WE’RE ALL MAD HERE: The Leavitt Center to host theater camp for play of 'Alice in Wonderland'

POCATELLO — The Leavitt Center Arts Academy will be hosting auditions on May 13 fort its upcoming rendition of “Alice in Wonderland.”

The whimsical fantasy tale by Lewis Carroll is a staple of classic literature and has seen many different television, movie and theater adaptations.

This is the first year that the new director, Kathleen Bills, will be working at the Leavitt Center, which is located at 1030 E. Sublette St. Bills is currently a theater major at Idaho State University with expertise in stage management, acting and directing.

“This is my first full production that I get to direct, which I’m very excited about,” Bills said. “The past several summers they’ve done a summer musical here, but this is the first year that we’re making it into a summer camp. It’s a condensed rehearsal time. It’s going to be fast and furious, but a lot of fun. We’ll have about two weeks for rehearsals, and then another week for dress rehearsals and performances. It’ll be about three weeks total, which is less time than we typically have had in the past to put it together. But it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Auditions will begin for the play on May 13 with callbacks on May 14. Children and adolescents aged 8-18 are invited and encouraged to audition for roles during that time.

“If people are too nervous about auditioning or if this is the first time they’ve ever participated in a production, auditions are not required, but certainly encouraged,” Bills said. “But anyone can come and register for the camp be a part of the production and then we will be casting leads and other roles from those auditions.”

Rehearsals begin June 17 and will run for two weeks before a break during the Fourth of July weekend. Dress rehearsals will start July 8 with the performances running from July 10-13. As a special treat, tickets will be sold for a pre-show “Alice in Wonderland” themed tea party event that will happen during the Friday and Saturday performances on July 12 and 13, respectively.

“We will have a tea party which will include a full meal and then we’ll also have meet and greets with Alice,” Bills said. “We’ll have photo opportunities, we will have games and activities that Alice will run and we’ll have little giveaways as well. It’ll be an hour-long event that will happen right before the show.”

Bills attributes much of her success in her theater and acting career to teachers and mentors, much like herself, that impacted her in a positive light and inspired her to follow her dreams.

“I grew up in a conservatory program where I got to take acting classes and be part of productions during my whole youth experience and that changed my life forever,” Bills said. “I have so many incredible mentors that have made me who I am today and put me on the trajectory that I’m currently on. I’m very, very passionate about inspiring the rising generation and helping them to discover their own voice, self-expression and creativity, which is the beauty of theater.”

Using the summer theater play of “Alice in Wonderland,” Bills will have a platform in which to teach the impassioned young actors. Much like Alice in her own fantastical story, the camp will provide a figurative and literal stage for which the budding actors can express themselves on their journey to adulthood.

“I have always loved ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” Bills said. “I love the themes of imagination and creativity that come from Alice. This particular version has a really beautiful story of self-discovery for Alice and learning who she is and what she has to offer, which I think is a really beautiful message that is something that people of all ages can relate to, but I think is especially prevalent for youth. It’s something that they need to know and discover since they are going through a time where they need to discover who they are and so I think that’s something that they can really relate with.”

Bills wants the community to know whether this is your first theater production, or you are a seasoned actor, to come and be a part of a wonderful adventure and discover something new about yourself.

“I’m very excited to see how it all comes together,” Bills said. “We have a lot of wonderful people that are going to be involved on the production team. It’s going to be a lot of fun, lots of color, and lots of exciting new innovations that we are dreaming up right now. Honestly, the sky’s the limit right now. We’re able to put imagination from the show into practice and bring the story to life.”