A NEW MUSICAL

Teacher Resource Guide

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Wonderland: A New Musical
Synopsis
WONDERLAND is the giddy, soaring musical
that plunges a new kind of Alice into a
dazzling world of kaleidoscopic fantasy and
romantic adventure. Returning to the strange
universe of the classic “Alice in Wonderland,”
we find its timeless characters have evolved
with the changing times but remain as
familiar and endearing as ever. These
residents of the Queen of Hearts’ kingdom are
now threatened by a new and madder Mad
Hatter, whose dark ambition is matched only
by her fearsome beauty. Into this troubled
Wonderland lands Alice Stetson, whose life
in New York with her ten-year-old daughter
Chloe is equally in crisis. Alice’s yearning
for happier times causes her to follow the
legendary White Rabbit deep below the city
of New York to a world like nothing
she’s seen.
With a memorably tuneful, enticing and
moving score by Broadway’s Frank Wildhorn
(JEKYLL & HYDE) and Jack Murphy (THE
CIVIL WAR), stunning dance from multiple
Emmy award-winner and Austin Powers
choreographer Marguerite Derricks, and as
dazzling a scenic design as Broadway has
seen, WONDERLAND is a deliriously funny,
touching, life-affirming musical to stir the
heart and delight the imagination.
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Adapting a Story
Adaptation starts with a story, or in musical
theatre terms, the “book,” which consists
of the story, character development, spoken
dialogue and sometimes the song lyrics.
Inspiration for a musical can come from
anywhere — a novel, a movie, or a classic
children’s storybook. Wonderland is an
example of a book musical — not because it
comes from a book, but because it combines
music, lyrics and dance with a well-crafted
story.
In a book musical, the composer and lyricist
are instrumental in the creation of the overall
concept for the show. They compose the
musical score and lyrics as well as work
closely with the director, designers and
playwright. Over the years there have been
many notable composer-lyricist partnerships,
for example, Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick
Loewe, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice,
and Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy.
The Role of the Creative Team
 
In the process of producing a new musical
there are many people behind the scenes who
create the magic that you see and hear on
stage.

Composer: A composer writes the score for Choreographer: A choreographer chooses

the musical.
Lyricist: A lyricist writes the song lyrics for
the musical numbers.
Director: A director is responsible for the
artistic unity of a production. They will
interpret the script and define the look, style,
mood, pace, and arc of the action. In a musical
production the director also works closely
with the choreographer and musical director
to cast the show and rehearse the actors.
Book Writer: A book writer works in
conjunction with the composer, lyricist and
director to write the spoken dialogue for the
musical.
the style and form of the dance routines in a
musical production.
Musical Director: The musical director
supervises the singers and orchestra for the
production.
Set Designer: The set designer creates the
physical world of the play, working with the
director and other designers to set the mood,
time and place of the production.
Costume Designer: The costume designer
creates the clothing and accessories worn by
the actors that will enhance the persona of
their character.

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Quick Challenge:
Be Part of the Creative Team!
After your students have seen the show,
ask them to hang on to their Playbill
from the production and bring it to class.
Alternatively they can go online at:
http://www.wonderlandonbroadway.com.
When creating Wonderland, the design team
worked together to combine their ideas,
skills and expertise. In this activity, your
students will experience what it is like to be
in a production meeting and make decisions
about creating a musical.
1. Ask your students to take out their
Playbill from the performance of
Wonderland.
2. As a class, find the list of the creative
team in the Playbill. Have a discussion
about the role of each member by
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answering the following questions: Which
creative team member did you choose?
What job did this person do? How did
they contribute to the performance? How
does their work support this production?
What did you see on stage that reflected
your person’s work?
3. Next, ask them to research this job
and find out what it involves and what
their roles and responsibilities during
the creation and running time of the
production are.
4. Invite each student to create a collage from
their team members’ perspective of their
personal vision for Wonderland. Ask them
to think about how they would like to see
their vision come to life.
5. Finally, once everyone has created their
collage, ask them to present and talk about
their concept for the production.
Historical Context

Wonderland is an adaptation of two of Lewis Carroll’s most famous works, Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. These books were
inspired by Carroll’s friendship with a young neighbor, Alice Liddell. The books were filled
with references to chess, logic and geometry as well as strange and colorful characters that
called Wonderland their home. Carroll’s writing respects children’s intelligence, curiosity and,
most of all, their imagination and sense of fun.

