Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)

A NEW MUSICAL

Teacher Resource Guide

1
Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure
SYNOPSIS
WONDERLAND is the giddy, soaring musical
that plunges a new kind of Alice into a dazzling
world of kaleidoscopic fantasy and romantic
adventure. Returning to the strange universe
of the classic “Alice in Wonderland,” we find
its timeless characters have evolved with the
changing times but remain as familiar and
endearing as ever. These residents of the Queen
of Hearts kingdom are now threatened by a new
and madder Mad Hatter, whose dark ambition is
matched only by her fearsome beauty. Into this
troubled Wonderland lands newly-single mom
Alice Stetson, whose life in New York with her
ten-year-old daughter Chloe is equally in crisis.
Alice’s yearning for happier times causes her to
follow the legendary White Rabbit deep below
the city of New York to a world like nothing
she’s seen.
With a memorably tuneful, enticing, moving score
by Broadway’s Frank Wildhorn (JEKYLL & HYDE)
and Jack Murphy (THE CIVIL WAR), stunning
dance from multiple Emmy award-winner
and Austin Powers choreographer Marguerite
Derricks, and as dazzling a scenic design as
Broadway has seen, WONDERLAND is a
deliriously funny, touching, life-affirming musical
to stir the heart and delight the imagination.
2
ADAPTING A STORY
Adaptation starts with a story, or in musical
theatre terms, the “book,” which consists of the
story, character development, spoken dialogue
and sometimes the song lyrics. Inspiration for
a musical can come from anywhere — a novel,
a movie, or a classic children’s storybook.
Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure
is an example of a book musical — not because
it comes from a book, but because it combines
music, lyrics and dance with a well-crafted story.
In a book musical, the composer and lyricist
are instrumental in the creation of the overall
concept for the show. They compose the musical
score and lyrics as well as work closely with the
director, designers and playwright. Over the years
there have been many notable composer-lyricist
partnerships, for example, Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner and
Frederick Loewe, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim
Rice, and Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy.
 
The Role of the Creative Team
In the process of producing a new musical there
are many people behind the scenes who create
the magic that you see and hear on stage.
Composer: A composer writes the score for
the musical.
Lyricist: A lyricist writes the song lyrics for the
musical numbers.
Director: A director is responsible for the artistic
unity of a production. They will interpret the
script and define the look, style, mood, pace,
and arc of the action. In a musical production
the director also works closely with the
choreographer and musical director to cast the
show and rehearse the actors.
Book Writer: A book writer works in
conjunction with the composer, lyricist and
director to write the spoken dialogue for the
musical.
Choreographer: A choreographer chooses the
style and form of the dance routines in a musical
production.
Musical Director: The musical director
supervises the singers and orchestra for the
production.
Set Designer: The set designer creates the
physical world of the play, working with the
director and other designers to set the mood, time
and place of the production.
Costume Designer: The costume designer
creates the clothing and accessories worn by
the actors that will enhance the persona of their
character.
3
QUICK CHALLENGE:
Be Part of the Creative Team!
After your students have seen the show, ask them
to hang on to their Playbill from the production
and bring it to class. Alternatively they can go
online at:
http://www.wonderlandonbroadway.com.
When creating Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical
Adventure, the design team worked together to
combine their ideas, skills and expertise. In this
activity, your students will experience what it
is like to be in a production meeting and make
decisions about creating a musical.
1. Ask your students to take out their Playbill
from the performance of Wonderland: Alice’s
New Musical Adventure.
2. As a class, find the list of the creative team in
the Playbill. Have a discussion about the role
of each member by answering the following
questions: Which creative team member did
you choose? What job did this person do?
How did they contribute to the performance?
How does their work support this production?
What did you see on stage that reflected your
person’s work?
3. Next, ask them to research this job and find
out what it involves and what their roles
and responsibilities during the creation and
running time of the production are.
4. Invite each student to create a collage from
their team members’ perspective of their
personal vision for Wonderland. Ask them to
think about how they would like to see their
vision come to life.
5. Finally, once everyone has created their
collage, ask them to present and talk about
their concept for the production.
Historical Context

Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure is an adaptation of two of Lewis Carroll’s most famous
works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found
There. Both were inspired by Carroll’s friendship with a young neighbor, Alice Liddell. The books were
filled with references to chess, logic and geometry as well as strange and colorful characters that called
Wonderland their home. Carroll’s writing respects children’s intelligence, curiosity and, most of all, their
imagination and sense of fun.

