Synopsis
Alice in Wonderland by Ben Muir from Lewis Carroll
Alice In Wonderland - A Promenade Production
The production was originally performed with five actors and three
puppets, however, the cast can be expanded to have all characters
played by actors
The original casting is listed below the list of characters
All characters can be played by either M or F actors
CHARACTERS
Announcer
White Rabbit
Frog Footman
The Hatter
The Caterpillar
The Hare
The Dormouse
The Cheshire Cat
The Field Mouse
The Queen of Hearts
The King of Hearts
For the original Five Cast Production the characters are split as such
Actor gender specified in brackets
Actor 1 (M) - Announcer/Dormouse (Puppet)
Actor 2 (M) - White Rabbit / Cheshire Cat
Actor 3 (F) - Frog Footman / March Hare
Actor 4 (F) - Caterpillar / Queen / King (puppet) / Field Mouse
(puppet)
Actor 5 (M) - Mad Hatter
There are four separate areas needed for the promenade theatre piece
which will be visited in the order below
The Footman's Door
The Caterpillar
The Tea Party
The Court
Stage directions in red italics will only apply if the production is
being staged as a static theatrical piece otherwise there are no set
changes as the audience will move from set to set.
The audience gather at The Footman's Door.
The Door is not the way to the caterpillar, there should be another
exit in place for the audience to get to the Caterpillar
If the piece is a staged piece, the door can just be placed centre
stage and when the Hatter enters and exits he can use SL and SR
Announcer : Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, now before we start
there's just a few health and safety announcements we need to
make.
The announcer will make any relevant health and safety announces that
apply to the promenade venue
If done as a staged piece the announcer can give the speech regards
turning mobile phones off etc
As the Intro is done the white rabbit comes and stands next to the
announcer and taps his oversized pocket watch
Announcer : er can I help you?
Rabbit : Have you seen what time it is? We should have begun at the
beginning by now and certainly be on our way to ending at the end.
Announcer : Oh, well.
Rabbit : Come along, come along, we haven't all day. We need to
begin, shoo, shoo, I'll take it from here!
Announcer exits
Rabbit : Oh my ears and whiskers! Do any of you know what day of the
week it is?
Audience response
Rabbit : I knew it! This watch is two days slow! I knew I shouldn't
have given it to the hatter to try and fix, he told me he was going to
repair it with butter and he assured me that it would be best butter,
he must have used margarine. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, I really am
late, we must get moving. I have to deliver this this invitation to
the hatter and the hare. It's to play croquet with the queen. Now
which way is the hatters? Is it this way? What about this way? Oh
look! A door! I wonder if I should knock?
Frog enters
Rabbit : Oh look, It's the Frog Footman! Maybe he knows the way!
Excuse me?
Frog : Hello?
Rabbit : Excuse me. You don't know if I can get through this door do
you?
Frog : You could try and knock and see.
Rabbit : That seems like a sensible idea.
Rabbit knocks
Rabbit : there doesn't seem to be any answer. Should I try again?
Frog : You could.
Rabbit knocks
Rabbit : There still doesn't seem to be any answer, should I try
again?
Frog : You could.
Rabbit knocks
Rabbit : There's still no answer! Maybe it's because it's not
loud enough. Could you help?
Frog : I could. In fact, we could all help. When you knock, we shall
stamp our feet and see if we can get someone to answer. After three,
one. Two. Three!
Everyone knocks
Rabbit : Oh dear, my ears and whiskers, this still isn't working!
Why is nobody answering.
Frog : I think I know why nobody is answering the door.
Rabbit : Why?
Frog : Because I'm out here.
Rabbit : What do you mean?
Frog : There's no use in knocking for two reasons. Firstly because
I'm on this side of the door and so are you. Secondly because
you're on this side of the door and so am I.
Rabbit : But how are you going to answer the door if you're out
here?
Frog : There might be some sense in knocking if we had a door between
us. For instance, if you were inside, you might knock and I could
answer it then.
Rabbit : So if I go through, and knock, then you'll answer.
Frog : Yes, yes, I don't see why not.
Rabbit goes through the door and knocks.
Frog answers
Frog : Hello!
Rabbit : Hello!
Frog : Come in.
Rabbit : Thank you. Excellent, that worked. Now I just need my friends
to follow me. Wait a moment, they're already here!
Frog : Yes, they are. They've always been here. Except when they
weren't but that's not now. They're here now.
