Eight-year-old Rebekah Forsyth of Marshville will be making her stage debut as Alice. Logan Tallman, also making his debut, will be playing the White Rabbit.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Wooten
Eversmith Tallman as Humpty Dumpty.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Wooten
Rebekah has other family members who are joining her in the cast. Director Tommy Wooten said this production has been a real family-affair.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Wooten
WADESBORO — Fresh faces will be making their debut in The Ansonia Theatre’s production of “Alice in Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole” which premieres this week.
“It’s definitely a modern adaptation of the original book,” said director Tommy Wooten, adding that there are references to current-day technology and that the music is very modern.
At eight-years-old Rebekah Forsyth will be making her debut as Alice, as will Logan Tallman playing the White Rabbit.
“You have to see this kid to believe her,” Wooten said of the lead actresses performance.
In a cast of 27 members, about 17 of them are children and teens. About 15 of the cast members will be making their stage debut.
“I love working with children,” Wooten said. “They’re little sponges who soak up everything.”
Wooten said that this is a very kid and family-friendly show, noting that there are many families who will be appearing on stage together.
During the audition period, over 70 people auditioned for roles in the play.
The basic story structure behind “Alice in Wonderland” remains the same, although it’s slightly condensed to a 75 minute runtime. The cast has been working on the play’s production for about seven weeks prior to the debut.
“This is a great show to introduce kids to theater,” Wooten said.
The cast —
Rebekah Forsyth — Alice
Gracilee Bricker — Edith
Logan Tallan — The White Rabbit
Marcus Covington — The Cheshire Cat
Karen Johnston — The Queen of Hearts
Robert Graves — The King
Amanda Traywick — The Duchess
John Caudle — The Mad Hatter
Other members of the cast include Audrey Barringer, Cleve Baxley, Maria Bennett, Teri Brown, Glenn Caulder, Lela Chaney, Andrew Forsyth, Jeremiah Forsyth, Regina Forsyth, Cali Green, Greyson Helms, Animah Jackson, Donnie Lewis, Taniqua Lindsey, Rocky Moore, Abigail Moree, Ayla Perkins, Donald Perkins and Eversmith Tallman.
Members of the crew include
Tommy Wooten — Director
Maggie Gibson — Assistant direction
Mike Phillips and Teri Brown — Set design
Joe Blocker — Sound
Paige Mercer — Lights
Donnie Lewis, Chipper Long, Teri Brown and Brittany Price — Costumes
“Alice in Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole” will premiere this Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. There will be another 7:30 p.m. show on Saturday, followed by a 3:00 p.m. performance on Sunday. Those set times will repeat the weekend of May 20-22. For this performance, attendees in the audience do not need to wear a mask for the show.
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