Students at Davidson College will present "Alice" this week. (David Boraks photo)

Also ahead: auditions for ‘Violet’

The Davidson College Theatre Department will produce what it is calling “a bold dramatic adaptation” of the literary classic “Alice in Wonderland” next Wednesday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 15. Senior theatre major Samantha Karlin directs the production of this beloved tale with a script created by the Manhattan Theatre Project under the direction of André Gregory.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. from Nov. 11 to 14 in the Barber
Theatre of Cunningham Theatre Center, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 15.

General admission tickets are $8, or $5 for seniors and Davidson employees, or $4 for students with ID. For reservations, call 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or purchase tickets online at www.davidson.edu/tickets, or purchase at the door. This production is not recommended for children under age eight.

This innovative adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved, uproarious book
brings out the story¹s darkness, surrealism and loopy humor. Seven-year-old Alice takes a tumble down a rabbit hole and lands in the eerie, topsy-turvy world of Wonderland where everyone is a little mad and the smallest mistake could be fatal. The riddles never cease as she meets the Mad Hatter, Major Caterpillar, the White Knight, and others before she ultimately exits back to life as we know it.

First-year student Samantha Krusi stars as Alice, with a cast of Will Ames, Ben Bashinski, Megan Miller, Stephen Pierce, and Brandon Smalls playing all of Wonderland’s other memorable characters.

For more information on the production, call the Theatre Department at
704-894-2361.

AUDITIONS FOR ‘VIOLET’

Davidson Community Players will conduct auditions for its March 2010 production of the musical “Violet” on Monday, Nov. 16, and Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Main Street and Concord Road.

Auditions begin at 7 p.m. each evening on the second floor in Room 215. Callbacks are scheduled Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour St.

Davidson Community Players is seeking strong singer/actor/actresses of all ethnicities. Specifically looking for a strong African American baritone in his 20s, as well as two females and one additional male ages 13 to 20s to fill out the leading roles. Ensemble roles for strong singer/actor/actresses ages 20 to 70 plus of diverse backgrounds will complete this cast. Full list of available roles is below; please note that the role of Father has been cast.

Those interested in auditioning should prepare 16 bars of a folk, pop or gospel song. Please bring music in the proper key, an accompanist will be provided (a capella singing is discouraged.) A one minute monologue is optional. Please bring a head shot or recent picture, resume or list of theatrical experience and a list of conflicts for the January through March 2010 time period.

One of the most acclaimed off-Broadway shows of the ’90s, “Violet” astounded critics and audiences with its powerful story, its energetic, toe-tapping Gospel, Rock, Country, and Rhythm and Blues score by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley that are not afraid to deal with important, sensitive issues. Set in 1964 in the Deep South during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, “Violet” follows the growth and enlightenment of a bitter young woman accidentally scarred by her father. In hopes that a TV evangelist can cure her, she embarks on a journey by bus from her sleepy North Carolina town to Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets a young black soldier who teaches her about beauty, love, courage and what it means to be an outsider.

More information: www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

THEATER AND FILM CALENDAR

NOV. 6-14, Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216-A Westmoreland Road, Cornelius – Warehouse PAC presents “‘night Mother,” by Marsha Norman, directed by Louise Robertson of Davidson. Starring Gloria King and Marla Brown. This play, about the last hours of a young woman who has decided life is not worth living, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize. Performances Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 6-7 and 13-14, 7:30 p.m. House and beverage bar open at 7 p.m. Also, matinee Sunday, Nov. 8, 2:30 p.m. Doors open 2 p.m. Tickets at tickets@warehousepac.com or via phone at 704-619-0429. More information: Warehousepac.com. Read more about the production and director Louise Robertson in our Nov. 3 theater column, “Transplanted theater veteran directs “‘night Mother”.

NOV. 11-14, Cunningham Theater Center Barber Theater – Davidson College theater department presents “Alice in Wonderland,” script by the Manhattan Theatre Project under the direction of Andre Gregory. Directed by Davidson senior Samantha Karlin. An innovative adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s uproarious books is aimed at adults as it brings out the classic stories’ darkness, surreality and loopy humor. Shows Wednesday, Nov. 11 to Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 15, 2 p.m. Details on the college website.

THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 8 p.m., Davidson College Duke Family Performance Hall – Davidson Artists Series presents the Montana Repertory Theatre performing “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Tickets $20 general admission, available at Alvarez College Union ticket office, online at www.davidson.edu/tickets, or by calling 704-894-2135. Details on the college website.

NOV. 16-17, 7 p.m., Davidson College Presbyterian Church Room 215 – Auditions for Davidson Community Players March production of “Violet.” (See item above.)

DEC. 3-20, Davidson Community Players Armour Street Theater, 307 Armour St. – “It’s a Wonderful Life,” directed by Anne Lambert. Based on Frank Capra’s film, written by James W. Rodgers, the play follows the tale of George Bailey, whose dreams of escaping his small town are quashed by family and obligations. As he contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve, he’s visited by a guardian angel named Clarence, who shows him what the world would’ve been like without him. Performances: Dec. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 8 pm, Dec. 16 at 7:30 pm, Dec. 5 at 4 pm matinee (Christmas in Davidson), Dec. 6, 12, 13 & 20 at 2 pm. Tickets $17 adults, $15 students and seniors (65+). Reservations: 704-892-7918 or carolinatix.org. More information about the theater company: www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org

MARCH 23-28, Davidson College Duke Family Performance Hall – The Davidson College Theatre Department’s 2009-10 Mainstage Series concludes with “Leading Ladies,” by Ken Ludwig, directed by theater professor Mark Sutch. Performances March 24-25 at 7:30 p.m., March 26-27 at 8 p.m., and March 28 at 2 p.m. Admission $15, seniors $11, faculty/staff $9, students $6. Details: 704-894-2135 or www.davidson.edu/tickets