wonder.land − Learning Guide

About This Guide ...... 1 Background Information ...... 2 Contextual Information ...... 4 Teaching Information ...... 5 Production Notes Key Design Elements ...... 5 Performance Style ...... 11 Key Moments ...... 12 Plot Synopsis ...... 13 Find Out More ...... 23

1 wonder.land − Learning Guide About

This learning guide supports the National Theatre’s production of wonder.land, created by Damon Albarn, Moira Buffini and directed by Rufus Norris. wonder.land opened on 11th December 2015 at the National’s Olivier Theatre in London.

Our packs are designed to support viewing the recording on the National Theatre Collection. This pack provides links to UK school curriculum and other productions in the Collection. It also has a plot synopsis with timecodes to allow you to jump to a particular section of the play.

Here you’ll also find all the information you need to enable you to study the production and write about it in detail. This includes notes about all of the key elements from performance style to design. You’ll also find pointers for further research.

1 wonder.land − Learning Guide Background Information

Recording Date – 9th December, 2015 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+ (infrequent strong language)

Cast

MC (Cheshire Cat / Caterpillar) ...... Hal Fowler Aly ...... Lois Chimimba Bianca ...... Golda Rosheuvel Matt ...... Paul Hilton Dinah ...... Witney White Kitty ...... Abigail Rose Mary Ann ...... Stephanie Rojas Alice ...... Carly Bowden White Rabbit ...... Joshua Lacey Ms Manxome ...... Francolini Anna Luke Laprel ...... Enyi Okoronkwo Mr King ...... Andrian Grove Dum ...... Sam Archer Dee ...... Leone Cooke Mouse ...... Ed Wade Humpty ...... Daisy Maywood Dodo ...... Ivan De Freitas Mock Turtle ...... Cyndey Uffindell-Phillips WPC Rook ...... Nadine Cox Ensemble ...... Simon Anthony Ensemble ...... Dylan Mason Ensemble ...... Lisa Ritchie

2 wonder.land − Learning Guide Background Information

Recording Date – 9th December, 2015 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+ (infrequent strong language)

Music

Music Director / Piano / Keyboard 1 ...... Tom Deering Piano / Keyboard 2 ...... Ian Watson Violin / Acoustic Guitar / Ukulele / Banjo ...... Sarah Freestone Percussion / Kit ...... Tony McVey Electric Bass ...... Timothy Harries Electric Guitar ...... Simon Tong Flute / Piccolo / Alto Saxophone / Bass Flute...... Stephanie Rojas Clarinet / Bass Clarinet /Soprano, Baritone & Tenor Saxophones ...... Carly Bowden

Creatives

Director ...... Rufus Norris Writer ...... Moira Buffini Music ...... Damon Albarn Set Designer ...... Rae Smith Lighting Designer ...... Paula Constable Sound Designer ...... Paul Arditti Costume Designer ...... Katrina Lindsay Choreographer ...... Javier de Frutos Puppet Design 'Charlie' ...... Toby Olié

3 wonder.land − Learning Guide Background Information

Recording Date – 9th December, 2015 Location – Olivier Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+ (infrequent strong language)

Other productions in the NT Collection featuring members of the same creative team

Productions Artist

Small Island Rufus Norris - Director

Small Island, Dara Katrina Lindsay - Designer

Translations Rae Smith - Designer

Peter Pan Toby Olié - Puppetry

One Man, Two Guvnors, Julius Caesar Paul Arditti - Sound Designer A Streetcar Named Desire

Contextual Information

The story of Alice in Wonderland has been adapted countless times. This is a very modern version which updates the idea of ‘escape’ into computer games.

The issue of cyber bullying with Dinah and her friends is one of the elements that updates this story into the twenty first century.

4 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

The following notes have been compiled to help guide you through the significant design and performance aspects as you watch the production, or to remind you of them after you have watched it. You may also want to make your own notes and form your own opinions on the effectiveness of these aspects as you explore the production.

Key Design Elements: Set

• Considerable use of the cyclorama for projections. • Very stylised, non-naturalistic set using the full stage. A number of different trucks are used to ensure transitions are quick so that the pace and energy of the production is not lost. • Ally’s real world is grey, black and white. It provides a sense of drudgery, monotony and lack of excitement. In strong contrast, the Alice online environment uses neon colours, shimmering fabrics and bright lights to create a sense of excitement and magic, and link to the online world that inspires it. • Wall trucks are used to create the class room walls. • Automation is used to bring on items of set such as tables and chairs (for the tea scene), the MC’s arm chair and the skyscraper at the opening of the show.

