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Assiniboia drama club to stage ‘Alice’

Cats, hats and a tea party are all in store when the drama club at the Assiniboia Composite High School performs “Alice” at the ACHS gymnasium for the audience on February 15 at 7:30 p.m.
School Drama

Cats, hats and a tea party are all in store when the drama club at the Assiniboia Composite High School performs “Alice” at the ACHS gymnasium for the audience on February 15 at 7:30 p.m.
“Alice” is a one-act adaptation of the well-known original work by Lewis Carroll. The nine members of the drama group are directed by Cheri Cowan, who teaches English and Arts Education at the high school. Eveline Bahuaud, who is an educational assistant, is the producer and costumer. The production also has a crew of five students to take care of lighting, sound, props and the set.
The cast sat down with the Assiniboia Times to provide a peak behind the stage curtain as they prepare for this production. The cast describes their play “Alice” as being about the main character Alice trying to find her way home. On her journey she is assisted by friends, but she also encounters a foil.
The play itself is an animated production that will contain some surprises and an interactive production for the audience. Theatre-goers will have to come out in February to see for themselves how it all turns out.
The production offers a lot of laughs and an evening of family entertainment. There will be a lot of movement and pace to the production. There are two major movement pieces. The play will be taking advantage of technology using lights and music to augment the performance. The intermission features a unique event “Alice’s Tea Party” for the audience.
The Alice cast is truly amazing. Most of the drama students play more than one role. Some are playing up to four different characters. This is a difficult feat even for seasoned actors.
“I can’t believe how many roles you can take on,” said Cowan, director. The drama students are taking it in stride. They show a genuine enthusiasm for each of their characters as they described what role they are playing. But adapting to playing several different roles was quite difficult for the students much earlier in the drama season. They have come a long way with practice.
Cowan told the students that she is proud of their accomplishments and their acting abilities that have grown over the year. Some of the actors switch from playing a footman to a cat, or a pigeon to a dormouse, and they say that they can shed their role as soon as they walk off-stage, their mind moving to the next part of the play. While others find the transition more complex, but are aided by the costumes.
The drama club is more than just a group of students putting on a play. For newcomers to the group and to the school, it has given them an important sense of belonging in the school. Other have made new friends. All of the students have found avenues of creativity through movement and role-playing that have boosted their confidence in other aspects of school life. They have also discovered a lot about themselves and what they can accomplish.
Will the court convict the knave? Will Alice lose her head? The drama club is inviting everyone to come to the production at the Assiniboia Composite High School gymnasium on February 15 to find out.