ALICE IN WONDERLAND A Musical Experience to Premiere At The Wilshire Ebell Theatre

To kickoff Women's History Month, Trial Run Productions has announced the world premiere of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a new musical experience created by the female team of Brooke deRosa and Paige Lehnert.

Travel down the rabbit hole with Alice and join her madcap adventures in this Wonderland for all ages. The production closely follows the original book by Lewis Carroll and features a colorful cast of characters, stunning LED backdrops, all-new musical numbers, original costumes and interactive elements.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND will receive a limited run at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, with two performances on April 6th and 7th, 2024. Tickets are on sale now at the following link: https://ebellofla.org/event/alice-in-wonderland/

​This musical retelling of Lewis Carroll's fantastical book features a cast of 18 performers who play more than 30 characters. The show will take you on a journey into an imaginative world with the ever-curious Alice to a land of zany adventures where nothing is as it seems. The White Rabbit, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, the mysterious Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and more of your favorites from Lewis Carroll's beloved book make this a magical, tuneful, and over-the-top entertaining musical the whole family will enjoy!

CAST

Brooke Iva Lohman as Alice
Jack Krimmel as Mad Hatter
Ben Lowe as Caterpillar/Knave of Hearts
Kirk Garner as White Rabbit
Michael O'Halloran as Cheshire Cat
Ashley Becker as Queen of Hearts
Karen Hogle Brown as Lorina
Gabriel Manro as Knight, Walrus
Analisa Idalia as Tweedle Dee, Dahlia
Skylar Lehr-Bryant asTweedle Dum, Butterfly
Tabatha Skanes as Duchess, Daisy
Natalie Scott as Cook, Tiger Lily
Kion Heidari as March Hare, Lory, Oyster, 2 of Clubs
Esteban Hurtado as King of Hearts, Dormouse, Mouse, Piglet
Henry Hetz as Footman, Carpenter, Duck, Red Knight, 5 of Spades
Brock Birkner as Eaglet, Beetle, Oyster, 7 of Spades
Phil Meyer as Dodo, Gnat, Oyster, 9 of Spades
Natalie Vatcher as Alice (understudy)

Stage Manager: Mara Aguilar

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Brooke deRosa (Composer/Executive Producer/Director) - Brooke deRosa is an award winning composer, conductor and vocalist who is based in Los Angeles. Brooke completed her first opera in 2017, based on the short story The Monkey's Paw, which saw it's premiere in Los Angeles with the Pacific Opera Project. The following year she began collaborating with librettist and composer Paige Lehnert for their Alice In Wonderlandproject, a new retelling of the famous fairy tale. Her musical Gunfight at the Not-So-OK Saloon premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in 2019 to a sold-out run. Gunfight later garnered awards for "Pick of the Fringe" and "The Encore Producer's Award" along with "The John Raitt Award for Best Music and Lyrics." She was commissioned by Cowtown Opera in 2019 to write Does Not Compute: a Love Story, a futuristic show about the interactions between robots and humans which premiered in Los Angeles in 2023. In addition, Brooke has composed works for the LA Opera including Songs of Orpheus which premiered in 2020 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and An Elephant Never Forgets. Brooke also enjoys writing scores for film, many of her film scores can be seen on Lifetime TV.

Paige Lehnert (Librettist) - Paige Lehnert is a librettist and composer from Orlando, Florida. She was accepted into the acclaimed Creative Writing program at Eckerd College, where she studied under authors such as Dennis Lehane and Elie Wiesel. In 2005, she authored The Legend of Atlantis while still a student in college. For the past 15 years, she has worked as an editor and penned many articles for local publications. She is currently penning a fantasy-themed book series as well as libretti for the forthcoming shows Air Heart, A Christmas Carol, Esther, Red, Bonnie and Clyde and The Accidental King. Lehnert has scored several video games and films including Kindred, Tuesday's Mask, River Guard, The Gatehouse, Atomic Apocalypse, Symbiote and The Search for Simon, for which she won an award for best score at the 2014 Portsmouth International Film Festival in England. Additionally, she has also provided music and sound effects for NASA's VR mobile apps, which can currently be heard at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Liza Barskaya (Choreographer/Co-Director) - Liza Barskaya received her early dance training throughout the greater Los Angeles area. She spent four seasons with Benita Bike's DanceArt Company and has also performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet Austin, Los Angeles Choreographers and Dancers, The Assembly, Evan Rosenblatt and Dancers, Rappaport Dance, Dances Patrelle, American Swiss Ballet, Homo Veritas Dance Theatre, and the Mesopotamian Opera Company. Liza's choreographic work includes the musical production of I Love You, Because by the Red Brick Road Theatre Company and Endeavor Theatre Ensemble, Emelia Austin's Desire to Reveal music video, Surf Curse's music video Disco in which she also starred and an original piece based on Khalil Gibron's The Prophet for the Higher Ground Festival in NYC. Liza is currently the resident Stage Director and Choreographer of the Independent Opera Company in Los Angeles. In addition to her work, Liza teaches ballet at Anna Cheselka Dance Center, Hama's Dance Center and Pasadena Dance Theatre.

