Looking back at…Alice in Wonderland

adapted by Richard Stratton

3-18th May 2014, The Selkirk Upstairs
2-16th May 2015, Battersea Library
4-5th June 2015, The British Home

There have been many iterations of Alice in Wonderland, but I bet no others have involved a knitted tea pot. Brilliantly reimagined by Blackshaw stalwart Richard Stratton, it was performed three different times, on three different stages, with three different casts – all racing around, causing havoc and delight in equal measure. Every single show was sold out, every single time. What a rush. You didn’t have to be mad to be involved, but it certainly helped.

this ingeniously directed production by Ellie Pitkin showcases all the theatrical tricks one can imagine…this resourceful and clever production

Public Reviews

an imaginative production…highly entertaining and engaging…a fun afternoon adventure

Everything Theatre

tightly directed and precisely performed – and gloriously silly

Cumbria PR

2014 CAST

EMILY RAE – ALICE
NATALIE WINTER – MARCH HARE/DOOR 2
ANGELA FERNS – THE QUEEN OF HEARTS/SHOPKEEPER
DEAN BRAMMALL – MAD HATTER/DOOR 3 /FLOWERS
LIAM FLEMING – TWEEDLE DUM/SOLDIER 2/DOOR 4
ALEXANDER PANKHURST – TWEEDLE DEE/SOLDIER 1/DOOR 1
NATASHA GREEN – CHESHIRE CAT
CLARE HARLOW – WHITE RABBIT/CATERPILLAR

2014 CREATIVES

ELLIE PITKIN – DIRECTOR & PRODUCER
OLIVER GORDON – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ZAHRA MANSOURI – COSTUME & SET DESIGNER
ANDREW CRANE – SOUND DESIGNER & TECH OPERATOR
CHLOE WALTON – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
MATTHEW CONNELLY – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
JONELL ROWE – ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
BRUCE ASHER – PUBLICITY DESIGN
VIKKI WESTON – PROJECT MANAGER/PUBLICITY
STANLEY WALTON – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
ROBERT HUGILL – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
BARNEY BARRON – PUBLICITY & MARKETING
NICK TATCHELL – PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
ZAK THOMAS – PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY
MICHELLE BRISTOW – COSTUME & SET DESIGN ASSISTANT
SHINO MINAGAWA – COSTUME ASSISTANT
KIRSTY YOUNG – COSTUME ASSISTANT
NARA JEONG – COSTUME ASSISTANT

2015 CAST

EMILY RAE / RACHAEL STRATTON – Alice
ALEXANDER PANKHURST – Tweedle Dee/Caterpillar/Soldier 1/Door 1
NATASHA GREEN – Cheshire Cat
ROSIE MARSH – March Hare/Door 2
RICHARD STRATTON – Tweedle Dum/Soldier 2/Door 4
STEVE WICKENDEN – Librarian/Queen of Hearts
ALEX KHANYAGHMA – White Rabbit/Door 3/Flowers

2015 CREATIVES

ELLIE PITKIN – Director and Producer
MARCUS BAZLEY – Assistant Director
TEGAN CUTTS – Stage Manager
ANDREW CRANE – Sound & Lighting Designer & Operator
ZAHRA MANSOURI – Set & Costume Designer
MICHELLE BRISTOW – Associate Set & Costume Designer
VIKKI WESTON – Front of House Manager
SIMON ANNAND – Production Photography
ELLA OKEORE – Costume & Set Assistant
INEZ COONEN – Costume & Set Assistant
MARIA NOONE – Costume & Set Assistant
DODONA WHITE – Costume & Set Assistant
KATHERINE BURKE – Costume & Set Assistant/ASM

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More about Alice 2014

More about Alice 2015

Looking back at 2015

We’ve had a corker of a year, and as we settle down in front of the fire with a mulled wine in hand and snazzy christmas jumper firmly on, we thought we’d take you through the highlights…

 

The Blackshaw Arts Hour on Wandsworth Radio (fortnightly from Jan 2015)

Subscribe on iTunes.

Available to download or stream here.

Read more about it and listen to past episodes.

 

10-29th November 2015 – Staying Alive by Kat Roberts, at the Pleasance Islington

Published by Nick Hern Books.  Buy your copy here.
“explosive emotion…a strong cast…lively and full of wit…” West End Wilma

“Proof that given enough time, talent and perseverance, theatre that really says something about the human condition can be made.”
Female Arts

“highly original, nuanced and enlightening…deeply observed social comedy…compelling from start to finish”
Remote Goat

“wonderfully human…a really powerful exploration of grief – honest and tender…”
London Theatre 1

Read more here.

