For the 2025-26 school year, The Norwin Theatre Company will perform Alice in Wonderland (and back again) for their big fall play. The Norwin Theatre Company invites you to their own new twist, directed by Erin Shrader, Lauren Scheirer, and Kayley Klass. The play will be showing on October 9-12 at the Middle School auditorium, due to the renovation of the high school theater. Tickets will be $8 for students, $10 for adults, and $8 for senior citizens. Order the tickets at www.NHSTheatreCompany.com.
The twist of the play is that Alice is scrolling on social media until she is sucked into the very device she is watching from. She finds herself in a new world where things are wacky and strange, where she will make new friends and or enemies. There are a bunch of recognizable faces like The Mad Matter, the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts. In the middle of the play, Alice goes through the looking glass, where everything turns the other way, including the set design.
“I had no clue that I would be cast as Alice, but I was happily surprised when I got to see the cast list,” said senior Sophia Tokay. “Even if I wasn’t cast as Alice, I would’ve been ecstatic just to be a part of the show. It’s such an amazing compliment to be cast as a character, so I was over the moon to be cast as Alice.”
Stage Crew is also working hard behind the scenes, although they are working in the middle school while the cast works at the high school. The set design has been harder due to a smaller environment. Some people have mixed views about it.
“Having cast and crew separated has its pluses and minuses,” said crew director Todd Leighty. “The biggest benefit is being separated allows each to work without affecting the other. The cast doesn’t have to try to rehearse through construction noise, and the crew has full access to the stage space to do whatever work they need to do. The downside is it takes away the easy collaboration to have questions answered or be able to see how the cast is interacting with scenic elements and props to know if changes will need to be made. It also doesn’t allow for the social interaction between the two groups and a chance to see what the other group is doing.”
“The show went very well! For it being one of the fall plays, we had a good number of people,” said Summer Friedline, who played the character of the Nanny. “I think the entire cast performed well, especially with the number of lines they were each given.”
All in all, Alice in Wonderland is a hit with the cast members. The laughter and the enjoyment in each and every scene is breathtaking, although there were problems here and there, but in reality, the mistakes helped improve the play even further and created hilarious moments that all ages would enjoy.
”It was a lot of fun it was nice getting to like see my friends every single day,” said senior Katherine Carroll, who played the character of the White Rabbit. “Overall, the show was was really good it showed everyone’s individual talents and I to that performed really well I put my best work in“
“I would also say that the people within the theater company become your family as you basically go through all of high school together,” said Tokay. “It is an excellent way to break out of your shell, meet new people, and get involved in your community, whether you are in cast or crew.”