4
 PRINT
THIS
PAGE

Worksheet Idea: Magic Math (M, S, T)

Lewis Carroll was not only a children’s author full of imagination, but he was also a brilliant
mathematician! He incorporated this passion into his books — can you spot where?

The Challenge: Using numbers 1–9 in the squares below so that every row, column and diagonal line
adds up to the sum of 15. (Solutions on the back page.)

15

15

15

15 15 15 15

Math Activity Adapted from www.mathforum.org/magic.square

Do you know any other math games you can think of to challenge your friends?

5
An Introduction to the Author… Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles

Lutwidge Dodgson: author, poet, mathematician,
and amateur photographer. Born January 27, 1832
in England, he was the third oldest of 11 children
born to Reverend Charles Dodgson. Educated
at Oxford University, he became a professor at
the early age of 19 and spent his career as an
academic, lecturing in mathematics at Christ
Church College. Partially deaf and afflicted with
a stutter, he was shy and reserved in the company
of adults, but completely at ease with children.
He would delight them with stories, riddles,
and word games of his own invention. He
created the word ladder game “Doublets” and an
earlier version of the board game Scrabble. Best
known as the author of the Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-
Glass and What Alice Found There, Dodgson
also published poetry, satirical pamphlets on
university life, and mathematical works. He was
ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1861, although
never entered the priesthood and never married.
Charles Dodgson died suddenly on January 14,
1898 from pneumonia at the age of 66.

Did you know… Alice was not the only

person from the author’s life that was
represented in his books. Dodo was none
other than Lewis Carroll himself — the
name being the pronunciation of his real
last name with a stutter (Do-Dodgson).

6
Who was the real Alice…?
Alice Pleasance Liddell was born May 4, 1852 in
England, the fourth child of Henry and Lorina
Liddell. Shortly after her birth, her father became
the Dean of Christ Church College, Oxford,
where Charles Dodgson (Carroll) taught. Alice
was only 4 years old when she first met Dodgson,
and quickly became his favorite subject to
photograph and the protagonist in the adventure
stories he would tell to her and her sisters. It
was on a rowing trip with Dodgson, where he
first shared with 10-year-old Alice and her two
sisters a particular story about a young heroine’s
adventures when she fell down a rabbit hole. It
is said that Alice asked him to write the story
down and some months later, he presented her
7
with the original manuscript of Alice’s Adventures
Underground complete with his own illustrations.
It was published three years later in 1865 with the
illustrations of political cartoonist Jon Tenniel as
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel,
Through the Looking-Glass, followed in 1871.
Dodgson made Alice immortal through his
stories, however their friendship lessened in the
years following its publication. Liddell grew up
and was rumored to be a romantic interest of
Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s youngest son.
However, the tragic loss of her younger sister
Edith diminished their relationship. Liddell
married Reginald Hargreaves in 1880, and
was forced to sell her original copy of Alice’s
Adventure Underground to maintain their estate
after his death.
The manuscript was sold at auction and displayed
at Columbia University in New York City, but
later presented to the British people in honor of
their sacrifices in World War II, where it currently
resides in the British Library in London. Alice
Hargreaves died on November 16, 1934 at the
age of 82.
Did you know… although some experts
say the illustrations in Carroll’s novels
closely resemble Alice’s sister, Edith, there
is no doubt Alice was the inspiration for
the classic stories. There are at least three
direct links to her in the books, including a
dedication to “Alice Pleasance Liddell,” both
the original and sequel are set on May 4 and
November 4, which are Alice’s birthday and
half-birthday respectively, and finally in a
poem that appears at the end of Through the
Looking-Glass, in every first word, the first
letter forms an acrostic of her name.
Note to the Teacher
The following 3 sections contain a range of
activities, information and questions that can
stand alone or work as a building block towards
the creation of a complete unit of work.
Fundamentally, we have provided practical,
ready-to-use activities created to be flexible in
structure that you can adapt to suit the needs
of your classroom. They have been designed
to expand your students’ appreciation of
Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure and its
major themes.
Also you will find connections to the NYC
Department of Education’s Blueprint for
Teaching and Learning in Arts: Theater and the
NYS Learning Standards and to aid you in your
planning. See below:
Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the
Arts: Theater. Grades Pre K–12 New York City
Department of Education
Theater making: Acting, Playwriting/Play
making, provides multiple avenues for active
learning. Through the interpretation of dramatic
literature and the creation of their own works,
students engage as writers, actors, designers,
directors and technicians.
Developing Theater Literacy: Theater
literacy provides theater vocabulary when making
and responding to performance, and develops
critical, analytical and writing skills through
observing, discussing and responding to live
theater and dramatic literature. In this strand,
dramatic literature is also viewed as a catalyst for
production and performance.
8
Making Connections: Students make
connections to theater by developing an
understanding of self and others. They respond
to theater by identifying personal issues and
universal themes in performance and in dramatic
text. They investigate theater by examining the
integration of other arts into a complex multi-
media art form. Working with community and
cultural resources community resources that
support theater Making, theater literacy, theater
connections and career exploration, expand
students’ opportunities for learning. Active
partnerships that combine school, professional
and community resources create rich avenues for
student and teacher innovation in the classroom
and in production.
Exploring Careers and Life Long Learning:
Students develop audience skills and a connection
to theater that allows them to value the theater
throughout their lives. They explore the scope
and variety of theater careers in teaching,
production, performance, criticism, design,
technical theater and related occupations, and
they investigate how these careers align with
their personal goals and aspirations.
Excerpt taken from Blueprint for Teaching and
Learning in the Arts: Theater
Grades Pre K-12, New york city Department of
education www.schools.nyc.gov
Curriculum Connections: New York State Learning Standards