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 PRINT
THIS
PAGE

Worksheet Idea: Magic Math (M, S, T)

Lewis Carroll was not only a children’s author full of imagination, but he was also a brilliant
mathematician! He incorporated this passion into his books — can you spot where?
The Challenge: Using numbers 1–9 in the squares below so that every row, column and
diagonal line adds up to the sum of 15. (Solutions on the back page.)

15

15

15

15 15 15 15

Math Activity Adapted from www.mathforum.org/magic.square

Do you know any other math games you can think of to challenge your friends?

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An Introduction to the Author… Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson: author, poet,
mathematician, and amateur photographer.
Born January 27, 1832 in England, he was
the third oldest of 11 children born to
Reverend Charles Dodgson. Educated at
Oxford University, he became a professor at
the early age of 19 and spent his career as an
academic, lecturing in mathematics at Christ
Church College. Partially deaf and afflicted
with a stutter, he was shy and reserved in the
company of adults, but completely at ease
with children. He would delight them with
stories, riddles, and word games of his own
invention. He created the word ladder game
“Doublets” and an earlier version of the board
game Scrabble. Best known as the author
of the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its
sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What
Alice Found There, Dodgson also published
poetry, satirical pamphlets on university life,
and mathematical works. He was ordained as
an Anglican deacon in 1861, although never
entered the priesthood and never married.
Charles Dodgson died suddenly on January
14, 1898 from pneumonia at the age of 66.

Did you know… Alice was not the only

person from the author’s life that was
represented in his books. Dodo was none
other than Lewis Carroll himself — the
name being the pronunciation of his real
last name with a stutter (Do-Dodgson).

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Who was the real Alice…?
Alice Pleasance Liddell was born May 4, 1852
in England, the fourth child of Henry and
Lorina Liddell. Shortly after her birth, her
father became the Dean of Christ Church
College, Oxford, where Charles Dodgson
(Carroll) taught. Alice was only 4 years old
when she first met Dodgson, and quickly
became his favorite subject to photograph
and the protagonist in the adventure stories
he would tell to her and her sisters. It was
on a rowing trip with Dodgson, where he
first shared with 10-year-old Alice and her
two sisters a particular story about a young
heroine’s adventures when she fell down a
rabbit hole. It is said that Alice asked him to
write the story down and some months later,
he presented her with the original manuscript
of Alice’s Adventures Underground complete
with his own illustrations. It was published
three years later in 1865 with the illustrations
of political cartoonist Jon Tenniel as Alice’s
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Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel,
Through the Looking-Glass, followed in 1871.
Dodgson made Alice immortal through his
stories, however their friendship lessened in
the years following its publication. Liddell
grew up and was rumored to be a romantic
interest of Prince Leopold, Queen Victoria’s
youngest son. However, the tragic loss of
her younger sister Edith diminished their
relationship. Liddell married Reginald
Hargreaves in 1880, and was forced to
sell her original copy of Alice’s Adventure
Underground to maintain their estate after his
death.
The manuscript was sold at auction and
displayed at Columbia University in New
York City, but later presented to the British
people in honor of their sacrifices in World
War II, where it currently resides in the British
Library in London. Alice Hargreaves died on
November 16, 1934 at the age of 82.
Did you know… although some experts
say the illustrations in Carroll’s novels
closely resemble Alice’s sister, Edith, there
is no doubt Alice was the inspiration for
the classic stories. There are at least three
direct links to her in the books, including a
dedication to “Alice Pleasance Liddell,” both
the original and sequel are set on May 4 and
November 4, which are Alice’s birthday and
half-birthday respectively, and finally in a
poem that appears at the end of Through the
Looking-Glass, in every first word, the first
letter forms an acrostic of her name.
Note to the Teacher
The following 3 sections contain a range of
activities, information and questions that
can stand alone or work as a building block
towards the creation of a complete unit of
work.
Fundamentally, we have provided practical,
ready-to-use activities created to be flexible
in structure that you can adapt to suit
the needs of your classroom. They have
been designed to expand your students’
appreciation of Wonderland and its major
themes.
Also you will find connections to the NYC
Department of Education’s Blueprint for
Teaching and Learning in Arts: Theater and
the NYS Learning Standards and to aid you
in your planning. See below:
Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the
Arts: Theater. Grades Pre K–12 New York
City Department of Education
Theater making: Acting, Playwriting/
Play making, provides multiple avenues for
active learning. Through the interpretation
of dramatic literature and the creation of
their own works, students engage as writers,
actors, designers, directors and technicians.
Developing Theater Literacy: Theater
literacy provides theater vocabulary when
making and responding to performance, and
develops critical, analytical and writing skills
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through observing, discussing and responding
to live theater and dramatic literature. In this
strand, dramatic literature is also viewed as a
catalyst for production and performance.
Making Connections: Students make
connections to theater by developing an
understanding of self and others. They
respond to theater by identifying personal
issues and universal themes in performance
and in dramatic text. They investigate theater
by examining the integration of other arts into
a complex multi-media art form. Working
with community and cultural resources:
community resources that support theater-
making, theater literacy, theater connections
and career exploration, and expand students’
opportunities for learning. Active partnerships
that combine school, professional and
community resources create rich avenues
for student and teacher innovation in the
classroom and in production.
Exploring Careers and Life Long
Learning: Students develop audience skills
and a connection to theater that allows them
to value the theater throughout their lives.
They explore the scope and variety of theater
careers in teaching, production, performance,
criticism, design, technical theater and related
occupations, and they investigate how these
careers align with their personal goals and
aspirations.
Curriculum Connections: New York State Learning Standards

