A “Beauty and the Beast” character lunch held last year at Emporia High School was so successful that Amanda Stice is bringing it back in an expanded format for the EHS production of “Alice in Wonderland.”
The lunch is scheduled on Feb. 14, before the matinee performance.
“This year we’re going to try something different,” Stice said.
In addition to a light meal that will include musical teapots and sandwiches cut in the shapes of flowers and hearts, participants will make their own flower gardens, play “pin the rose on the bush” and will be allowed to crawl inside a giant teacup to have photos taken. They also will receive free T-shirts, an autograph book and pages to color, as well as giant cupcakes for their “unbirthday.”
“Of course, everything will be decorated with cards and flamingos and theme things from the show,” Stice said.
The cost is $5 per child and reservations are needed.
The play itself involves a cast and crew members who were chosen in auditions last fall. Actors received their scripts before Christmas break, which gave them an opportunity to begin learning their lines early.
Students usually present a musical for their spring performance, Stice said. This year, however, the musical side of the project was not available for the annual cooperative project that brought together theatre, vocalists and musicians in a massive ensemble.
Stice decided to present the non-musical “Alice” instead. Her goal is to involve as many students as possible, and at EHS that is not difficult to do because of student enthusiasm for their productions.
“It just kind of lent itself to having a large number of kids,” she said. “Plus, it has kind of a built-in audience” of children as well as adults who are familiar with the story.
Many of the characters will pop in and out of the production through the audience, and interact with the children along the way, she said, and a Mother Hubbard-type storyteller will narrate the plot from a large rocking chair at the side of the stage.
The crew and volunteers have created nine sets — the White Rabbit, cards, queen, teapot, Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the caterpillar, flower, the book and the duchess — to stage the play.
The production has drawn help from the school and the community. Art teacher Alan Keck made a ceramic non-functioning hookah, which was painted by another art teacher, Joshua Pavlik. Gene Wirsig in the technical education department helped with the sets.
Only a few of the costumes and props had to be rented.
Ann Snyder, who works at Camp Wood near Elmdale, comes to Emporia after work to help with the costume-making, and volunteers Pat and Karen Flood, Jeff Schmidt and Ken Roemer have helped with the sets and the costumes.
“And then tons of parents,” Stice added. “We have an awesome booster club that helps quite a bit. I couldn’t do half the stuff we do if they didn’t help me.”
Foods for the character lunch will come from a variety of sources. The Sara Lee company donated breads, and Nancy Garcia has made arrangements for Country Mart to donate meats and cheeses. Interrelated teacher Kari Wallace’s life skills class will bake the over-sized cupcakes.
The play will be performed in a school matinee for a limited audience on Feb. 11 and for the public at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14. A matinee performance for the public will begin at 2 p.m. Feb. 14, after the character lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information, call Stice at 341-2365.
Cast members are: Rebekah Kvas, Alice; Joel Christiansen, White Rabbit; Logan Herrera, Mad Hatter; Aaron Wyatt, March Hare; Andrew Sanchez, Caterpillar and Cheshire Cat; Bridgit Jurgens, Dormouse; Shuresa Kair, Queen of Hearts; Delano Mendoza, King of Hearts; Drew Surmeier, Knave of Hearts; Adam Helmer, Humpty Dumpty; Olivia Coulson, Tweedledee; Taylor Mayer, Tweedledum; Dylan Sherwood, Cook; Sarah Coulson, Narrator; Ashley Grover, Rose; Gerri Sprecker, Marigold; Vilma Magana, Daisy; Lorren Miza, Violet; Laura Bosiljevac, Tiger Lily; Hailey East, Zaina Delgado, Erin East, and Caitlin Flood, Flowers; Tagan Trahoon, Ace of Hearts; Katie Potter, Deuce; Lindsey McDaniel, Trey; Madeline Huerta, Quattro; Jamie Schmidt, Cinque; Tyler Baker, Octave; Cards — Andrea Davis, Jack of Heart; Samantha Daugaard, Seis; Kara Partridge, Siete; Josh Stephens, Nueve; and Abdi Dayid, Diez.
The crew is made up of Claudia Jaimes, stage manager; Shawn Mason, light operator; Kate Haberkorn, sound operator; Carrie Hurlocker, props; Caitlin Flood, costume crew head; Hailey East, Zaina Delgado, and Erin East, costume crew members; Jessie Olsen, shift crew head; and Lydia Roemer and Brisa Waechter, shift crew.