WT Theatre to open season with regional premiere of 'Alice by Heart'

Sep. 18—CANYON — A young woman brings to life a familiar fantasy world while ducking airstrikes in war-torn London in West Texas A&M University Theatre's season-opening production — the regional premiere of a new musical.

"Alice by Heart" — with music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater and a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson — will run Sept. 26 to Oct. 5 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex on WT's Canyon campus.

The musical is inspired by Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," only this time, Alice (played by Tori Ybarra, a sophomore musical theatre major from Austin) is a girl trapped in the London Underground during the Blitz in World War II. Her best friend, Alfred (Logan Lawhon, a sophomore musical theatre major from Midland), is quarantined with a severe case of tuberculosis, and to escape their woes, the pair imagine themselves in Wonderland themselves.

The other Londoners hiding out with them slowly become Wonderland residents, too, including the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter and others.

"Audiences will see a visually stunning reimagining of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' with gorgeous music," co-director Echo Sibley, assistant professor of theatre, said in a news release. "The play's framing of 'Alice' in World War II highlights the themes of loss, childhood, first love and growing up."

Several WT Theatre students and faculty saw "Alice by Heart" during its off-Broadway run in 2019 and "were immediately captivated," said musical director and co-director Bradley Behrmann, assistant professor of musical theatre.

"Staging it here is a special opportunity, because this is a regional premiere of a popular off-Broadway show that very few others have had the chance to present," Behrmann said.

Though Alice is dealing with major emotional upheaval, the show has a sense of joy, Ybarra said.

"There's such a huge journey that she goes on through the entire show, and it's lovely to see," Ybarra said. "Throughout the show, she grows, and it's so captivating and so fun, as well."

The music, by the acclaimed team behind the musical "Spring Awakening," is equally appealing, said Lawhon, who also plays the White Rabbit and March Hare.

"It was one of my first introductions to musical theatre," he said. "I've been singing these songs for the last four years, so I really wanted to play Alfred. Sheik and Sater are beautiful writers."

Through a combination of lighting effects and evocative costuming, the audience will be taken on the journey with the characters, the co-directors said.

"This show appealed to me because it was the perfect vehicle for the kind of theatre I love to work on, which is a piece that it lends itself to collaboration, abstract physical movement, a creative use of space, and it's a musical," Sibley said. "The audience will feel a part of the world. It's very intimate."

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 to 28 and Oct. 3 to 5, and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. Click for tickets, visit wtamu.edu/theatre, email [email protected], or call 806-651-2810.

Cast members also include Bella Bailey, a junior musical theatre major from Little Elm, as the Red Cross nurse and Queen of Hearts; P.J. Jewett, a senior musical theatre major from Monahans, as Harold Pudding, the Mad Hatter and others; Morgan Baily, a junior musical theatre major from El Paso, as Tabatha and the Cheshire Cat; Ty Thompson, a senior acting major from Fort Worth, as Dodgy, the Duchess and others; Victoria Reyes, a senior musical theatre major from Inez, as Clarissa, the Queen of Diamonds and others; Noa Sorrell, a senior musical theatre major from Fort Worth, as Nigel, the Dormouse and Knave of Clubs; Sanai Lowe, a senior musical theatre major from Frisco, as Angus, the Caterpillar and Knave of Hearts; and Ray Barber, a senior musical theatre major from Conroe, as Dr. Butridge, the King of Hearts and others.

Understudies are Avery Fedele, a freshman musical theatre major from Andrews, as Alice; and Caleb McDaris, a freshman musical theatre major from Lovington, New Mexico, as Alfred, the White Rabbit and March Hare.

Production team also includes A. Ray Newburg Jr., theatre arts program coordinator for Amarillo College, as scenic designer; Noah Seth Santos, a senior design and technology major from Lubbock, as lighting designer; Oliver Folger, a senior design and technology major from Levelland, as stage manager; Jillian Nuckels, a sophomore design and technology major from Andrews; Johnathan-Graham Fanelli Burnett, a sophomore theatre education major from Clarendon, as properties designer; Anne Medlock-Ely, head of the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance and professor of theatre, as costume designer; Brooklynn Johnson, a junior design and technology major from Lubbock, as hair and makeup designer; John Landon, professor of theatre, as technical director; Zachary Oehm, instructor of theatre, as scene shop foreman; Leigh Anne Crandall, assistant professor of theatre, as costume shop manager; and Rachel House, a senior design and technology major from The Colony, as house master electrician.

Student production staff members includes Lowe as dance captain; Allison Miles, a sophomore design and technology major from Artesia, New Mexico, as assistant stage manager; Isa Slaughter, a junior musical theatre major from Odessa, as assistant stage manager; Dani Collins, a junior design and technology major from Lubbock, as associate costume designer; Violet Greenhaw, a sophomore design and technology major from Sundown, as assistant lighting designer and master electrician; Liv Martin, a senior acting major from League City, as scenic change artist; Bryson Shelton, a freshman design and technology major from Amarillo, as assistant master electrician; Joshua Hodge, a junior design and technology major from Amarillo, as light board operator; Alyssa Hale, a sophomore musical theatre major from Bellville, as sound board operator; MarLowe Martinez, a freshman musical theatre major from El Paso, as audio assistant; Britt Lazarus, a sophomore musical theatre major from Fort Worth, as wardrobe head; Kaitlyn Frausto, a senior acting major from Hereford, as stagehand; and Jonah Gonzales, a senior acting major from Plains, as stagehand.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign's new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.