Excerpt taken from Blueprint for Teaching and

Learning in the Arts: Theater
Grades Pre K-12, New york city Department
of education www.schools.nyc.gov

www.p12.nysed.gov/nysatl/standards
The following activities in this study guide
supports learning in the following areas:

ARTS (A)
• Creating, Performing & Participating in
the Arts
• Knowing & Using Arts Materials &
Resources
• Responding To & Analyzing Works of Art
• Understanding the Cultural Dimensions

LANGUAGE ARTS (LA)

• Language for Information &
Understanding
• Language for Literary Response &
Expression
• Language for Critical Analysis &
Evaluation
• Language for Social Interaction

MATH, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY (M, S, T)

• Analyze and inquire to pose questions and
develop solutions
• Understand relationships and themes and
apply to other areas of learning

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Section One: A New Alice…
Wonderland: is an adaptation of two of Lewis
Carroll’s most famous works, Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass,
and What Alice Found There. Since publication
over 100 years ago, they have inspired many
adaptations to the stage and screen, most
notably Walt Disney’s animation in 1951 and
Tim Burton’s 2010 feature film of the same
name, Alice in Wonderland.
The following activities should be explored
with your students before they see this
production of Wonderland, as it will ask them
to reflect on what they already know about
this story and its characters, and challenge
them to think about how they would
reimagine this story and make it their very
own.
Activity One: Timeless Tales (LA, A)
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
captured the imaginations of children and
adults alike and has never been out of
publication since its release in 1865. It has
been published in over 100 countries and
translated into over 120 languages worldwide.
As a homework assignment, ask your
students to interview their parents,
grandparents, family members and friends
to discover what they know about Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland. See some suggested
questions below:
• How old were they when they first
learned about Alice’s adventures?
• Did they read about her in a book, or see
her in a movie or live on stage?
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• What do they remember about the story,
the plot and characters?
• Do they know a different adaptation than
you?
• Have they read about the character of
Alice in other works of literature and film?
After your students have interviewed their
family and friends, discuss the following
questions with the whole class:
• This book is over 100 years old, why do
you think this story is still read, retold,
performed and adapted today?
• Why do you think that so many artists
from around the world have been inspired
to create plays, musicals, movies, poems,
songs and comic books about this story
and its characters?
• What memories do your family and friends
have about this story?
• How old were you when you first learned
about Alice?
• How do you think the theater company
will create the magical world of
Wonderland on stage?
Blueprint Connections:
Theater Making:
Students gain skills as emergent
playwrights by identifying and using
elements of dramatic literature in writing,
theater exercises and activities.
Theatre Literacy:
Students examine theater history to further
understand its social and cultural context.
Making Connections:
Students refine their personal responses
to theater by comparing various
interpretations of a work and the context
that informs the production of that work.
Section One: A New Alice… (Continued)
Activity Two: Remembering and
Retelling (LA, A)
Many of us have heard about Alice and her
amazing adventure down the rabbit hole. But
what do we “actually” remember about the
story? The following activity will discover
what your students remember about the
story and characters, and challenge them to