www.p12.nysed.gov/nysatl/standards MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY (M, S, T)

The following activities in this study guide • Analyze and inquire to pose questions and
supports learning in the following areas: develop solutions
• Understand relationships and themes and
ARTS (A) apply to other areas of learning
• Creating, Performing & Participating in
the Arts
• Knowing & Using Arts Materials & Resources
• Responding To & Analyzing Works of Art
• Understanding the Cultural Dimensions

LANGUAGE ARTS (LA)

• Language for Information & Understanding
• Language for Literary Response & Expression
• Language for Critical Analysis & Evaluation
• Language for Social Interaction

9
Section One: A New Alice…
BLUEPRINT CONNECTIONS:
Theater Making:
Students gain skills as emergent
playwrights by identifying and using
elements of dramatic literature in writing,
theater exercises and activities.
Theatre Literacy:
Students examine theater history to further
understand its social and cultural context.
Making Connections:
Students refine their personal responses
to theater by comparing various
interpretations of a work and the context
that informs the production of that work.
Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure
is an adaptation of two of Lewis Carroll’s most
famous works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice
Found There. Since publication over 100 years
ago, they have inspired many adaptations to the
stage and screen, most notably Walt Disney’s
animation in 1951 and Tim Burton’s 2010 feature
film of the same name, Alice in Wonderland.
The following activities should be explored with
your students before they see this production
of Wonderland, as it will ask them to reflect on
what they already know about this story and its
characters, and challenge them to think about
how they would reimagine this story and make it
their very own.
Activity One: Timeless Tales (LA, A)
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
captured the imaginations of children and adults
alike and has never been out of publication
10
since its release in 1865. It has been published in
over 100 countries and translated into over 120
languages worldwide.
As a homework assignment, ask your students
to interview their parents, grandparents, family
members and friends to discover what they know
about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. See
some suggested questions below:
• How old were they when they first learned
about Alice’s adventures?
• Did they read about her in a book, or see her
in a movie or live on stage?
• What do they remember about the story, the
plot and characters?
• Do they know a different adaptation than
you?
• Have they read about the character of Alice in
other works of literature and film?
After your students have interviewed their family
and friends, discuss the following questions with
the whole class:
• This book is over 100 years old, why do you
think this story is still read, retold, performed
and adapted today?
• Why do you think that so many artists from
around the world have been inspired to
create plays, musicals, movies, poems, songs
and comic books about this story and its
characters?
• What memories do your family and friends
have about this story?
• How old were you when you first learned
about Alice?
• How do you think the theater company will
create the magical world of Wonderland on
stage?
Section One: A New Alice… (Continued)
Activity Two: Remembering and
Retelling (LA, A)
Many of us have heard about Alice and her
amazing adventure down the rabbit hole. But
what do we “actually” remember about the
story? The following activity will discover what
your students remember about the story and
characters, and challenge them to create their own
adaptations from different perspectives.
1. Divide your students into small groups and
give each one a large sheet of poster paper and