Marianne Parker (Costume Designer/Associate Producer) - Marianne Parker is a Canadian born, Los Angeles based costume designer who's three decade career has had her traveling the world. Her diverse scope of work includes film, television, theatre, dance, live performances, cruise ships, corporate events and providing wardrobe for music icons. Marianne utilizes costumes to create an immersive world for the audience in all of these mediums. She especially enjoys designing for sci-fi, fantasy and period productions, starting at concept and taking the designs all the way through to reality. Marianne is very active in the Costume Designers Guild, serving as a committee member on the Contracts Negotiating Committee, Comic-Con Committee, Elections Committee and Costume Designers Guild Awards Committee.

Kelsey Johnson (Associate Producer/Assistant Director) - Alice in Wonderland marks Kelsey Johson's second collaboration with Brooke deRosa. Last year they co-produced a double fill featuring the world premiere of Does Not Compute, an original opera with music by Brooke and a libretto by Kelsey. As part of the double bill, Kelsey directed Trial by Jury, for which she wrote a revised libretto of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, setting the story in a modern-day Texas divorce court. A former founding board member of Pacific Opera Project, Kelsey is also a co-founder of the newly rebooted Opera a La Carte Association and looks forward to helping lead the company into new frontiers. Her initial foray into the arts was as a musician and actor, a labor of love that has spanned decades. Kelsey can be seen playing the title character in Storybook Theatre's Cinderella, currently running through June 2024 at Theatre West in Los Angeles.

Nandani Sinha (Associate Producer) - Nandani Sinha has dedicated her expertise to the transformative power of music, particularly in healing and community engagement. Her commitment shines through her notable work producing concerts for Alzheimer's and Dementia patients, collaborating with organizations like Music Heals Minds, Ebell Cares, Alzheimer's LA, and LA Opera. Ms. Sinha's passion for music research and dedication to the craft were evident in her role as the music research assistant to Maestro James Conlon. Having contributed to the cultural tapestry of New York, she honed her skills at Montauk Theatre Productions, working on live theater productions alongside luminaries such as Marilyn Sokol, Kim Cattrall, Ron Rivkin, and Gabriel Macht. Ms. Sinha's diverse experience extends to her role as the former overnight and weekend programmer for KUSC and KVOD, showcasing her versatility in the world of broadcasting.

Bob Wasson (Virtual Sets and Custom Props) - Bob Wasson is a seasoned artist and owner of VFXLAB, a leading company in special effects design and production. With a focus on props, sets, animatronics, and innovative effects like mirror illusions, Wasson has spearheaded creativity in the industry. As an award-winning filmmaker, he's known for his captivating narratives and stunning visual effects, having produced two feature films. Wasson's background as a former Imagineer for the Walt Disney Company underscores his expertise in pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation in both motion pictures and themed entertainment.

Andrea Blunt (Production Coordinator) - As a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, it was a natural progression for Andrea Blunt to take the plunge into screen scoring. After a career as a touring musician (opening for Furthur, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bragg, and Ty Segall) and backup/studio session singer for Grace Potter and Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Andrea went back to school in 2018 to pursue her dream of becoming a film composer. In 2021 she was commissioned to create her first piece of film music, a sound mass for the film Captured Souls as well as assisting on the feature film score for Ran Mi Lowo. In 2022, she participated in the Film Scoring Academy of Europe's summer program in Varna, Bulgaria. It was there she worked with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra on four original compositions. Andrea is a member of the SCL, AWFC, FCSL and completed her Film Scoring Certificate from UCLAX in the spring of last year.

ABOUT THE EBELL'S HISTORIC THEATRE AND CAMPUS

The historic Ebell structure and theatre were built in 1927 and designed by renowned architect Sumner Hunt. The campus originally served as a central hub for learning and arts lectures in support of the education of women; the Art Salon was one of the first art galleries in Los Angeles to showcase the work of female artists. With three levels and over 80,000 square feet, the renaissance-inspired building is a noted architectural treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a designated Los Angeles Cultural Monument. The building includes a grand dining room, art salon, courtyard garden, 1,238 seat Broadway-style theater and dozens of smaller rooms filled with historical artifacts and original design details.

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