create their own adaptations from different
perspectives.
1. Divide your students into small groups and
give each one a large sheet of poster paper
and several marker pens.
2. First, encourage your students to discuss
what adaptations of this famous story they
already know. For example, have they read
Lewis Carroll’s original or experienced a
different adaptation?
3. After a brief discussion, ask them to agree
on the arc of the story and explain that
they will now create a timeline of the plot.
They should draw it out on the large sheet
of poster paper including as much detail
about the story that they can remember.
How does the story begin? Where is Alice
when we are first introduced to her? Who
is the first character she meets? And so on
until the end of the story.
4. Once the timeline is complete, ask each
group to choose 3 defining moments in
the story. What were the turning points for
Alice? What was going through her mind
during these crucial moments?
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Teacher Note: For younger students, ask
them to identity the beginning, middle and
end of this story and circle them on their
timeline.
5. Now, ask each group to think about the
defining moments they have chosen, but
from a different character’s point of view.
For example, in the beginning of the story
you may remember that Alice is frustrated
by the White Rabbit who will not stop to
talk to her, so she follows him down into
the rabbit hole. However, how do you
imagine the White Rabbit feels in that
moment? Why doesn’t he stop and talk to
Alice? Is he going somewhere important?
Has he met Alice before?
6. Next, ask your students to recreate their
3 moments in a scene, but from their new
character’s point of view. Ask them to
include a clear beginning, middle and end
point, and each scene should be at least 2
minutes long.
7. After some rehearsal time, ask each group
to share their scenes with the rest of the
class, reflecting on the following questions
below:
As an audience member, how did these familiar
moments from a different character’s point of
view change the story?
How did these changes alter your perception of
these characters?
What would happen if you created alternative
scenes for each moment on your timeline?
Section One: A New Alice… (Continued)

Activity Three: What Came Before the
Rabbit Hole…? (LA, A)
As we know, Lewis Carroll published Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, and he later
wrote a sequel called Through the Looking-
Glass, and What Alice Found There in 1871.
Since then, there have been many adaptations
of Carroll’s famous work often blending
together plot and characters from both
books to create their own reimagining of this
celebrated story.
In the following activity, your students will
create a prequel to both of these stories titled
What Came Before the Rabbit Hole…
3. Next, have each group create a short scene
about what their chosen character did the
day before the original story took place.
For example, what was the Caterpillar
doing the day before his encounter with
Alice?
4. Once everyone is finished, have each
group share their scene with the class.
Why did your group choose their character?
What new discoveries did you make about
Lewis Carroll’s characters?
What new elements did you bring to your
character when creating this prequel?

1. Ask your students to get into small groups,

and each group is to pick one character
from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice
Found There to focus on. For example, your
group could choose Alice or any of the
characters from the books.
2. Once they have chosen their character,
ask them to brainstorm what they already
know about them. Encourage them to use
their timelines from the previous activity
as a guide.

Where in the story is the first time we meet

this character?
What are they doing when we first meet them?
What do they look like? Describe their features
and what they are wearing?
What happens to them in the story?