Rabbit : But I don't want them to be here now, we need to be there now.
Frog : I think I see what the problem was. You see, you knocked from
that side of the door and I answered from this. Perhaps if I go on the
other side of the door then it might work how you want.
Rabbit : Yes, that should work. You go on that side of the door and
then once you're there that's when the knocking should occur.
Frog goes onto the other side of the door.
Rabbit : I'm so sorry about this, we shall get this sorted..
Frog knocks
Rabbit : Excuse me, I must get the door.
Rabbit answers the door
Rabbit : Hello?
Frog : I was wondering how long I needed to be out there.
Rabbit : Until the door got knocked on.
Frog : Well, I knocked on the door.
Rabbit : So you did, well you'd better come in.
Frog : Thank you. Well I'm glad we got that sorted.
Rabbit : Got what sorted?
Frog : Well, you wanted them to be on the same side of the door as you
and now they are. I told you everything would work out all right in
the end.
Rabbit : I'm still not sure this is how everything should have gone.
You see if I'd got to where I should be then I wouldn't have this
invitation to the hatter anymore because I would have delivered it. Oh
my ears and whiskers, what are we to do.
Frog : We shall consider the problem. I shall sit here come, sit
down with me. We shall sit here on and off for days and days.
Rabbit : Days and days.
Frog : days and days and days
Rabbit : days and days and days?
Frog : Days and days and days and days and days
Rabbit : Days and days and days and days and but what am I
supposed to do?
Frog : Anything you like. (the frog begins to whistle)
The rabbit looks awkward
The Hatter enters through the door.
Hatter : Morning!
Frog : Morning.
Hatter : Do you know the way to the Hare's?
Frog : Oh, that's quite simple. To get to the Hare you go over
there.
Hatter : To get to the Hare I go over there! Marvellous! Thank you.
Hatter exits the way the Frog pointed
Rabbit : Wait a minute! I wanted to get to the Hare's!
Frog : Did you? I thought you just wanted to knock and for me to
answer.
Rabbit : No, I need to deliver this invitation to the hatter and the
hare, So I must get to the Hare's!
Frog : Well, you should have just asked.
Rabbit : Is that the way to the Hare's?
Frog : Yes, but you can only go if you're feeling Adventurous.
Rabbit : I think we're all feeling adventurous. Are we?
Audience respond
Frog : In that case can you take a letter for me?
Rabbit : I suppose so. Who is it for?
Frog : It's for you, it's the letter A to remind you that you're
adventurous. Just in case you ever forget. Because Adventure always
begins with an A!
Frog gives an over sized letter A to an audience member
Rabbit : Well, thank you for your help, we'll be off now.
Frog : Of course.. oh and you might want to hurry up, that was the
hatter who just went through the door.
Rabbit : Oh my ears and whiskers!
Frog : Less haste more speed! If you need to knock on the door again.
I'll be right here!
Rabbit leads the audience towards the Hares.
They enter the Caterpillar room.
The Caterpillar is an elderly person sat in amongst balls and strings
of wool, a set of knitting needles are on the caterpillars lap.
The caterpillar is sleeping
The rabbit brings everyone into the room and gets them to hush and sit
down.
In a static staged piece the Rabbit will exit and then the Footman
will take the door with him and the Caterpillar can walk on and sit
down, once the rabbit re-enters you can begin with the Caterpillar's
first line rather than the Rabbit's introduction
Rabbit : Quick, quick, we mustn't be late, but be quiet, we don't
want to wake the caterpillar, if we do, she'll want to have a chit
chat and it'll all get terribly confusing and then I'll never get
this invitation delivered. After three, we're all going to get up
and tip-toe out of here. One, Two
Caterpillar wakes
Caterpillar : Oh what's that? What's that! Everyone just wait a
minute I have a question! Who are you?
Rabbit : Oh! You woke her!
Caterpillar : Who are you?
Rabbit : Oh, I hardly know at present, I'm running a little late.
Caterpillar : What do you mean by that, explain yourself.
Rabbit : I can't explain myself, because I'm not myself you see.
Caterpillar : I don't see.
Rabbit : I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly. It's very
confusing to me.
Caterpillar : You? Who are you?
Rabbit : I'm the white rabbit.
Caterpillar : Oh! Have you come to visit me!
Rabbit : No, I've got to deliver an invitation.
Caterpillar : An invitation for me?!
[end of extract]