EgoPo's ALICE Goes Down The Rabbit Hole At Glen Foerd, September 28-30

EgoPo's AWAKENINGS season goes down the rabbit hole this September 28-30, 2021 for its season opener, Alice: not your child's wonderland, a world premiere, site-specific adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Alice is adapted by Jenna Kuerzi, who also stars in the title role, and EgoPo's Dane Eissler, who also directs and scenic designs this special limited run. The production takes place in the gorgeous, open-air tent at magnificent Glen Foerd, a public park and museum, in the Torresdale section of Philly. The Season Launch Opening will take place on Tuesday Sept. 28th, with Fringe Festival Performances on Wednesday, September 29 and Thursday, September 30th.

Joining Kuerzi in the cast are EgoPo alums Maryruth "Mr" Stine (The Life (and death) of Harry Houdini), Davey Strattan White (Lydie Breeze, Buried Child, Company), and Caitlin Alvarez (Company), with Minou Pourshariati (Inis Nua's The Night Alive), Abdul Sesay (PAC's Tis Pity She's a Whore), and Kyleen Shaw (11th Hour's Falsettos) making their EgoPo debuts.

There are three ways to experience ALICE. For $75, you can see the show at Tuesday's exclusive Season Launch Party which includes Champagne Estate Tours, Open Bar and decadent hors d'oeuvres and dessert spreads. On Wednesday and Thursday, $32 general admission tickets can be purchased through the Fringe Festival or you can purchase VIP tickets through EgoPo to include drinks, personal hors d'oeuvres and table seating. All shows occur outdoors under the extraordinary open-air-tent at Glen Foerd's gorgeous estate along the Delaware River and include socially-distanced seating and vaccine requirements to ensure a safe theater experience for all audiences. Glen Foerd is easily accessible by car (just minutes off the I-95 Torresdale exit) and by public transportation (SEPTA Trenton line at Torresdale Station).

In Alice: not your child's wonderland, the beloved British classic, first published in 1865, is reset 100 years later at the peak of America's swinging '60s. The Vietnam War has just begun, the fights for Civil Rights and Gender and LGBT Equality are raging, and the counterculture is rising up in response to an ever-revealing corrupt national government. Alice watches her parents and their friends enjoy their privileged and hedonistic lifestyle as the world seemingly burns around them. As the show goes on, this "end of summer" party quickly devolves into debauchery, leaving Alice no choice but to navigate through "Wonderland" and out the other end of the rabbit hole. This interpretation of the Wonderland story is no children's fairytale.

"While Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is for sure a child-friendly book, the idea that Wonderland is a fun and whimsical place to live is a bit misguided. Alice despises her time in Wonderland - she may be fascinated by it, but she's often infuriated by it, often begging to return home. The rules change every second, and she's constantly belittled and contradicted at every opportunity. For a child - and even for an adult - that's a terrifying and dangerous world to exist in, and unfortunately, it's not an unfamiliar world for many people. Jenna and I are very interested in recontextualizing Wonderland to explore that moment where a child realizes for the first time what sort of scary land of unchecked privilege and power they live in," says Eissler.

Eissler and Kuerzi are also inspired by this transformational moment in time, and how recent experiences affect the vision of the world:

"We've all collectively spent a year of our lives watching everyone from billionaires and world leaders to regular civilians act like jerks, and we've also spent a year doing a lot of work to call out those behaviors and to become a better society. We've learned how to stand up for ourselves and fight for what is right, just like Alice as she navigates Wonderland. But what will stick with Alice when she wakes up and returns to the real world? What will we, as a society, keep from this past year when we unmask and return to everyday life?," says Kuerzi.

Eissler and Kuerzi are joined on the production team by Earl Girls, Inc (Lighting Design), Scott McMaster (Costume Design), Chris Sannino (Sound Design & Music Composition), Soundtracks Production Services (Sound Tech), Avista Custom Theatricals (Props Master), Molly Jo (Stage Management), Glynnis Nadel (COVID Compliance Officer), and Kayla Bowe (Assistant Director/Production Assistance). This production is also made possible with the support of Season Sponsor, Pat Savadove, and Production Sponsors Edward and Susan Hoffman.

Tickets for 9/29 & 9/30 regular performances start at $32 and can be purchased through the Fringe festival site: https://fringearts.com/event/alice-2/. VIP tickets for the same dates are included in Bronze Memberships and can be purchased through EgoPo's site www.egopo.org/alice, or call 267-273-1414 to upgrade previously purchased Fringe tickets.

Tickets for the exclusive Season Launch Party on 9/28 are $75 or included for Silver+ Subscribers. To purchase, visit EgoPo's website at www.egopo.org/alice or by calling 267-273-1414.

Parking will be available onsite for the performances, and guests traveling by train may take the SEPTA Trenton line to the Torresdale stop and walk a brief 5-minute distance to the public park.

Please note that Proof of Vaccination will be required to attend all events for EgoPo's 2021-2022 Season, including all audience and staff/teams. Masks are strongly recommended while under the tent at Alice, but are not required.

For more information on Alice: not your child's wonderland, please visit www.egopo.org/alice.

For more information on the season, please visit www.egopo.org/awakenings.

To post a comment, you must register and login.