5 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

• Other items of set are moved by the ensemble. By using the cast, the scene changes are fast-paced and seamless, meaning the audience can continue to suspend their disbelief (this is not interrupted by long blackouts etc). • Wall trucks also provide a variety of surfaces on which to project. • Ally’s bedroom is signified by a bed frame, on which is a mattress and pillows. The bedclothes have elements of bright colours on – the duvet cover has a print made of large pink buttons.

Key Design Elements: Costume

• Katrina Lindsay’s costume designs take current fashions into account. • Alice wears a blue dress over a white blouse which is suggestive of the image of Alice we are used to from the Disney animation. However, the fabric is a silky, shimmering blue, and her shoes (which look like heeled Mary Jane shoes, again like the Disney cartoon) are similar to those designed by couture fashion designers. Alice’s skirt is tutu shaped with ruffle pants underneath, and the ‘petticoat’ underneath Alice’s skirt is formed of diamonds, rather like the pleats from a Chinese lantern. Alice wears a red dress in Act Two – the same shape and details as the blue one worn in Act One.

6 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

• Ms Manxome’s suit is a houndstooth check, with a matching bow around her neck and a red dress underneath. • The shapes of many of the costumes involve sharp points, for example collars and shoulders, whilst others are much rounder in shape creating circular images with the use of mutton leg sleeves. • The White Rabbit wears a white long-sleeved leotard, white tights and white pantaloons – the lines of his costume tend to be curved, in contrast to the sharp angles of Ms Manxome’s costume. The mask and headpiece that the White Rabbit wears includes two ‘ears’ made of white material similar in shape to long balloons • The Caterpillar wears a full body suit of green and silver (hints of metallic colour, similar to tinsel). Members of the ensemble wear globe-shaped body suits which cover from neck to mid-thigh, in the same material. They are wide enough that only their hands emerge from the side of their bodies (we cannot see the rest of their arms). When they line up behind each other, the effect is the creation of the caterpillar’s long body. The Caterpillar’s headpiece includes antennae and eyes that light up in a bright white colour. The headpiece allows us to the see the actors face, which is made pale with makeup. • The ensemble wear highly stylised costumes, often in greys and blacks, with unusual and quirky accessories which include miniature top hats (fascinator style), a large shower cap, cloche hats, bobble hats, jackets with upturned collars and at one point, a bus stop is signified by an actor wearing a bowler hat with a ‘bus stop’ sign protruding from it.

7 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

• School uniforms are black fabric (blazer, tie and skirt) but with exaggerated white lines to create trims, hems and ties. • The costumes aid the idea that the real life of Ally is very different to that created online with Alice. As this is a retelling of the story of Alice in Wonderland, the designs retain some elements that the audience will recognise, but there are often humorous additions or alterations to the traditional image. For example, the Dodo is very muscular in a padded body suit, resembling that of a superhero costume.

Key Design Elements: Lighting

• Neon lights are used as trim on the wall trucks. • Notice that the computer games animations are projected they are in bright colours including purple, blue and yellow. The audience are, at times, unsettled with the swift changes from the bright lights to the grey images often created downstage. • Harsh white light is used to create the mundane, unwelcoming reality of Ally’s life. The cyclorama often shows projections of pylons and high rise buildings, in black/white/grey hues and so the lighting must be bright enough to illuminate

8 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

• the actors. The downstage area of the stage tends to be lit more brightly, particularly in the scenes in the classroom, toilets and tea party. • Note the use of strobe lights and chase sequences to create tension and also the flickering effect used in computer games.

Key Design Elements: Sound

• Live music from the band which includes electric and acoustic guitar, bass, drums, flute, piccolo, saxophone, piano, keyboard etc. • There are also sound effects which mimic the music from computer games, which includes beeps, higher pitched, repetitive tunes. • Other sound effects include a school bell, beeps and even a kazoo! As computer games and online apps/platforms use various sound effects, this production uses these same noises to bring the online world to life. Echoes and amplification with the use of microphone. • Songs include solos, duets and chorus numbers. • When watching the production note that there is often instrumental underscoring to create mood and atmosphere and also, in the case of the computer world, maintain pace and tension – like working through the levels of a game.

