
I’m very polite. I’ve just never met talking animals before.
CHESHIRE CAT:
There’s a first time for everything.
ALICE:
I suppose you’re right. I wonder why that is?
CHESHIRE CAT:
There are lots of things to wonder about in Wonderland.
ALICE:
Wonderland?
CHESHIRE CAT:
That’s where you are my dear. Welcome to Wonderland!
ALICE:
If it’s all the same to you, I really must be going.
CHESHIRE CAT:
It’s not the same to me.
ALICE: (Confused)
I suppose not. But please, tell me how to get back home.
CHESHIRE CAT:
Why are you in such a hurry?
ALICE:
If you must know, today is my birthday and my party begins at five o’clock.
CHESHIRE CAT:
5,4,3,2,1…Time doesn’t matter much down here.
ALICE:
Well, it matters to me. Will you please tell me where to go?
CHESHIRE CAT:
That all depends on where you want to get to?
ALICE:
I want to get home, but I don’t know which direction to go.
CHESHIRE CAT:
You could go this way (Cat points. She starts in that direction but is stopped when he says) …or that way.
ALICE:
The White Rabbit mentioned the Queen of Hearts. Perhaps I’ll ask her. She sounds very kind-hearted.
CHESHIRE CAT:
Why would you think that?
ALICE:
Because of her name of course. Queen of Hearts.
CHESHIRE CAT:
You would be thinking wrong.
ALICE:
Mr. Cat… (frustrated)
CHESHIRE CAT:
Call me Chessy.
ALICE: (Matter of fact, directly)
Chessy…I would like to go home, but I need some help.
CHESHIRE CAT:
Why didn’t you say so? I’m happy to help you.
ALICE:
Thank you, Chessy. I guess you’re not unfriendly after all.
CHESHIRE CAT:
I’m a cat. I don’t make friends with just anybody.
ALICE:
Well, I could use a friend right now.
CHESHIRE CAT:
Then friends we shall be.
ALICE:
Why do you smile all the time? Is something funny?
CHESHIRE CAT:
Everything’s funny if you’re willing to laugh at it.
QUEEN: (Yelling from off stage)
Off with their heads!
ALICE:
Who was that?
CHESHIRE CAT:
Don’t ask. Just hurry along. (Cat ushers Alice off stage)
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