By Jess Wind (The Cascade) – Email
Alice
Written and performed by Theatre 353 class (UFV)
Running Time: 60 minutes
Showings: Thursday 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 10:45 p.m.
Alice is one part of two plays that were created in UFV’s playmaking class; they are connected, but are both free to stand alone.
At first impression the set was simple with a single tree standing up at centre stage.
Delaney Bergstrom as Alice was lit up on the catwalk, yelling to her mother across to the other catwalk. This allowed us to separate Alice’s real world from the dream world she was about to enter at centre stage.
The characterof Alice is more mature and headstrong than the traditional storybook girl; she wants to be a journalist and spends her time writing observations in a notebook.
Sound and lighting played a large role in the show. They made use of strobe lights for spooky transitions into dream world scenarios and booming voice-overs that echoed the great and powerful Oz.
The costume design was creative and visually appealing. The woodland creatures’ masks appeared earthy as they crawled around the stage and their eerie eyes set the mood of the scene.
The characters were well executed by all those involved; Ron Jackson was convincing in his two-faced role. However, the script could have spent more time with character and plot development, it ended feeling incomplete. This play is supposed to stand alone from its pair, Jack, but is likely to be more enjoyable when viewed together.
All in all a creative display of talent in all aspects; Alice weaves together traditional elements of children’s fantasy while bringing solid originality to the stage.