9 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

Key Design Elements: Wigs, Hair and Make-up

• Wigs are a key element of this production, and complement the shape and style of the character’s overall costume. • Look carefully at Dee and Dum’s wigs which are like dark skull caps with bowl cuts at an angle! The roundness of the hair style mimics the curves in their costume and makes them seem slightly comedic. • Many of the characters in Ally’s world have pale faces to make them look dull and washed out. • Alice has kohl eyeliner slightly under eyes – it makes her look less ‘innocent’ and more in keeping with computer game avatars (a little bit like war paint). • Alice’s hair, rather than being a natural blonde colour, is a very bright white (platinum) blonde, again highly stylised. • Ms Manxome’s wig is an excellent example of a highly stylised version of a regular hairstyle - a wig that makes her head look bigger, with a sharp cut bob. She has white strands of hair through the front of the wig – notice how the effect integrates which the black and white nature of the rest of her costume and also the set.

10 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

• In contrast to the bright and quirky wigs and make-up of the computer world characters, note characters such as the maths teacher who wears glasses and has very greased down, side parted hair – the stereotypical ‘nerdy’ teacher. • Look carefully at which characters have ‘softer’ shaped hair (rounded/curved shapes) contrasted to those who have large headpieces/wigs that are very angular.

Key Design Elements: Puppetry

• Baby Charlie is thirteen months old and is a fairly life like puppet, worn in a baby carrying sling by Ally’s mother. At the end of the show, Charlie ‘vomits’ glitter – there are repeated references to how much he vomits throughout the production! Charlie is hand operated and is manipulated by the actor carrying him.

Performance Style

• There is a particularly lively and energetic performance style in this production. In addition, songs frequently support or further the action. Even the more ‘realistic’ scenes, for example those between Ally and her mum, are exaggerated or projected slightly to maintain pace. wonder.land is a fast moving story and so the audience must not get bored or distracted at any time. • Dee and Dum, the White Rabbit and Alice all use choreographed and stylised movement to create character. Alice, when suspended on wires, begins as slightly robotic as Ally creates her as her avatar. Her movements are jerky and staccato. However, as the show progresses, and particularly when Alice wears flatter shoes in Act Two, her movement becomes a little more natural. Dee and Dum use balletic leaps and turns, and rhythmical tap steps, either in unison or canon, to create the impression that they are twins. • Choral work is important in creating additional characters (such as in classroom and street scenes). • Note the way in which the actors acknowledge and interest with the projections - it is used to create the screen on which Ally is playing computer games, as well as representing her phone screen when she sends texts messages.

11 wonder.land − Learning Guide Production Notes

Key Moments

You might like to consider these key moments in particular when you are studying the production.

• Look closely at how the MC engages and sustains the audience’s attention from the very beginning of the production. It is a familiar story which has been made very modern and so the audience’s attention needs to be grabbed from the very start! This opening is also a very good demonstration of how theatrical automation can be used to great effect. • Explore the way in which the actress playing Alice is suspended on wires and starts to come to life (from 15 mins 30 seconds). • The interaction between Alice and the White Rabbit, including movement and lighting/projection: this is an excellent example of how performance and design elements are all integrated. • Ensemble work and the way in which it exploits/utilises costume is demonstrated very clearly in the Caterpillar scene (41 minutes 10 seconds onwards). This also provides an opportunity to discuss multi-roling as the MC is played by the same actor who plays the Cheshire Cat and the Caterpillar which all require different movement and vocal skills. • Look at the opening of Act Two (from 1 hour 7 minutes) where a computer game sequence opens the second half of the play. Note how the music and images engage our attention once again, after the climactic finish of the first half, and prepare us for what is to come.

12 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

Act One Prologue

The MC welcomes the audience, showing his mobile phone and inviting everyone to enter a ‘digital black portal / To boundless lands.’

Looking-Glass World (0:01:55) Aly Hatton is playing a game on her phone when her mother, Bianca, enters and insists that Aly get off her phone and out of the house. Aly gives in and agrees to go to the supermarket with her mother and baby brother, Charlie. Aly sings ‘Who’s ruining my life?’, the chorus respond: ‘Your Mum.’

