The VORTEX in Austin, Texas presented Alice’s Wonderland by Ingrid Oslund, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 26 July at 6 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / Saturday 27 July at 02:00 UTC+0.
The VORTEX proudly presents the 28th Annual Summer Youth Theatre with a magnificent new musical adaptation of Alice’s Wonderland by Ingrid Oslund, freshly re-visioned from Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. Alice travels from Dinah’s School for Troubled Children down the Rabbit Hole to a world of magic and empowerment in the Wonderland Gallery. Traditional characters like White Rabbit, Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, and Mad Hatter support Alice’s journey towards healing, as she finds her voice, both literally and artistically.
The cast of young professionals includes Kit Burton, Eli Clark, Macy Herring, Abigail Lehman, Isaac Buie, Jackson Evans, Rachel Phillips, Isabella Rowland, and Sofia Villareal. Adult guest artists, Trey Deason and Hayley Armstrong, complete the ensemble.
Assistant Direction and Musical Direction by Jennifer Coy Jennings. Original music by Tyler Mabry and David DeMaris. Scenic Design by Ann Marie Gordon. Lighting Design by Patrick Anthony. Costume Design by Stephanie Dunbar. Prop Design by Helen Parish. Stage Management: Adam Gunderson, Avery Baker, Amanda Paz.
ABOUT THE VORTEX’S SUMMER YOUTH THEATRE: For several generations, SYT has provided high-caliber theatrical productions to Austin audiences as the jewel of VORTEX’s community engagement. The Austin Chronicle named SYT “Best Theatre Program that Treats Kids like Grownups.” Nominated for dozens of local awards, SYT has received B. Iden Payne Awards for Outstanding Production of a Play for Youth for The Commedia of Errors and Machinal, Outstanding Direction of a Play for Youth for The Commedia of Errors, The Physicists, Moby Dick, and The Frogs, Outstanding Acting for The Physicists and Moby Dick, and Outstanding Sound Design for Machinal. Every year, students work with adult artists who are among Austin’s most celebrated theatre professionals. Producing Artistic Director, Bonnie Cullum, who founded SYT in 1991, was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2009.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER: Gabriel Maldonado has been part of The VORTEX family for 25 years. He came straight from Texas State University, where he received his BFA in Acting and began working on his first project, As the Beaver. From there, he went on to become a Company Member, as well as a director and choreographer. He previously directed SYT productions R.U.R. and School for Scandal and appeared as an adult guest artist in SYT’s It Can’t Happen Here and Vitriol and Violets. Gabriel appeared in all five Elementals: SPIRIT, EARTH, WATER, FIRE, and AIR. He’s been in many award-winning shows including Wake for the Dark Poet, Troades, Belle, Atlantis, and Performance Park. Gabriel was nominated for B. Iden Payne Awards for his work in Trickster as The Monkey King and as King Koray in :Humpty. Other favorites include Norm L., The Bridge Burner, Oceana, and Beirut. Gabriel developed the role of Salvador Dali for Salvador Dali’s Naked Feast.
ABOUT THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jennifer Coy Jennings is a VORTEX Company Member who has been honored with multiple nominations for outstanding musical, comedy, and dramatic performances throughout her career. By day, she is an elementary school counselor and new mom, which has proven to be her greatest adventure. TEXAS/REGIONAL: Much Ado About Nothing (Penfold Theatre), title of show (Austin Theatre Project), Agent Andromeda (Sky Candy), The History of King Lear (The Hidden Room), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Austin Theatre Project), Still Now (Shrewd Productions), Much Ado About Nothing (Present Company). VORTEX: Performance Park, Wild Horses (2018 B. Iden Payne Outstanding Actress in a Drama; Robert Faires' Top 10 (+1) Theatre Riches of 2017; 2018 Austin Critics Table Performance by an Individual), Storm Still, Terminus (B. Iden Payne Outstanding Cast Performance), Sing Muse (B. Iden Payne Outstanding Original Score), Air, :humpty, Lear, Sleeping Beauty, Oceana.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Ingrid Oslund is a queer, feminist theater maker with the goal of creating bold, innovative experiences that excite and challenge audiences. As a director, choreographer, playwright, and teaching artist in the Boston area, she has worked with many demographics making theater in unique settings, such as an abandoned City Sports, and a corporate office building mid-construction. She has participated in developmental labs at Broadviews on Broadway’s Summer Fresh Festival as an emerging Writer/Director, is a Playwriting Fellow at Company One in Boston, and is a proud member of the Stage Director and Choreographers Foundation Observership Class of 2018-2019.
THE VORTEX MISSION: We conjure and navigate the storm of imagination with urgent, unashamed art that dares to dream the world in which we want to live. This magic emanates from our cultural harbor, embraces diverse communities, breaks down barriers, and opens channels for vital exchange.
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