several marker pens.
2. First, encourage your students to discuss what
adaptations of this famous story they already
know. For example, have they read Lewis
Carroll’s original or experienced a different
adaptation?
3. After a brief discussion, ask them to agree
on the arc of the story and explain that they
will now create a timeline of the plot. They
should draw it out on the large sheet of poster
paper including as much detail about the
story that they can remember. How does the
story begin? Where is Alice when we are first
introduced to her? Who is the first character
she meets? And so on until the end of the
story.
4. Once the time line is complete, ask each group
to choose 3 defining moments in the story.
What were the turning points for Alice? What
was going through her mind during these
crucial moments?
11
Teacher Note: For younger students, ask them
to identity the beginning, middle and end of this
story and circle them on their timeline.
5. Now, ask each group to think about the
defining moments they have chosen, but
from a different character’s point of view. For
example, in the beginning of the story you
may remember that Alice is frustrated by the
White Rabbit who will not stop to talk to her,
so she follows him down into the rabbit hole.
However, how do you imagine the White
Rabbit feels in that moment? Why doesn’t he
stop and talk to Alice? Is he going somewhere
important? Has he met Alice before?
6. Next, ask your students to recreate their
3 moments in a scene, but from their new
character’s point of view. Ask them to include
a clear beginning, middle and end point, and
each scene should be at least 2 minutes long.
7. After some rehearsal time, ask each group to
share their scenes with the rest of the class,
reflecting on the following questions below:
As an audience member, how did these familiar
moments from a different character’s point of view
change the story?
How did these changes alter your perception of these
characters?
What would happen if you created alternative
scenes for each moment on your timeline?
Section One: A New Alice… (Continued)

Activity Three: What Came Before the
Rabbit Hole…? (LA, A)
As we know, Lewis Carroll published Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, and he later
wrote a sequel called Through the Looking-Glass,
and What Alice Found There in 1871. Since then,
there have been many adaptations of Carroll’s
famous work often blending together plot and
characters from both books to create a their own
reimagining of this celebrated story.
In the following activity, your students will create
a prequel to both of these stories titled What
Came Before the Rabbit Hole…
3. Next, have each group create a short scene
about what their chosen character did the
day before the original story took place. For
example, what was the Caterpillar doing the
day before his encounter with Alice?
4. Once everyone is finished, have each group
share their scene with the class.
Why did your group choose their character?
What new discoveries did you make about Lewis
Carroll’s characters?
What new elements did you bring to your character
when creating this prequel?

1. Ask your students to get into small groups,

and each group is to pick one character from
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or Through
the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found
There to focus on. For example, your group
could choose Alice or any of the characters
from the books.
2. Once they have chosen their character, ask
them to brainstorm what they already know
about them. Encourage them to use their
timelines from the previous activity as a guide.

Where in the story is the first time we meet

this character?
What are they doing when we first meet them?
What do they look like? Describe their features
and what they are wearing?
What happens to them in the story?

