Almost
Theatre

Directed by: Robert Morris and Arlo Chiaki Rowe

Cast:

Jay Pitt

Aidan Rowe

Jill Sanders

Teagan Staskawicz

Jonz Stoneroad

Abigail Young

Robert Morris

Arlo Chiaki Rowe

Earl Ernst Lab Theatre

February 25, 26, March 4, 5, 2023 at 7:30pm

Produced by Late Night Theatre Company at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, this project was created by myself out of a want to experiment with long form improv and stories in the public domain.

This was a show within a show - our actors played high schoolers who were putting on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With plenty of audience participation, the actors navigated the intricate plot of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with the silliness and awkwardness that is high school.

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Poster by Kelli Finnigan

Improv Warmups

Our actors warmed up each show with some warmups. This particular photo was from the classic improv game "Freeze!", where actors tell each other to "freeze" what they are doing in the middle of a short scene, and take over the scene from each other.

Jill Sanders (above), Jay Pitt (below), Photo: Chiyo Imai Rowe

Alice and the Caterpillar

This is from the scene in which Alice meets the Caterpillar. The actors in the background were trees that added to the ambiance of the scene.

Aidan Rowe "Alice" (Left), Jill Sanders "Caterpillar" (Right), Jonz Stoneroad "Tree" (Back Left), Abby Young "Tree" (Back Middle), Jay Pitt "Tree" (Back Right), Photo: Chiyo Imai Rowe

Audience Participation

In a scene where Alice and the palace cooks decide what to make the Queen for dinner, an audience member suggested Cap'n Crunch. The actors asked whether he meant the cereal or the man. The actors brought the audience member "Cap'n Crunch" onto the stage and proceeded to cook him in a stew.

Teagan Staskawicz "Baby Pig"(Left), Jay Pitt "Head Chef" (Middle Left), Abby Young "Duchess" (Left Center), Aidan Rowe "Alice" (Right Center), Jill Sanders "Cook" (Middle Right), Jonz Stoneroad "Cheshire Cat" (Right), Photo: Chiyo Imai Rowe

Croquet ("Croquette")

When the Queen challenged Alice to a game of "croquette", they played random games influenced by a training montage in the previous scene. Alice won every game much to the anger of the Queen, who arguably put more effort into the games than Alice.

Jay Pitt "Queen" (Front Left), Aidan Rowe "Alice" (Front Right), Jill Sanders "Gardener" (Back Left), Jonz Stoneroad "Gardener" (Back Center), Teagan Staskawicz "Gardener" (Back Right), Photo: Chiyo Imai Rowe

Alice's Death

At the end of the show, following a tragic court case between Alice and the Queen, the cast ended up beating up Alice (and his actor) to death. They all did bows in front of his body, and then proceeded to pickpocket his body.