Triple Threat Academy Presents ALICE IN WEBLAND

Triple Threat Academy will present Alice In Webland. Performances are Saturday, January 25, at 7 pm and Sunday, January 26, at 3 pm in Hoskins Hall at Saugatuck Congregational Church. Tickets are $5 and free for senior citizens.

Ten-year-old Alice is the star of her own weekly web show, Alice in Webland. Every girl in school logs on each week to enter Alice's world, where her favorite trends, Pink Moose clothing hauls, and Dad-Made-Me-Watch-It recommendations reign supreme. That is until late one night, when Alice falls into her screen and tumbles down a web-hole into actual WebLand! This brilliant original script is sure to bring laughs, surprises and touching moments to its first-ever audience. Any child growing up in the digital age will relate to these characters and glean valuable lessons about balancing social media and living in the moment. Writer/Director Georgia Wright and Assistant Director Samantha Edwards lead a talented cast of young actors, overseen by Triple Threat founders Cynthia Gibb and Jill Mann.

Wright has observed how her script has influenced the cast's thoughts around social media. "It has sparked so many amazing conversations about individuality and the pressure to keep up with the rapid pace of today's trend cycles," Wright reflects. "The story has also inspired discussions around friendships and how they start to shift and change at this age, and how social media factors into that transition." Technology as a whole is a huge theme in Wright's writing. "I explained to the girls what dopamine is and how screens affect their brain chemistry," Wright says. "They've been telling me how interesting it is to notice their mood and happiness levels before and after watching TV. They're becoming so much more aware of their relationship with technology and taking ownership of its involvement in their lives."

Sixth-grader Lola Rockwell plays Penelope, an Internet It-girl Alice worships. Penelope (a role shared with Kayla Dubois) morphs into the callous Queen of Webland. "The best thing about this process is how much we could create our own character," recounts Rockwell. "We could come up with how we think our characters would act or think instead of being told how to portray our role."

Fourth-grader Zoe Hendel shares the role of Alice with Samantha Flanders. "It's so much fun being in Alice in Webland, a creative take on the original Alice in Wonderland," says Hendel. "It's a great reminder that family, friends, and doing the right thing are most important."

Each unique character is inspired by the real-life students-2nd through 8th graders-inhabiting them in the premier production. While teaching Youth Acting with Triple Threat, Wright began to notice a pattern in the girls' interests. Every class there would be at least one improv scene about social media, influencers, and the latest trends the girls were enamored by that week. This got Wright thinking: "What better story to tell for young girls in 2025 than the stories they are telling amongst themselves?" Wright has understood the double-edged sword of social media since it came into their life at age 12 and has always been concerned with how its pervasive influence affects young girls. While social media can offer tools for community building and discovering new interests, it is also fraught with comparison, expectation, and overpowering influence, which scientists have shown is addictive.

"The journey Alice takes through Webland is a simulation of what the average young girl might experience scrolling through Instagram or TikTok," says Wright. "The lessons she learns along the way will serve as instrumental training for any kids who are about to introduce social media into their lives."

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