12
Section Two: Musical Personalities
BLUEPRINT CONNECTIONS:
Theater Making:
Working alone and in groups, students
begin to recognize and articulate their
personal vision and the cultural context of
their work.
Theatre Literacy:
Students practice constructive responses
to theater performance using observable
evidence to support opinion.
Making Connections:
Students explore elements of theater shared
with other art forms.
When creating the music for Wonderland:
Alice’s New Musical Adventure, composer Frank
Wildhorn and lyricist Jack Murphy were able
to develop “musical personalities” for each of
the iconic characters in the show. Whether it is
writing for someone’s singing voice, or creating
a musical motif to represent their character,
musicals are able to communicate powerful
emotions through melodies and lyrics.
The following activities can be shared with your
students either before or after they have seen the
production, as they will have the opportunity
to demonstrate what songs represents their
personalities and explore the emotions in musical
theater.
Activity One: Name that Song? (A)
In the show, Frank Wildhorn has created “musical
personalities” for each of the characters in the
story, which allow the audience to instantly
identify with them.
13
1. Explain to your students that their task is
to find a song that they feel best represents
their personality. This can be from
Wonderland [DESIGN NOTE: In-bed live
link to Wonderland website’s song page
here.], another musical they may have seen,
or a classical or contemporary song by their
favorite artist — it’s up to them!
2. Once they have their song, the next step is
to research the origin or inspiration behind
that song.
• What inspired the artist to compose or
write it?
• Are there other songs by this artist that you
are familiar with?
• What kind of story does this song tell?
• What instruments were used to create
this song?
• What year was the song created?
• Where were you when you first heard
this song?
• What memories do you have around
this song?
• What about this song represents you and
your personality?
• Why do you identify with the musical
score or lyrics?
3. Invite your students to bring their chosen
songs to class and share it with the whole
group. Encourage any musicians or singers in
the group to perform their song, or you can
provide equipment such as an iPod dock with
speakers or a CD player to play each song.
What kind of songs did your classmates share?
Were you familiar with any of the songs, or did you
hear new pieces?
What about the song represented the classmate who
shared it?
Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)
Activity Two, Part One:
Power of Emotion (A)
Often in musical theatre, it is the powerful
emotions of the characters that drive the action
and inspire everything that happens on stage. In
this activity, your students will explore emotions
and methods to convey it to an audience.
1. Begin by asking your students, why do they
think characters burst into song in musical
theatre?
2. Next, ask them to brainstorm typical emotions
that are usually found in musical theatre.
Encourage them to give specific examples
and record those emotions on the board.
For example, love, jealousy, anger, betrayal,
sorrow, joy, anticipation, etc.
3. Once you have a list of emotions on the
board, ask students to walk around the room
in actor’s neutral.
4. Explain that you will count down from 3 to 1
and then call out an emotion and they must
create a “still image” portraying that emotion.
Remind them that this is a silent activity and
they must rely on their facial expressions and
gestures.
5. Next, ask half the class the take a seat, and
half the class to continue walking around the
space. Position yourself behind the audience
so they can’t see you and signal to the
performers which emotion from the board
that you wish them to convey. (You may
also hold up cards with the emotions clearly
displayed on them.)
6. The performers must hold their images while
the audience guesses their emotion and after a
few rounds ask participants to switch.
As a performer, what were the challenges when
conveying such powerful emotions?
As an audience member, how were you able to
identify the emotions of the performers?
14
What were the common expressions or gestures used
to convey these emotions? Why do you think that is?
Even without words, were you able to identify each
emotion?
Activity Two, Part Two:
Emotion Orchestra (A)
As we know, emotions are extremely important
in musical theatre. This activity will challenge
your students to emphasize emotions and learn
how to perform them in a big way.
1. Place your students into small groups and ask
them to sit together creating a circle around
you.
2. Ask each group to choose an emotion from
the previous activity. For example, anger, joy,
sadness, anticipation.
3. Once they have their emotion they should
select sounds and gestures that they feel
represents this emotion. Explain that they
must not use words, just these sounds and
physical gestures.
4. Next, explain that when you point to a group,
they must perform their emotion through
their sounds and gestures. You may also use
hand signals to indicate when to get louder,
softer, when to stop and when to perform.
5. Go around each group and once they are
familiar with the exercise, begin to direct them
as if you are a conductor and they are your
orchestra. You may overlap groups or have
them perform all at once. The challenge is to
encourage each group to make their emotions
as large as possible. Ask them to imagine
they are on stage at The Marquis Theatre on
Broadway and they must project to the back
row!
6. After a while, offer the conductor’s role to a
student volunteer and have fun creating an
Emotion Orchestra.
Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)

