We decided to start the performance in the real world by setting the first scene in a club with Alice and her friends. This served to make the characters seem more normal and relatable for a younger audience. We also wanted to create a strong contrast between the real world and the twisted world that Alice finds herself in. Although we had not fully thought out the story at this point, this gave us a good starting point for building tension and meaning as the performance developed
The first scene that we started working on the scene where Alice is in the real world. I originally wanted the scene to have Alice out with her friends to match the original story so that we could still have the fairy tales affect. However, we ended up not doing this instead we have Alice out with her friend dancing . This scene immediately followed a blackout in the opening scene. The blackout served as a good transition and was a good staging tool, allowing the audience to move from the abstract opening scene to a more realistic one. We employed the use of music to create the club atmosphere and convey the mood and tone. I acted as one of Alice’s friends, and by using energetic movement and happy expressions, I managed to convey that my character was lively

In this scene, Alice and her friends danced together before leaving her alone on stage. The contrast between group movement and isolation showed the use of proxemics and added to the vulnerability of Alice. This scene was significant as it showed how people can feel alone even when they are in a social setting. The narrator, played by Shaun, then appeared and offered drugs to Alice. The use of the narrator added to the progression of the story and indicated the transition into Drugland.
We then left so that we could work on our individual characters.
I then concentrated on working on the Caterpillar character on my own. I went back and watched the film of Alice in Wonderland and studied how the Caterpillar character moved and interacted with Alice. I realized that the Caterpillar character tends to move slowly and is always calm and aloof, and I incorporated this by moving slowly and deliberately. I also worked on my voice by using a slower pace, while still projecting the voice because of the size of the stage. This was feedback given to me due to people not being able to hear me and understand what I was saying.
This was difficult as I was also acting the Queen of Hearts, who needed a completely different voice. It was difficult to move from a Caterpillar who was calm and relaxed to a Queen of Hearts who was angry and aggressive. However, I managed to achieve this by using a louder and sharper voice for the Queen of Hearts. This helped me to achieve a dramatic and commanding stage presence. Additionally, I received feedback from my peers and teacher, which helped me to control my voice so that it was clear without being overwhelming.
We also had to think about staging because our performance space was end-on. For example , the tea party have props that we needed , but didn’t want to bring it into the stage due to the time .This meant that we had to conceal props behind a block so that they could not be seen by the audience. This demonstrated our understanding of staging, set design, and audience sight lines.
Having completed the full performance, we went back through each scene to enhance it. Many scenes such as Alice finding the rabbit; were developed or improved to enhance the story. We also had to improve our introduction due to the feedback of it being to short so we added a scene were the narrator come in and opens Alice and drug land. We achieved this by beginning the play with me, Leah, and Sienna holding books to symbolize different stories. The books were used as a visual representation, making us look like a bookshelf. When Shaun picked Alice in Wonderland, it meant that this was the story that the audience would embark on. In this scene, we decided not to speak or display any emotion, opting instead for stillness, blank facial expressions, and address. This resulted in a very striking opening image, much like a tableau, and immediately caught the attention of the audience. The use of stillness was particularly effective in this scene as it created tension and made this moment very significant.

In conclusion, I have played two very different roles, which have enabled me to display a variety of skills. In the Queen of Hearts role, I employed exaggerated movement, vocal projection, and facial expression to ensure that the character was entertaining and memorable. In contrast, I employed slow movement and calm vocal delivery in the Caterpillar role. The reactions of the audience confirmed that both characters were successful, which ensured that my performance decisions were correct.