(0:05:10) At the supermarket, Aly bumps into her father, Matt, who no longer lives with the family due to financial problems. In extremely high spirits, Matt pushes his daughter around in a trolley. Aly asks Matt whether she can come and live with him as Bianca enters. She sings ‘Who’s ruining your life?’ and answers her own question with ‘Your dad’ – the chorus takes up this new refrain. Bianca and Matt have an argument before baby Charlie throws up on the floor. Matt tries to offer to help Bianca but she refuses to accept.

13 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

(0:07:24) Back in her room, in answer to the question, ‘Who’s ruining your life?’ a frustrated Aly says ‘The whole bloody lot of you!’

Down the Rabbit Hole (0:07:46) Aly picks up her phone and sends out a message online saying she’d like to talk to someone. Bianca comes to the door and tells Aly she’s always here, and that they can talk. Aly says no, she’s probably going to go to bed, but returns to talking online. Aly types that she is finding it hard to be in a new flat, in a new part of town and new at school. Dinah, Kitty and Mary Ann all come online and start to tease Aly. Dinah and Mary Ann ponder whether she might have ‘fat attitude’ and Kitty posts a picture altered to show Aly as obese. The three girls then begin gossiping about Aly’s dad, saying the family split because of the money he lost through online gambling and they call him ‘The Mad Hat Man’. Aly types ‘Shut up, you slags’ and the girls respond angrily, telling her to get a life and ‘Be someone else.’

(0:11:53) When Aly types this last phrase into a search engine, the wonder.land logo appears, along with the MC. She’s prompted to enter a username, which she does: AlyPally32. During the song ‘WWW’ Aly creates her avatar, a tall, thin, blonde whom she calls Alice. At the end of the song, Alice becomes 3D and Aly agrees to the site’s only term and condition: ‘Extreme malice will result in your deletion.’ There is some confusion when Aly and Alice speak to each other about who is who. The pair immediately make each other laugh and have fun together.

14 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

(0:16:30) During the song ‘Fabulous’, Aly is delighted to discover the possibilities of her avatar – she makes Alice walk, run, dance, sing and fight. When asked whether she would like to quest or play, Alice clicks on ‘quest’ and a White Rabbit appears. Aly commands Alice to follow the White Rabbit, which she does, falling down the rabbit hole after him. Alice and Aly sing ‘Falling’ with the refrain ‘Nothing in wonder.land that you can’t do.’

The Manxome Foe (0:20:40) Bianca hurries to get Aly up for school, worried that they will both be late, and asks her to do some household chores. It is clear Aly is not really listening but is engrossed on her phone. The White Rabbit vies for her attention in the background. Bianca tells her is not to play on her phone at school.

(0:22:00) Aly is still following the White Rabbit on her phone with Alice when Ms Manxome, the head teacher, catches her and confiscates the phone. The teacher launches into the song ‘I’m Right’, telling her assembled pupils that she is never, ever wrong, and that phones are banned. Luke Laprel walks into the assembly late. With help from Mr King and his boombox, Ms Manxome explains to the children her strategy for improving the school, which involves a ban on phones. Once she is alone, Ms Manxome admits to feeling lonely sometimes, but she knows that this is her duty.

(0:26:09) Aly walks into Ms Manxome’s office and finds her chopping the heads off flowers with her guillotine. Before Ms Manxome gives Aly back her phone, she tells her they share the name Alice and that it means ‘noble, of the nobility’. She warns: ‘if I find you with this phone again it’s a beheading – I mean a detention.’

The Pool of Tears (0:27:27) Dinah, Mary Ann and Kitty surround Aly, and tell her they feel they were a bit mean, and that they want to be friends with her. However this was all a show and they immediately turn on her again. Luke arrives late to Mr King’s lesson and doesn’t know the answers. The three bullies are whispering ‘Big / Fat / Bitch’ at Aly, who responds by retreating into wonder.land and making Alice cry, telling her, ‘Cry a whole pool of tears and then throw yourself in.’

(0:29:53) Dum and Dee appear in wonder.land, squabbling over the game. Their argument descends into the song ‘Freaks’ in which they insult each other back and forth. Aly has Alice say hello to them and suggest they be nicer. They insult Alice,

15 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

calling her ‘fugly as a boot’ but she perseveres, and Aly tells her to stand up for herself. She fights them and so they warn her, ‘Stop or we’ll cry,’ which they do, defusing the situation.