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Section Two: Musical Personalities
Blueprint Connections:
Theater Making:
Working alone and in groups, students
begin to recognize and articulate their
personal vision and the cultural context of
their work.
Theatre Literacy:
Students practice constructive responses
to theater performance using observable
evidence to support opinion.
Making Connections:
Students explore elements of theater shared
with other art forms.
When creating the music for Wonderland,
composer Frank Wildhorn and lyricist Jack
Murphy were able to develop “musical
personalities” for each of the iconic characters
in the show. Whether it is writing for
someone’s singing voice, or creating a musical
motif to represent their character, musicals
are able to communicate powerful emotions
through melodies and lyrics.
The following activities can be shared with
your students either before or after they
have seen the production, as they will have
the opportunity to demonstrate what songs
represents their personalities and explore the
emotions in musical theater.
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Activity One: Name that Song? (A)
In the show, Frank Wildhorn has created
“musical personalities” for each of the
characters in the story which allows the
audience to instantly identify with them.
1. Explain to your students that their
task is to find a song that they feel
best represents their personality. This
can be from Wonderland (go to http://
wonderlandonbroadway.com/sounds.
html), another musical they may have
seen, or a classical or contemporary song
by their favorite artist — it’s up to them!
2. Once they have their song, the next step is
to research the origin or inspiration behind
that song.
• What inspired the artist to compose or
write it?
• Are there other songs by this artist that
you are familiar with?
• What kind of story does this song tell?
• What instruments were used to create
this song?
• What year was the song created?
• Where were you when you first heard
this song?
• What memories do you have around
this song?
• What about this song represents you and
your personality?
• Why do you identify with the musical
score or lyrics?
Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)
3. Invite your students to bring their chosen
songs to class and share it with the whole
group. Encourage any musicians or singers
in the group to perform their song, or you
can provide equipment such as an iPod
dock with speakers or a CD player to play
each song.
What kind of songs did your classmates share?
Were you familiar with any of the songs, or did
you hear new pieces?
What about the song represented the classmate
who shared it?
Activity Two, Part One:
Power of Emotion (A)
Often in musical theatre, it is the powerful
emotions of the characters that drive the
action and inspire everything that happens
on stage. In this activity, your students will
explore emotions and methods to convey it to
an audience.
1. Begin by asking your students, why do
they think characters burst into song in
musical theatre?
2. Next, ask them to brainstorm typical
emotions that are usually found in musical
theatre. Encourage them to give specific
examples and record those emotions on
the board. For example, love, jealousy,
anger, betrayal, sorrow, joy, anticipation,
etc.
3. Once you have a list of emotions on the
board, ask students to walk around the
room in actor’s neutral.
4. Explain that you will count down from 3
15
to 1 and then call out an emotion and they
must create a “still image” portraying that
emotion. Remind them that this is a silent
activity and they must rely on their facial
expressions and gestures.
5. Next, ask half the class the take a seat, and
half the class to continue walking around
the space. Position yourself behind the
audience so they can’t see you and signal
to the performers which emotion from the
board that you wish them to convey. (You
may also hold up cards with the emotions
clearly displayed on them.)
6. The performers must hold their images
while the audience guesses their emotion
and after a few rounds ask participants to
switch.
As a performer, what were the challenges when
conveying such powerful emotions?
As an audience member, how were you able to
identify the emotions of the performers?
What were the common expressions or gestures
used to convey these emotions? Why do you
think that is?
Even without words, were you able to identify
each emotion?
Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)
Activity Two, Part Two:
Emotion Orchestra (A)
As we know, emotions are extremely
important in musical theatre. This activity
will challenge your students to emphasize
emotions and learn how to perform them in a
big way.
As a performer, what skills did you use to make
your emotions as large as possible?
How were you able to perform alongside other
groups at the same time?
What kinds of directions did the conductor give
you as an orchestra?

1. Place your students into small groups and

ask them to sit together creating a circle
around you.
2. Ask each group to choose an emotion from
the previous activity. For example, anger,
joy, sadness, anticipation.
3. Once they have their emotion they should
select sounds and gestures that they feel
represents this emotion. Explain that they
must not use words, just these sounds and
physical gestures.
4. Next, explain that when you point to a
group, they must perform their emotion
through their sounds and gestures. You
may also use hand signals to indicate when
to get louder, softer, when to stop and
when to perform.
5. Go around to each group and once they
are familiar with the exercise, begin to
direct them as if you are a conductor and
they are your orchestra. You may overlap
groups or have them perform all at once.
The challenge is to encourage each group
to make their emotions as large as possible.
Ask them to imagine they are on stage at
The Marquis Theatre on Broadway and
they must project to the back row!
6. After a while, offer the conductor’s role to
a student volunteer and have fun creating
an Emotion Orchestra.

