From Nov. 6-9, ETSU students had an opportunity to see an entirely different take on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
The show was produced by the ETSU Patchwork Players, a theatre organization that creates shows that are designed to create a production not normally seen on the main stages. They perform in stages that are not usually considered a theatre, this play was done in the Campus Center Building, Room 205. The organization is nonprofit and performances are always free.
Director Jordan Straight said, “I always thought that it really was not a children’s story. I had to pick the show for the fall, and the first version I looked at was The Manhattan Project’s.”
Straight is a senior and a theatre major with art minor, and had an interesting take on the popular tale.
“I think that this story is not about Alice, its all about Lewis Carroll, and Alice is a girl he used to know. There are no drug references, its all about Carroll, he was also known as ‘the white knight’ and sometimes referred to as ‘Humpty Dumpty.’ “
This mostly improvisational play had almost no props and no set. The sounds were created by people on the stage and only six actors the entire play. Alice was played by Brittany Street, a freshman from Clarksville, Tenn. Her interpretation of Alice was very innocent. She wore a yellow flouncy dress designed by costume designers Straight, Shannon Brown and Mitra Alavi.
The other actors were freshman Danielle Trinkle, the Cheshire Cat was Matthew Chaconas, CJ Ferguson played the Mad Hatter and Hannah Wilson played the Queen of Hearts. “I enjoyed playing the Queen, its great to be royalty,” said Wilson, a freshman.
Sara Simpson played the caterpillar to the highest degree, being very spacey and intriguing. All the actors worked together to create the wonderland of Lewis Carroll.
This creative organization runs purely on donations. “To be in our organization, come to three consecutive meetings and pay $10,” Wilson said. “It’s open to all students.”
The Patchwork Players can be reached by their Web page www.patchworktheatricals.com or at their e-mail patchwork_players@yahoo.com.

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