(0:32:26) Other avatars approach, including Mosue, Humpty, Dodo and Mock Turtle. They chat about the mysterious purpose of the game’s quest, speculate about what each other’s real identities might be and reveal the difficulties they experienced in the real world that drove them to this virtual world. In the song ‘Crap Life’ they tell each other more about their real selves: Humpty has an abusive stepfather, Dodo worries he might be ‘twisted’ in the head because he wears girls’ clothes, Mock Turtle is called Pizza Face at school, Mouse is very small and girls find him boring, while Dum and Dee have panic attacks.

(0:39:05) Aly becomes so involved in this virtual scene that she forgets where she is in the real world and stands up in maths class. Her classmates mock her and Mr King asks her to answer the question on the board, which she cannot. The three bullies surround her again, ordering her to say sorry so that they will be ‘friends’ with her. Aly runs away, which Alice runs after the White Rabbit in wonder.land.

16 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

Advice from a Caterpillar (0:40:36) Aly enters the girls’ toilets to hide. The Caterpillar appears and asks Alice in song, ‘Who Are You?’ When the three bullies come into the bathroom, they find Aly talking into her phone and tease her that this is a sign of the madness that runs in her family. Aly tells them to ‘F-off’ and mind their own business, but Dinah warns her, ‘If you ever come on my wall again, I’ll post that you do sex acts,’ before the three leave together.

(0:47:10) Aly takes her phone out again. Alice is still singing ‘Who are you?’, to which Aly responds ‘Alice, you don’t want to know.’ When Alice persists, Aly sings the song ‘Secrets’ which is about the things she cannot say. Aly finally reveals to Alice some of her secrets – one is that she told her mum that her dad had run out of money, despite him asking her not to. The other is that ‘I totally utterly hate / Being me.’

(0:52:35) The White Rabbit appears again, and Alice is flirtatious. Aly is embarrassed, perhaps because he’s ‘cute.’ She tells Alice to follow the White Rabbit when he exits.

(0:53:28) Luke comes into the girls’ toilets, saying he needs to hide, which he does in a cubicle. Kieran comes in looking for him. Aly tells Kieran she hasn’t seen Luke. When he won’t leave, she starts filming him on her phone and calls him a pervert,

17 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

threatening to put the video online if he doesn’t leave. Kieran backs off and leaves, so that Luke can now emerge safely from the cubicle. ‘Are you gay?’ Aly asks him. ‘Are you fat?’ he responds. They agree not to go back to class, playing companionably on their phones together instead. Luke asks Aly about wonder.land. He is surprised by her avatar: ‘She’s white.’ ... ‘Why shouldn’t she be white?’... ‘Strange though. People usually make avatars who are cooler than they are. You are definitely cooler than her,’ Luke tells Aly, and the pair forge a friendship.

(0:55:46) Ms Manxome storms into the toilets, horrified to find Aly and Luke in there during lessons. She gives them detention and confiscates Aly’s phone. From the phone, Alice calls to Aly: ‘Alice?’, but Ms Manxome thinks she means her because they share the name. Ms Manxome is drawn into conversation with Alice who tells her that she knows she’s lonely, will keep her secrets and that she loves her. Intrigued, Ms Manxome agrees to play in this virtual garden where there are ‘no rules.’

A Mad Tea Party (0:59:05) As Aly and Luke leave school together, Aly is still devastated by the loss of her phone. She tells him about wonder.land and her quest, while he tells her about his game: Zombie Swarm. They meet Aly’s dad Matt at the school gate who invites them out to celebrate the fact that he threw away his phone and is now technology free. The two accept, both agreeing that they will skip detention. Matt teases Aly and Luke about whether there is a romantic element to their friendship, but Luke tells him flatly that there isn’t because he is gay. An increasingly excitable Matt says ‘You know who you are and that’s a great thing.’

(1:03:10) Matt sings ‘Chances’ about life, luck and gambling. Aly is worried about her dad’s euphoric mood and embarrassed that other customers are looking at them, but Matt continues singing, playing the spoons and dancing on the tables. The waiters are concerned at Matt’s behaviour, and it culminates in a scuffle between a waiter and Matt. Bianca walks in carrying Charlie and is horrified at the scene that meets her eyes. The family have another argument where Bianca criticises Matt for taking Aly out without letting her know. The police arrive, and even more chaos ensues as Matt is arrested. MC enters in a giant teapot and ends the Act: ‘Fabulous.’

