Rehearsals for the production have been underway since mid-October, and this week have picked up momentum. Notwithstanding the fact that this afternoon was also a photo-shoot for publicity stills in the spring, this afternoon was all about starting to bring together songs, actions, and to explore some of the ideas for various costumes that the team have been considering.
Getting the dynamic right between Alice (played by third-year Sophia Lyons, pictured to the left) and the Cheshire Cat (played by Feilicity Bourdillon) was the focus for the first part of the rehearsal; getting the Cheshire Cat's self-contented, almost snobbish character and Alice's desire to befriend it, which is a key element of the duet the two characters sing.
There was also an attempt to build on the energy at the start of the Hatter's Tea Party - "No room, no room!" as the Hare and the Hatter react to Alice's intrusion. There was some laying on the table, some standing on chairs, and some madcap capering as the cast explored bringing the atmosphere off the page.
A suitably eccentric Hatter (played by Matt Cooke, pictured above) energised the rehearsal; it's promising to be quite something...