NORTHFIELD — Pioneer Valley Regional School students will be going down the rabbit hole starting Nov. 30, when they’ll be performing “Alice in Wonderland.”
Having selected Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” as the annual fall play, a cast of 11 students will perform for the public Thursday, Nov. 30, at 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.
Tickets for the play will be $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for children age 5 and under.
Student Director Hannah Ray said she picked “Alice in Wonderland” spur-of-the-moment in the spring, when Director Kimberly Rose asked what play the students would perform. Given the play’s quirky nature, Ray said she thought it was a good fit for Pioneer.
“I think we’re such a broad diversity of people here,” Ray said. “A show as spunky and colorful and outgoing as this one fits us very well.”
Though Rose said she was initially hesitant, given the similarity to last year’s play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in the sense that both enter fantasy worlds, she said students weren’t put in similar roles.
Because of an unusually small cast, compared to the more than 25 students involved with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” some students took on multiple roles. Rose said the play involves “sort of a minimalist set,” making set changes more manageable for the students participating.
The cast has been rehearsing since late September, though Ray said the students rose to the challenge that developed from writing a new script three weeks into rehearsal. The new script, she explained, is shorter, more concise, follows the book’s plot better and incorporates more characters.
Another challenge has proved to be bringing some of the book’s other-worldly effects to life, such as having Alice grow and shrink. Ray plans to incorporate lighting effects and change the size of props to make Alice, played by Pioneer seventh grader Willow Glenn, seem larger or smaller.
The play, Rose said, has attracted a high number of seventh, eighth and ninth graders. As such, “Alice in Wonderland” will be the first Pioneer play for several cast members, including Glenn, who said she enjoys “doing something I don’t get to do and being someone I’m not.”
“I really wanted to do a play here,” Glenn said. “I really like acting, and I like ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ It’s a fun story.”
Past Pioneer plays attracted ninth grader Nina Bocko to the stage. Bocko, who will play both Humpty Dumpty and the duchess, remembered being inspired by watching Pioneer’s version of “Grease” when she was in seventh grade.
“I remember thinking ‘Wow, I really want to be a part of this,’ and I did,” Bocko said.
Though Ray has been in 10 shows at Pioneer, making theater a huge part of her life, “Alice in Wonderland” will be the senior’s first experience as a student director.
“It’s been a learning experience,” Ray said, adding how she’s grateful for Oliver and Rose’s past contributions in directing and offering technical assistance. “It’s really stressful, a lot more than I thought it would be.”
When considering their goals for opening night, Glenn said she wants to make people laugh. Similarly, Rose said she hopes the students “let go and let themselves have fun” with their performances.
“It’s going to be a very kid-centered show and the more fun the students have, the more fun the kids will have in the audience,” Rose said. “My hope is that they grow from this experience, gain confidence and just let themselves have fun.”
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 257.