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Section Two: Musical Personalities (Continued)

Activity Three: Lyricist Love! (LA, A)
Wonderland is a musical, which means that
characters will break into song during the
show. A song can be an indication of the
mood and emotions of that character or
simply a way to move the plot forward.
1. Divide your students into small groups
and ask each group to select one song
from the first activity in this section, or
they can choose a completely new song
from Wonderland, another musical or any
song they all know.
2. Once they have chosen their song, they
will use the tune or melody and write
new lyrics inspired by the scenarios listed
below:
• You are a writer who has lost their
inspiration
• You and a friend don’t seem to be getting
along anymore
• You meet a long lost friend
• You finally realize someone in your life
means a lot to you
4. Once they have written their lyrics, they
should rehearse singing it along to their
chosen song. Explain that it can be sung
as a group, or divided among the group
members into solos, duets and choral
sections.
5. After some rehearsal time, invite your
students to share their song. They can
simply read it out or perform it for the rest
of the class.
As an audience member, what emotions did you
see being conveyed in the performances?
Were the scenarios familiar to you, where had
you seen them before?
As a lyricist, what were the challenges in telling
a story through song?
How did it feel to perform your song as a
group?

3. Each group will collectively write the

lyrics to their song and tell a story
inspired by their chosen scenario above.
Encourage them to incorporate as many
of the powerful emotions they have been
exploring in the two previous activities
and think about how they will convey
those emotions to an audience. Each song
should have at least two verses and a
chorus, which is repeated.

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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland
Musicals are known for their extravagant and beautiful sets, costumes and lighting designs.
In the theatre, the designs for the set and costumes help the audience to further understand
the time and location that the story takes place. In Wonderland, the design team creates the
extraordinary world that lies deep beneath New York City; however, they also rely of the
audience’s imagination to bring these elements to life.

This section can be explored before or after your students have seen the production, as they
will use their imaginations and creativity to bring “their” Wonderland to life and discover how
to move within it.

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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

Activity One: Door Number One (A)

In the show, Alice and her daughter Chloe are both taken on an adventure down into the
mysterious depths of Wonderland. In this activity, students will use their imagination to go on a
“guided journey” through Door Number One.

Teacher Note: This activity might be best in a school gym with plenty of open space.

1. Ask your students to find a space in the room on their own, lie down and close their eyes.
2. Suggest that they take a few deep breaths and relax. Ask them to imagine that they are lying
in their bed at home and about to drift into a deep sleep.
3. Explain to your class that the following steps will be narrated, and as you describe their
actions and the environment around them, they should silently act it out.

You are lying in your bed drifting into a deep sleep. Suddenly you are startled awake. You have a
sinking feeling that you are late for something, but you are not sure what? You quickly jump off the
bed and head towards the door. You take hold of the handle and rattle it desperately, but the door
will not open. Puzzled by this, you turn around just in time to see your bedroom disappear, and you
are now surrounded by other doors with numbers on them. You run towards a door with the “number
one” clearly marked on it, you turn the handle and step into an elevator. It is a charming old-style
elevator with a sliding gate. A strange voice announces, “Ping, going down”, and the elevator takes
off at impossible speeds. You hold on as the floors fly by basements and sub-basements, until you are
traveling through a scene of swirling lights. You hear another, “Ping”, the elevators door opens, you
stumble out into a crowd of people all dressed as characters that you recognize from the story Alice in
Wonderland. Confused, you notice someone in the crowd that you know very well and are desperate
to talk to. You try to push your way towards them, and can see their head bobbing up and down out
of the sea of people. You realize that this person is not alone, but following a White Rabbit who is
carrying a large interesting looking watch. You try with all your strength to reach them, but are held
back by all of the people. After some time you eventually manage to escape the crowd but have lost
sight of the person you were following. Looking around you reach the conclusion that you have been in
this place before. Ahead, you see an odd-looking small door with the “number two” written above it in
smoke. You walk towards it slowly.