As a performer, what skills did you use to make
your emotions as large as possible?
How were you able to perform alongside other
groups at the same time?
What kinds of directions did the conductor give you
as an orchestra?
Activity Three: Lyricist Love! (LA, A)
Wonderland is a musical, which means that
characters will break into song during the show.
A song can be an indication of the mood and
emotions of that character or simply a way to
move the plot forward.
1. Divide your students into small groups and
ask each group to select one song from the
first activity in this section, or they can choose
a completely new song from Wonderland,
another musical or any song they all know.
2. Once they have chosen their song, they will
use the tune or melody and write new lyrics
inspired by the scenarios listed below:
4. Once they have written their lyrics, they
should rehearse singing it along to their
chosen song. Explain that it can be sung as a
group, or divided among the group members
into solos, duets and choral sections.
5. After some rehearsal time, invite your students
to share their song. They can simply read it
out or perform it for the rest of the class.
As an audience member, what emotions did you see
being conveyed in the performances?
Were the scenarios familiar to you, where had you
seen them before?
As a lyricist, what were the challenges in telling a
story through song?
How did it feel to perform your song as a group?

• You are a writer who has lost their inspiration

• You and a friend don’t seem to be getting
along anymore
• You meet a long lost friend
• You finally realize someone in your life means
a lot to you

3. Each group will collectively write the lyrics

to their song and tell a story inspired by their
chosen scenario above. Encourage them to
incorporate as many of the powerful emotions
they have been exploring in the two previous
activities and think about how they will
convey those emotions to an audience. Each
song should have at least two verses and a
chorus, which is repeated.

15
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland

BLUEPRINT CONNECTIONS: Teacher Note: This activity might be best in a

Theater Making:
Students will increase their range of
expression as playwrights through the use of
vocabulary and dramatic structure, and by
exploring various theatrical styles and forms.
Making Connections:
Students broaden their understanding of
theater by applying concrete learning from
other disciplines.
Theater Literacy:
Students use vocabulary that is authentic
and integral to theater and other art forms.
school gym with plenty of open space.
1. Ask your students to find a space in the room
on their own, lie down and close their eyes.
2. Suggest that they take a few deep breaths and
relax. Ask them to imagine that they are lying
in their bed at home and about to drift into a
deep sleep.
3. Explain to your class that the following steps
will be narrated, and as you describe their
actions and the environment around them,
they should silently act it out.

Musicals are known for their extravagant and

beautiful sets, costumes and lighting designs. In the
theatre, the designs for the set and costumes help
the audience to further understand the time and
location that the story takes place. In Wonderland,
the design team creates the extraordinary world
that lies deep beneath New York City; however,
they also rely of the audience’s imagination to
bring these elements to life.

This section can be explored before or after your

students have seen the production, as they will
use their imaginations and creativity to bring
“their” Wonderland to life and discover how to
move within it.

Activity One: Door Number One (A)

In the show, Alice and her daughter Chloe are
both taken on an adventure down into the
mysterious depths of Wonderland. In this activity,
students will use their imagination to go on a
“guided journey” through Door Number One.

