Citrus Music Will Produce the Orlando Premiere of ALICE BY HEART (2024)

When the madness of the world is too much to bear, we take refuge in the stories we love. From the TONY and GRAMMY award-winning creators of SPRING AWAKENING, the Off-Broadway hit, ALICE BY HEART, is making its Orlando premiere with an exciting and intimate production at the ME Theatre with the award-winning creative team behind Orlando Fringe's THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON.

In the rubble of the London Blitz of World War II, Alice Spencer's budding teen life is turned upside down, and she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

As they travel through the tale, ALICE BY HEART explores the poignancy of first love, coming to terms with loss, and finding the courage to move forward. With this innovative musical production directed by NICHOLAS WAINWRIGHT, music directed by MAURA SITZMANN, choreographed by MALIK VAN HOOZER-ELLIOTT, and featuring a rotating cast of 16 actors and musicians, ALICE BY HEART encourages us all to celebrate the transformational power of the imagination, even in the harshest of times.

When asked about the production, Wainwright stated "I love the heart of this piece, we get to explore the whimsical world of Lewis Carroll's imagination while diving into some heartbreaking realities."

Wainwright let us in on some specifics for this production's music. "All of the music you'll hear in this production is produced by the actors and live musicians interacting directly with the story. The cast and musicians never leave the stage. We wanted a true sense of ensemble 'story-theatre'."

Wainwright seemed most excited about diving into the material and sinking his teeth into the collaboration with his team. "It is always the best, when the material lends itself to be a 'blank-canvas' piece. We are free to use our imaginations. True to ensemble-based storytelling, we are utilizing rudimentary props to create the world of Wonderland. Even some of the orchestrations are using found objects, such as our entire drum kit you'll see onstage."

The music is directed by Maura Sitzmann, a frequent collaborator with Wainwright, a working artist/performer in the Orlando area, and internationally as a music director. "Working with this specific cast and creative team has been really special getting to utilize everyone's talents and skills to the max." says Sitzmann, " It's a very close knit collaboration to make that happen. Many of the band members are also actors, and we've been exploring breaking the boundary between actor and musician to have one ensemble on stage working together to tell this story."

The choreographer- Malik Van Hoozer-Elliott, is also excited to get back into the room with Wainwright and Sitzmann. "The production team brings me so much joy as this is our third project together. We work as a beautiful and quirky cohesive unit." When asked about the material, Van Hoozer Elliott said, "What draws me to the show is how we go from reality into our fantasy within seconds. My inspiration for the choreography was for this to feel like freedom. In this dream world, there is no tension in the body, but instead there is so much release that can happen in our movements."

This production brings together a unique partnership between Citrus Music, and Horizon West Theatre Company. Raja Jalernpan, the President of Horizon West Theatre Co. and the Stage Manager of Alice By Heart states, "As an organization who strives to curate outlets of creative expression for all ages, we are always searching for new initiatives to collaborate with other artists to produce exciting and new theatrical endeavors. Having the opportunity to partner with Citrus Music to tackle this project together has been a wonderful experience."

We got to speak to some of the cast of the show about the process and their excitement about this unique material.

Emily Fielder, who plays Alice Spencer says, "This show has been so amazing and different from other projects I've done just because of how intimate the show is with the audience and our cast all at once!"

Alex Austin, playing The Cheshire Cat amongst other roles, says, "Our ensemble is essentially becoming one singular unit to support one another in the telling of this particular tale. There is strength in numbers and no matter what audiences may be experiencing in their own lives, everyone can relate to these characters and their journeys, and join us through the grief & hardships that also spark joy along the way. Alice by Heart teaches us that we may be a part of the story, but we cannot always rewrite it."

Luke Haynes, who plays Dr. Butridge- spoke to the unique nature of the production. "It's so distinctly theatrical. This style of storytelling wouldn't work on a screen, you couldn't read it in a book, it can only be experienced on a stage. Our production serves as a love letter to theatre as much as it is a tribute to Lewis Carol's fantastical world, both of which only work with a healthy dose of imagination."

He went on to discuss his first collaboration with the creative team, "I've just been really blown away by the level of talent involved across the board. Each and every member of this creative team is a master in their field and they raise the bar for us every day. And while that's been intimidating (and exhausting) at times, and it's been so gratifying to watch this cast rise to meet it every time, and it's made for what I think will be a really special show."

ALICE BY HEART runs at the ME Theatre in Orlando near Universal August 2-3. Tickets are available online at https://teachtix.com/horizonwest/alice-by-heart

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