 

25th November 2015 – Blackshaw’s Scare Slam, at the Horse & Stables, Lambeth

Read more here.

 

4-5th July 2015 – Alice in Wonderland by Richard Stratton, at the British Home as part of the Streatham Festival

Read more here.

 

Sunday 7th June 2015 – Blackshaw’s 5th Birthday Party!

Read more here.

 

2-16th May 2015 – Alice in Wonderland by Richard Stratton, at the Battersea Library
A sell-out run, as part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe.
“…creative, imaginative and seemingly effortless style…The whole performance buzzed with energy, fun and joy.”
London Theatre 1

“The fun-filled show brims with chaos, madness and high jinks…the wild but classic tale of Alice in her fantastically retold Wonderland.” – A Younger Theatre

Read more here.

25th March, 17th May, 29th July, 30th September 2015 – New Writing Nights at the Horse & Stables, Lambeth

 

 

 

Read more here.

 

9-14th March 2015 – Character by Florence Vincent, at the Tristan Bates Theatre
“a delightful theatre production on in Covent Garden. Funny, nostalgic, well acted 2 hander” – London Culture Blog

“a witty play…reminiscent of Ab Fab’s Edina and Saffy” – In & Around Covent Garden magazine

Read more here.

 

15th Jan 2015 – Staying Alive by Kat Roberts, at the Pleasance Islington 
One night only industry showcase – Winner of Blackshaw’s Showcase Award 2014.

Read more here.

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

 

See you in 2016.

 

Ellie & the Team at Blackshaw

 

 

Alice’s Day

Saturday 4th July is Alice’s Day! We’re very excited that this coincides so nicely with The Streatham Festival, so that we can bring a bit of the Alice Day fun to South London.

What’s that you ask? What is Alice’s Day?

Alice’s Day is a an annual celebration of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, held in Oxford, where Lewis Carroll lived and worked for much of his life. Coordinated by The Story Museum, there’s an element suitable for all Alice fans, including carnivals, workshops, museum exhibitions, and lectures. This year is particularly special because it’s the 150th Anniversary of the publication of Alice, plus the connection to 4th July in particular. As so eloquently put by The Story Museum:

“One golden afternoon on 4 July 1862, Charles Dodgson, an Oxford don, took the 10-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford. To amuse the children he told them a story about a little girl, sitting bored by a riverbank, who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland.

The story so delighted Alice that she begged him to write it down – the result was the 1864 handwritten manuscript Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, published in 1865 as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland under the pen name Lewis Carroll, with illustrations by Sir John Tenniel. A sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, was published in 1871.”

So do come and join us for Alice in Wonderland at the British Home and sample some of the magic and mayhem of this classic book. Who knows where your imagination might take you?!

There’s even more fun to be had on Sunday 5th July when there’ll be a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party fete in the grounds of the British Home, for a double dose of Alice fun!

Get your tickets for Alice in Wonderland here.

Alice at the British Home – Rehearsal Photos

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REVIEWS: For ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Battersea Library

We’re thrilled with the reviews we’ve had for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Battersea Library. Here are the highlights…

 

 

“…creative, imaginative and seemingly effortless style…The whole performance buzzed with energy, fun and joy.”

* * * * *  –  London Theatre 1

Full review here.

 

 

“this production provides something for everyone…The fun-filled show brims with chaos, madness and high jinks…the wild but classic tale of Alice in her fantastically retold Wonderland.” – A Younger Theatre

Full review here.

 

 

“the imaginatively clever adaptation of Richard Stratton’s version has brought new life to this old tale…fantastically vibrant performance…The costume and set design team did a fantastic job on the flamboyant and unforgettable costumes”

– Fringe Review

Full review here.

 

 

 

“Simply stunning” – Streatham Festival

 

 

“a unique theatre experience and nothing like anything else we’d seen – a different and fun afternoon in Battersea!” – Mummy in the City

Full review here.

 

 

“weird and wonderful costumes, characters and a witty script…Fun, frivolous and ever so slightly bonkers…it was brilliant to have the story brought to life in the library!” – Nappy Valley

Full review here.

 

 

“enchanting…plenty of giggles” – Soho Picture Book

Full review here.

 

 

“What a crackin’ bit of theatre! Thanks Blackshaw, for a magical night out.” – The Accidental Parent Guide

Full review here.

 

 

 

Alice in Wonderland – Audio Trailer

Wrap your ears around this aural treat!