playbill vip

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Going into this process I didn’t truly understand what directing a show was like, but I tried to come into the room with passion and a willingness to learn. I can now say that directing, while challenging, has been a truly rewarding experience for me. One of the biggest challenges I found with directing a show like “Alice In Wonderland” is making it my own, given it’s such an iconic story.

During this process I realized that instead of just telling the story of a little girl, we are telling the story of an entire lifetime. As I was evaluating the characters, I started seeing similarities between the situations Alice finds herself in and the experiences of a human in this complicated world we live in. At the core of this story is a girl who is trying to fit in and understand the world around her. I think this is a very relatable experience as we try to navigate the messy thing we call life. Though she never is able to completely understand Wonderland, she learns incredibly valuable lessons throughout the experience, just like we all do in life. 

I hope you leave the theatre today seeing a bit of yourself in Alice, and I also hope that you find some joy from seeing such a fun story portrayed on stage. Along with the storytelling side of directing, I have also really enjoyed the collaboration of it all. Getting to work with these incredible people has been an amazing experience that I have thoroughly enjoyed. One of my biggest goals going into this project was creating a space where people felt comfortable sharing their ideas. Though I still have more to learn, I feel this process has been truly collaborative, and we have created a piece of art that contains the voice of everyone who has worked on it. So to all the people who are acting in the show and to all the people helping behind-the-scenes, thank you! You have helped me to grow as a director, and I appreciate it! Lastly, I want to thank everyone that’s in the audience. I hope you enjoy this production just as much as I have!

- Thatcher Reckner, Director, TRAC 2023