What was your favorite part of the guided journey? Why?

Were you able to imagine all of the different parts of the journey? Can you remember them?
What do you think is behind door “Number Two?”

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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

scale of 1-10, 1 being tiny, 5 being normal

Blueprint Connections:
Theater Making:
Students will increase their range of
expression as playwrights through the use of
vocabulary and dramatic structure, and by
exploring various theatrical styles and forms.
Making Connections:
Students broaden their understanding of
theater by applying concrete learning from
other disciplines.
Theater Literacy:
Students use vocabulary that is authentic
and integral to theater and other art forms.
Activity Two: Door Number Two (A)
Similar to the previous activity, you will
facilitate a guided journey for your students
but now focus on the physicality of moving
through space.
1. Once again, ask your students to find a
space in the room and close their eyes.
2. After a few breaths, explain that they are
standing in front of a large door with the
“number two” written above it in smoke.
Continue the narration…
and 10 being large, explain that they are
going to explore moving through a space
as it evolves around them.
4. Randomly call out the numbers on the
scale, encourage students to use their
bodies, gestures and facial expressions to
represent each shift.
5. Continue to narrate the story and
encourage them to be creative with their
physical shapes and positions.
The small odd-looking door begins to grow, but not
enough for you to fit through. You take another sip,
and then another until the door is large enough for
you to enter.
How did you use your bodies and physical gestures
to represent each number on the scale?
What shapes did you see your fellow classmates
creating with their bodies?
What do you think is in the blue vial?
Use your imaginations to describe what happened
to you after you drank the contents of vial?
What do you think is behind door “Number Two?”

You notice a small blue vial that seems to glow

with a light from within. You hold it up closely
to read what it says on the label. The words
“Drink Me” are written on it. You take off the
top and smell its contents. You gingerly take a sip.

3. Now, ask your students to imagine what

would happen if the room they were
standing in began to shift in size. Using a
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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

Activity Three: Sense and Nonsense Teacher Note: The following lists are taken
(LA, A) directly from Wonderland.
Now that your students have created and
explored how they would move through Verbs Nouns Adjectives
Wonderland, in the following activity Golden Night Creeping
your class will discover how they would Fragrant Machine Dreaming
Beautiful Dream Singing
communicate in this world. As many Bright Heart Sleeping
characters in this play talk in riddles, your Dark Hero Swooshing
students will write unusual poetry and Polluted Baby Doll Shifting
Clouded Shoes Screaming
explore the vocabulary from the show. Scary Mother Falling
Stale Daughter Shrinking
1. Share with your students an excerpt from Brave Rabbit Glowing
Pretty Cat Writing
what is thought to be the most famous Willful Caterpillar Drinking
non-sensical poem in the English language Mopey Girl Eating
“Jabberwocky.” Crazy Tea Pot Flowing
Hazy Tea Cup
2. Ask them to read the poem aloud: Where Naughty Flower
have you heard this poem before? What Nice Raven
do you think is happening in the poem? Funny Hat
Mirror
Who is the Jabberwock? Who do you Queen
think wrote this poem? Watch
3. After a brief discussion, clarify that this
verse is part of a seven stanza poem 5. Explain that your student’s task is to create
written by Lewis Carroll as part of his a short, rhyming poem from the words
sequel novel Through the Looking Glass, listed above, they can even use the list to
and What Alice Found There in 1872. In invent brand new words by combining
the story Alice finds a book in a strange adjectives and verbs to create “Adjerbs,” or
language and quickly realizes it is written nouns and verbs to create “Nouverbs.”
in reverse, as everything through the
looking glass is backwards. Holding up a Share examples below:
mirror, Alice is able to decipher the words
to the “Jabberwocky” poem below: Adjective + Verb = “Adjerb”
Golden + Dreaming = “Goleaming”
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
 Noun + Verb = “Nouverb”
All mimsy were the borogoves,
 Swooshing + Raven = “Swooven” — and
And the mome raths outgrabe. these words can mean anything you
want!
4. Explain to your students that many of the
words in this poem are of Carroll’s own 6. Once they have written their poems
invention, and then list the following ask each students to share theirs with a
Adjectives, Nouns and Verbs on the board. neighbor.