Interval

18 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

Act Two The Garden of Live Flowers (1:07:16) Ms Manxome sings ‘Me’ about the euphoria she feels now that she has Alice. She buys her red accessories, and is delighted at no longer being alone.

(1:12:06) At the police stations, WPC Rook is trying to get Matt to give her information about the incident at the tea shop. Matt and Bianca are having a heated argument, ignoring WPC Rook. They argue in song, with Matt calling Bianca heartless, and she in turn calling him useless. Aly, who has been listening in distress now intervenes: ‘Sooner or later / You’ll begin to see / That I am only holding on to / Shreds of a family’ and her parents finally calm down.

(1:15:28) In her office, Ms Manxome is watching Alice running around the wonder.land garden as they sing ‘Me’ together. When the avatars come upon Alice and join in the song, singing ‘It’s me / Me’, Ms Manxome is upset and uncertain, believing they’re stealing her song. They can tell that Alice is different from the last time they met her. Ms Manxome rejects them, saying she has no time for friends. She instructs Alice to kick Mouse, and commands them all to leave ‘her’ garden. But they band together and drive Alice (and Ms Manxome) away. The other avatars are sad that Alice is being weird as they liked her before.

19 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

The White Queen (1:20:06) Bianca is outraged that Aly missed a detention, was playing on her phone in the toilets and has now had her phone confiscated till the end of term. Aly finally confides that she’s being bullied. Bianca wants to go into school and speak to Aly’s head teacher about the bullying but Aly refuses. Bianca blames Aly’s feelings on her phone and bans her from using it except for homework. Charlie vomits all over Aly who sings the song ‘Everyone loves Charlie’ about how everyone seems to love her little brother more than her.

The Red Queen (1:27:28) When Aly tries to access her Alice avatar from an internet café, she is puzzled when she is told this is not possible because the avatar is already ‘in use.’ Meanwhile Ms Manxome buys a sword for Alice. While Aly can now hear everyone in wonder.land, they cannot hear her. She is baffled by what is going on there – Ms Manxome tells Alice to ready her sword to attack the other avatars. Alice is initially reluctant because the avatars are her friends, but she turns on them at Ms Manxome’s urging. It dawns on Aly that the person controlling Alice, who calls herself ‘The Red Queen’ must be Ms Manxome. Humpty rallies them, and the other avatars unite against Alice as she deals each of them a cutting insult in turn. The MC warns of her account being deleted due to extreme malice.

(1:32:32) In the internet café, Aly is extremely worried about her avatar. She contacts Luke online, who is playing his Zombie Swarm game. They agree to meet at school to protect Aly’s avatar from deletion.

(1:35:10) In the police station, Matt sings ‘Broken Glass’ while Bianca also sings it, alone at home.

Queen Alice (1:38:43) When Aly and Luke meet up at school, Luke tries to persuade her not to break and enter. ‘I need your help,’ she tells him, to which he replies ‘Not this way,’ and they part. While Aly goes into the school, Luke goes online and types out a message: ‘Putting out the word / Come to wonder.land / See the real Ms Manxome / Online thief.’ Their classmates respond in disbelief to what they see as an invasion of Aly’s online privacy by their head mistress. At the police station, Bianca tells Matt that Aly has gone missing and that she thinks they can find her using a smartphone. In wonder.land the avatars are preparing to defend themselves against any further

20 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

onslaught from Ms Manxome’s Alice. On Luke’s online network, he is telling everyone that Aly is breaking into school to get her phone back, which impresses all of their classmates. Back at the police station, Matt has managed to hack into wonder.land and find Alice.

(1:41:54) Ms Manxome prepares Alice for another fight. Suddenly the White Rabbit appears and won’t get out of Alice’s way. Aly takes the phone and Aly’s Alice says: ‘No, you move. Get out of my game.’ Bianca recognises that this new Alice must be Aly. As Aly and Ms Manxome struggle over the phone, Alice is fighting with herself. As she swishes the sword through the air, she kills the White Rabbit.