16
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)
You are lying in your bed drifting into a deep
sleep. Suddenly you are startled awake. You
have a sinking feeling that you are late for
something, but you are not sure what? You
quickly jump off the bed and head towards
the door. You take hold of the handle and
rattle it desperately, but the door will not
open. Puzzled by this, you turn around just
in time to see your bedroom disappear, and
you are now surrounded by other doors with
numbers on them. You run towards a door
with the “number one” clearly marked on it,
you turn the handle and step into an elevator.
It is a charming old-style elevator with a
sliding gate. A strange voice announces, “Ping,
going down”, and the elevator takes off at
impossible speeds. You hold on as the floors
fly by basements and sub-basements, until
you are traveling through a scene of swirling
lights. You hear another, “Ping”, the elevators
door opens, you stumble out into a crowd
of people all dressed as characters that you
recognize from the story Alice in Wonderland.
Confused, you notice someone in the crowd
that you know very well and are desperate
to talk to. You try to push your way towards
them, and can see their head bobbing up and
down out of the sea of people. You realize that
this person is not alone, but following a White
Rabbit who is carrying a large interesting
looking watch. You try with all your strength
to reach them, but are held back by all of
the people. After some time you eventually
manage to escape the crowd but have lost
sight of the person you were following.
Looking around you reach the conclusion that
you have been in this place before. Ahead,
you see an odd-looking small door with the
“number two” written above it in smoke. You
walk towards it slowly.
17
What was your favorite part of the guided journey?
Why?
Where you able to imagine all of the different parts of
the journey? Can you remember them?
What do you think is behind door “Number Two?”
Activity Two: Door Number Two (A)
Similar to the previous activity, you will facilitate
a guided journey for your students but now focus
on the physicality of moving through space.
1. Once again, ask your students to find a space
in the room and close their eyes.
2. After a few breaths, explain that they are
standing in front of a large door with the
“number two” written above it in smoke.
Continue the narration…
You notice a small blue vial that seems to
glow with a light from within. You hold it up
closely to read what it says on the label. The
words “Drink Me” are written on it. You take
off the top and smell its contents. You gingerly
take a sip.
3. Now, ask your students to imagine what
would happen if the room they were standing
in began to shift in size. Using a scale of 1-10,
1 being tiny, 5 being normal and 10 being
large, explain that they are going to explore
moving through a space as it evolves around
them.
4. Randomly call out the numbers on the scale,
encourage students to use their bodies,
gestures and facial expressions to represent
each shift.
5. Continue to narrate the story and encourage
them to be creative with their physical shapes
and positions.
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

The small odd-looking door begins to grow,

but not enough for you to fit through. You take
another sip, and then another until the door is
large enough for you to enter.
How did you use your bodies and physical gestures to
represent each number on the scale?
What shapes did you see your fellow classmates
creating with their bodies?
What do you think is in the blue vial?
Use your imaginations to describe what happened to
you after you drank the contents of vial?
What do you think is behind door “Number Two?”
realizes it is written in reverse, as everything
through the looking glass is backwards.
Holding up a mirror, Alice is able to decipher
the words to the “Jabberwocky” poem below:
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Activity Three: Sense and Nonsense

(LA, A)
Now that your students have created and
explored how they would move through
Wonderland, in the following activity your class
will discover how they would communicate in
this world. As many characters in this play talk in
riddles, your students will write unusual poetry
and explore the vocabulary from the show.

1. Share with your students an excerpt from

what is thought to be the most famous
non-sensical poem in the English language
“Jabberwocky.”
2. Ask them to read the poem aloud: Where have
you heard this poem before? What do you
think is happening in the poem? Who is the
Jabberwock? Who do you think wrote this
poem?
3. After a brief discussion, clarify that this
verse is part of a seven stanza poem written
by Lewis Carroll as part of his sequel novel
Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice
Found There in 1872. In the story Alice finds
a book in a strange language and quickly

18
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

4. Explain to your students that many of the words in this poem are of Carroll’s own invention, and
then list the following Adjectives, Nouns and Verbs on the board.

Teacher Note: The following lists are taken directly from Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure.

Adjectives Nouns Verbs

Golden Night Creeping

Fragrant Machine Dreaming
Beautiful Dream Singing
Bright Heart Sleeping
Dark Hero Swooshing
Polluted Baby Doll Shifting
Clouded Shoes Screaming
Scary Mother Falling
Stale Daughter Shrinking
Brave Rabbit Glowing
Pretty Cat Writing
Willful Caterpillar Drinking
Mopey Girl Eating
Crazy Tea Pot Flowing
Hazy Tea Cup
Naughty Flower
Nice Raven
Funny Hat
Mirror
Queen
Watch

