The weekend of April 29th-30th, the Tottenham Players made their triumphant return to the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre stage with the production of The Wizard of Wonderland. This production involved 27 Junior School students and half a dozen staff members. It was a true collaborative effort!
After months of auditions and rehearsals, the actors brought the story to life. Judson Watson (Connor Demrovsky) shirked his responsibility and forgot to finish his book report for school – and his mother (Edisana Ukpeh) gave him a scolding! He was desperate to complete his work to avoid another lecture. He dozed off while watching The Wizard of Oz and then fell fast asleep while reading The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. He found himself in a dream with two of literature’s great adventurers – Alice (Hannah Obomighie) and Dorothy (Kennedy Adams).
The three characters found themselves in the Tulgey Wood – the magical land between Wonderland and Oz. One by one, Judson, Alice and Dorothy met characters from both stories who are lost and in need of help. These included the White Rabbit (Edgar Merepeza), the Dormouse (Quinlyn Mendum), the Mad Hatter (Michael Hassard), the Scarecrow (Sam Nadurata), the Tin Woodcutter (Fiona Hartleib) and the Cowardly Lion (Ira Hodges). The story unleashed some fearsome foes – from the Wicked Witch of the West (Emerson Goodyer) to the Queen of Hearts (Riley McKernan), and horrid monsters – from the Bandersnatch to the JubJub Bird. At every turn, Judson and his friends had to take on the responsibility of playing their role and they found their true place in their own story.
Many students found a place to express themselves creatively behind the scenes of the production. The Style Crew focused on bringing the characters to life through their hair and make-up. This crew included Molly Steeves, Rowan Christ, Rebecca Zhang, Avery McGee and Scarlett Maguire. This crew benefitted from the vision and organizational touch of Ms. Elaine Carmen.
The Publicity Crew saw to it that the tickets, t-shirts and posters were organized. They also ran the concession stand during intermission. This crew included Neala Swanston, Sadie McCosh and Jack Blain. The Front of House Manager, Mr. Alex Gordon, ensured that everything ran smoothly so the audience could enjoy the show. The poster, created by Neala, was lively and pointed the way to the show.
The Stage Crew took care of the props, set and special effects like the flying creatures and the billowing smoke. This crew was made up of Matt Hicks, Stella Schmidlin, Heather Northey, Cederic Hamilton, Ellie Bliemel, Jack Sheppard and Roger Zhang. The sound effects warned the audience of the approaching Jabberwock and these effects were managed by Maksym Viznyak. Neala and Heather worked as a team to create the numerous props and fantastical beasts that were seen on stage. Ms. Amanda Wyman’s support in the art room helped direct the construction of the beasts that appeared onstage. Cederic and Maksym assisted Mr. Stefan Wilson in setting the lights so that the actors looked their best. Mr. Wilson’s lighting design and expertise was a great support to the overall production.
Ms. Kathy LaBranche captured the special moments of the play with dozens of photographs of the cast and crew in action. The set design was brought to life by the talent and energy of members of the property department, including Mr. Dale Heffernan, Mr. Mark den Biesen, Mr. Mike den Biesen and Mr. Evan Soutter. We could not have done it without them! Mrs. Jennifer Reid and the faculty and staff of the Junior School rallied to support the production in every way possible – their support was invaluable.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the families who ran lines with their child and who came out in droves to see each of the three shows. It was remarkable to have the Junior School community reunited after many, many months apart. As the audience shared their applause of gratitude with the cast and crew, the students returned their own gratitude for this opportunity to perform and to gather.
Some keen-eyed audience members from over the years will have recognized elements taken from previous Junior School productions. We honoured the many contributors to the drama program over the years.
As the director, I am proud of all of the students who brought their courage, enthusiasm and dedication to every rehearsal and to every show. It was a great pleasure to work with you.
- By Heather McClure, director