(1:43:00) The MC again warns that Alice will be deleted for extreme malice. Aly’s classmates get everyone online now to watch the chaos unfold. Aly pleads with the MC not to delete Alice, as there is a case of stolen identity here: Aly is the real Alice. A fight ensues between Aly and Ms Manxome, both insisting: ‘I’m Alice’ and struggling for control of the phone. The spectators cheer Aly on, even the classmates who used to bully her.

(1:45:22) Luke appears with some zombies from his game. When he asks Aly/Alice whether she is in Ms Manxome’s office, she says yes, which reveals her location to her parents and police. Alice fights Luke, while Aly and Ms Manxome continue

21 wonder.land − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes

fighting. Although Aly tries to prevent it, Alice kills Luke’s avatar on Ms Manxome’s command. Aly realises what she must do: delete Alice. Ms Manxome tries to stop her, but Aly insists, ‘I’m not afraid of anything...know / I who I a m.’ Alice says ‘I have finished my quest’ before she is deleted by Aly.

(1:49:05) Ms Manxome threatens Aly with the police, as well as expulsion and corporal punishment. Luke enters Ms Manxome’s office and is livestreaming what he sees. He is followed by Aly’s family, who accuse Ms Manxome of stealing Aly’s identity. When the police arrive, they warn Aly they will have to take her to the station for entering the school illegally. But then Matt interrupts – Ms Manxome took Aly’s phone and spent her real money on virtual red accessories, the sword and playing cards for Alice. The tables have turned and now it is Ms Manxome who will have to be led away by WPC Rook. Defiant to the end, Ms Manxome sings another rendition of her song, ‘I’m Right’. The rest of the characters respond with the refrain ‘You’re Wrong’ and refute every insulting thing she accuses them of.

(1:53:55) Bianca makes Aly promise not to go missing again, and Matt promises to be the ‘posterbloke for dads’ in future. Luke urges Aly to tell her followers how she is feeling and she sings about the powerful glow she now feels, the assurance that she knows her own mind and that her family are strongly bound together. She feels that Alice is still with her. Bianca invites Matt to come for breakfast but he declines as he must go before the magistrate. Aly asks Charlie, ‘Shall we go and stand up for our dad in front of the magistrates?’ Charlie vomits.

(1:56:38) The MC and avatars enter, and together they all sing. MC: ‘So / Who do you want to be?’ Aly: ‘Nobody else but me.’ The company sing a final refrain of ‘WWW’.

The End

22 wonder.land − Learning Guide

Find out more

Read

Read Rehearsal Insights written by Staff Director Tinuke Craig and find out how the production was brought to life in the rehearsal room.

Watch

Beyond the Rabbit Hole - Rufus Norris, Moira Buffini and Damon Albarn in conversation.

Suggestions for Further Activity

Read this article from Vogue about Katrina Lindsay’s costume designs and research the fashion influences mentioned in the article.

Research the work of Rae Smith (Set Designer) and Katrina Lindsay (Costume Designer) who have both done a lot of work for the National Theatre. This includes other adaptations from famous stories (including The Light Princess and War Horse for Rae Smith and London Road and Small Island for Katrina Lindsay.) Do you notice any particular influences or patterns to their work? Do they tend to work in a particular style, or design for a particular genre of performance?

Read a section of the original Alice in Wonderland story and select one scene (for example the Caterpillar scene, the croquet match or the Mad Hatter’s tea party. Choose a performance style – dance, physical theatre, musical theatre, mime, storytelling – how would you bring that scene to life on stage?

23 wonder.land − Learning Guide

Find out more

Watch this video with 59 Productions who explain the process of creating the projections for the production. You could also design your own storyboard for a computer game version of one scene or section from this story, or even a different text that you are studying!

Suggestions for Further Research

Research other stage adaptations, including Laura Wade’s Alice. This could lead to interesting discussions about intentions for audience, social/cultural/historical context, and opportunities to create different costume, set and lighting ideas for design candidates.

We hope that you have enjoyed watching and studying wonder.land. Don't forget that there are many more fantastic productions to explore as part of the NT Collection. We hope that watching this recorded production has made you feel inspired to see and make live theatre. Why not find out what’s happening at your local theatre and how you can get involved?

This guide to support your viewing of the production was compiled by Teacher and Arts Education Consultant Susie Ferguson.

If you have any comments or feedback on our resources please contact us: [email protected]

24