Soulpepper Theatre Company is thrilled to be releasing the World Premiere of Bad Hats Theatre’s new filmed family musical Alice in Wonderland. Curious audiences of all ages are invited to lean into the unknown and leap down the rabbit hole, April 3 to 18, 2021. For tickets and information Alice in Wonderland visit www.soulpepper.ca.

“Watching my two young boys try to understand the world right now makes me think about how important art and stories are to help us process and lift our spirits.  Bad Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland is a beautiful way to bring wonder back into not only our kids’ lives, but all of our lives, by looking at the world from another angle.  I look forward to going on this journey with my children, and I hope everyone will join us in Wonderland”  said Weyni Mengesha, Artistic Director.

Bad Hats, the creative team behind the sold-out smash-hit Peter Pan, is pleased to return to the Young Centre for the Performing Arts to create a world of wonder and curiosity. Alice in Wonderland, the filmed family musical, is a theatrical performance created for film, shot over two days on location in the Michael Young Theatre for limited release. For a limited time only, families and classrooms across the Country are invited to join Alice, the Red Queen, the Cheshire Cat, and all the curious creatures in Wonderland. 

"How often do we let ourselves wonder? As children, we’re the experts at it. We wrestle openly with the oddities of the world, rolling the pieces of the things we know over in our minds, but we’re very soon told that everything has an answer, and a place, even us. So, where does all that wondering go? What happens when we stop being allowed to not know? I wanted to write a piece about leaning into the unknown, embracing the change that lives there, and believing that our greatest power lies in our curiosity,” said Fiona Sauder, Bad Hats Theatre Artistic Director. “Bad Hats is overjoyed at the opportunity to share this work with our audiences during this time and we feel immensely privileged to be collaborating once again with our brilliant partners at Soulpepper.”

The support of CIBC has been invaluable in bringing this contemporary adaptation Alice in Wonderland to life. Thanks to CIBC Soulpepper and Bad Hats Theatre have been able to continue development of the piece, and employ over 20 artists to bring Wonderland to life. 

“CIBC is proud to support Soulpepper Theatre Company in its ambition to make the arts accessible to diverse communities. We share Soulpepper’s values of inclusion and are thrilled to continue to help amplify the voices and unique stories that have the power to inform and inspire Canadians today and for generations to come,” said Runa Whitaker, Senior Director, Community Relationships at CIBC.

Alice in Wonderland will also be available to delight the curious children staying at SickKids Hospital. The filmed musical will be accessible throughout the Hospital for kids and their families  to enjoy together at no cost. Staying in hospital can be scary and isolating, but the teams behind Alice and Wonderland hope this can be a valuable escape into a curious world full of wonder. 

Tickets for Bad Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland are on sale today, March 9, 2021 – $20 per household. Student group tickets are available, for $50 on for Curious Classrooms Day, $80 per class following April 9. As with all productions, Soulpepper is pleased to offer free tickets to members of our Free 25 & Under program. The Company is extraordinarily pleased to be able to bring this film to audiences, after over a year of ongoing closures due to the pandemic, and as a thank you to the frontline and essential workers who have continued to work hard every day, Soulpepper and Bad Hats Theatre would like to offer free tickets to all frontline workers.

On the date of the performance patrons will be sent a link and instructions to access this filmed family musical online through their Soulpepper account. The show is approximately 90 minutes long, and will become available only at the date and time on the ticket, at which point patrons will have a four-hour window to enjoy the performance.

Bad Hats Theatre’s
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
By Lewis Carroll
Adapted by Fiona Sauder
Composed by Landon Doak & Victor Pokinko

WORLD PREMIERE

Curiouser and curiouser. From the creators of the smash-hit family musical Peter Pan comes a new adventure for all ages. Bad Hats Theatre’s contemporary spin on Wonderland takes us down the rabbit hole with Alice, a girl with a lot of questions. Get ‘curiouser and curiouser’ this April with a musical retelling of the classic tale that has captured imaginations for generations. 

The cast includes Tess Benger, Landon Doak, Phoebe Hu, Richard Lam, Jacob MacInnis, Matt Pilipiak, Fiona Sauder, Vanessa Sears, and Jonathan Tan.  Alice In Wonderland is directed by Sue Miner, with Music Direction by Reza Jacobs, and Choreography by Cameron Carver. The Design team includes Logan Cracknell (Lighting) and Ming Wong (Costumes). Behind the scenes are Lisa Humber (1st AD/Stage Manager), Victoria Wang (2nd AD/Assistant Stage Manager), Victor Pokinko (Lead Producer) and Lauren Vandervoort (Associate Producer).