19
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)
5. Explain that your student’s task is to create a
short, rhyming poem from the words listed
above, they can even use the list to invent
brand new words by combining adjectives and
verbs to create “Adjerbs,” or nouns and verbs
to create “Nouverbs.”
Share examples below:
Adjective + Verb = “Adjerb”
Golden + Dreaming = “Goleaming”
Noun + Verb = “Nouverb”
Swooshing + Raven = “Swooven” — and
these words can mean anything you want!
6. Once they have written their poems ask each
students to share theirs with a neighbor.
Activity Four: You’ll Be Finding
Wonderland… (A)
The following activity is a culmination project,
as students will create choreography inspired by
the poetry they have written and using theatrical
techniques they have explored throughout this
study guide.
1. Divide students into small groups and provide
each group with a large sheet of poster paper
and marker pens.
2. Ask each group member to share their poem
from the previous activity, and as a group,
pull 4–5 words from each one that “pops” or
stands out to them.
20
Teacher Note: An alternative would be to ask
each student to choose 4 words from their poem
and share those with their group.
3. Once they have their list of words, this will
make up their group poem. Ask them to write
it out on their sheet of poster paper.
4. Next, they should assign a motif symbol to
represent each word. For example, “flowing”
might be a wiggly line, “swirling” could be a
swirl, etc.
5. Each group should have between 15 – 20
symbols that will now become their dance
vocabulary, and ask them to create shapes
and movements to represent each symbol
with their bodies.
6. Once they have rehearsed each symbol,
their challenge is to choreograph an
ensemble movement phrase. They have to
add transitions between each symbol, and
encourage them to go back to their poster
paper and record their choreography as
they are developing it. Explain that if they
record two symbols side by side, then this
means two movements are happening
simultaneously by two or more dancers.
7. A volunteer from each group should be a
scribe and narrator. Their role is to record
the choreography and read the group poem
during the performance. They will also act
as an outside eye and help their group refine
each movement and transition.
8. They should include solos, duets and choral
sections into their dance routines, and decide
on their starting and ending positions.
Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

What did you find most challenging about creating

9. You can go online to download music from choreography?
the show [DESIGN NOTE: Embed live link
How did a dance express your group poem differently
to song page on website.] to accompany their
from if you read it aloud?
routines, or select music that you feel will
compliment their pieces. How did you decide on the symbols, shapes and
10. After rehearsal, invite each group to share transitions as a group?
their dances with the group and facilitate a How did creating symbols help you when creating
reflection session to review new discoveries. choreography?
What did you observe about your classmates’ dance
routines?
How did Lewis Carroll and his characters inspire these
movement pieces?

21
Sources Consulted and Further Resources

BOOKS
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll,
1865
Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found
There by Lewis Carroll, 1871
The Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner, 1960
The Snark Was a Boojum: A Life of Lewis Carroll by
James P. Wood, 1966
Very Truly Yours, Charles L. Dodgson, alias Lewis
Carroll by Lisa Bassett, 1987
www.newvictorytheater.org
We would like to acknowledge The New Victory
Theater’s education department for the use of
selected information and education materials
from The New Victory Theater School Toolsm
Resource Guides.
FURTHER VIEWING
Alice in Wonderland (1951): Walt Disney’s
classic animated film
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972):
Musical film starring Michael Crawford, Peter
Sellers, Dudley Moore and Sir Ralph Richardson

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Alice at the Palace (1982): Filmed adaptation of
Looking Glass: Nonsense, Sense, and Meaning by the New York Shakespeare’s production directed
Donald Rackin, 1991 by Elizabeth Swados, starring Meryl Streep

ON THE WEB Alice in Wonderland (2010) Feature film

directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp
www.wonderlandthemusical.org
Official website of the new musical production ANSWERS TO MAGIC MATH
which has song clips, list of cast and the creative
team, a blog, video interviews and more 8 1 6 15

www.alice-in-wonderland.net 3 5 7 15
Comprehensive source of Wonderland
information on the web 4 9 2 15

15 15 15 15
www.frankwildhorn.com
The composer’s website with biography,
discography, and information on upcoming
projects

www.lewiscarroll.org
Website of the Lewis Carroll Society of North
American provides interesting information on
the author, background on the origin of the Alice
stories and links to other wonderland related sites

22