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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

Activity Four: You’ll Be Finding

Wonderland… (A)
The following activity is a culmination project, as students will create choreography inspired
by the poetry they have written and using theatrical techniques they have explored throughout
this study guide.

1. Divide students into small groups and provide each group with a large sheet of poster paper
and marker pens.
2. Ask each group member to share their poem from the previous activity, and as a group, pull
4–5 words from each one that “pops” or stands out to them.

Teacher Note: An alternative would be to ask each student to choose 4 words from their poem
and share those with their group.

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Section Three: You’ll be Finding Wonderland (Continued)

3. Once they have their list of words, this will make up their group poem. Ask them to write it
out on their sheet of poster paper.
4. Next, they should assign a motif symbol to represent each word. For example, “flowing”
might be a wiggly line, “swirling” could be a swirl, etc.
5. Each group should have between 15 – 20 symbols that will now become their dance
vocabulary, and ask them to create shapes and movements to represent each symbol with
their bodies.
6. Once they have rehearsed each symbol, their challenge is to choreograph an ensemble
movement phrase. They have to add transitions between each symbol, and encourage them
to go back to their poster paper and record their choreography as they are developing it.
Explain that if they record two symbols side by side, then this means two movements are
happening simultaneously by two or more dancers.
7. A volunteer from each group should be a scribe and narrator. Their role is to record the
choreography and read the group poem during the performance. They will also act as an
outside eye and help their group refine each movement and transition.
8. They should include solos, duets and choral sections into their dance routines, and decide
on their starting and ending positions.
9. You can go online to download music from the show (http://wonderlandonbroadway.com/
sounds.html) to accompany their routines, or select music that you feel will compliment
their pieces.
10. After rehearsal, invite each group to share their dances with the group and facilitate a
reflection session to review new discoveries.

What did you find most challenging about creating choreography?

How did a dance express your group poem differently from if you read it aloud?
How did you decide on the symbols, shapes and transitions as a group?
How did creating symbols help you when creating choreography?
What did you observe about your classmates’ dance routines?
How did Lewis Carroll and his characters inspire these movement pieces?

23
Sources Consulted and Further Resources
Books
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis
Carroll, 1865
Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found
There by Lewis Carroll, 1871
The Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner, 1960
The Snark Was a Boojum: A Life of Lewis Carroll
by James P. Wood, 1966
Very Truly Yours, Charles L. Dodgson, alias Lewis
Carroll by Lisa Bassett, 1987
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the
Looking Glass: Nonsense, Sense, and Meaning by
Donald Rackin, 1991
On the Web
www.wonderlandthemusical.org
Official website of the new musical
production which has song clips, list of cast
and the creative team, a blog, video interviews
and more
www.alice-in-wonderland.net
Comprehensive source of Wonderland
information on the web
www.frankwildhorn.com
The composer’s website with biography,
discography, and information on upcoming
projects
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www.lewiscarroll.org
Website of the Lewis Carroll Society of North
American provides interesting information on
the author, background on the origin of the
Alice stories and links to other Wonderland
related sites
www.newvictorytheater.org
We would like to acknowledge The New
Victory Theater’s education department for
the use of selected information and education
materials from The New Victory Theater
School Toolsm Resource Guides.
Further Viewing
Alice in Wonderland (1951): Walt Disney’s
classic animated film
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972):
Musical film starring Michael Crawford,
Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore and Sir Ralph
Richardson
Alice at the Palace (1982): Filmed adaptation
of the New York Shakespeare’s production
directed by Elizabeth Swados, starring Meryl
Streep
Alice in Wonderland (2010) Feature film
directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp
Answers to Magic Math

8 1 6 15

3 5 7 15

4 9 2 15

15 15 15 15

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