Alice Dreaming: A Play for Secondary Students

Alice Dreaming is a play for secondary students that tells a uniquely Australian story. Trapped by the expectations of others, a girl escapes into her imagination. Following an albatross, Alice takes a journey across Australia that eventually brings her closer to home and an understanding of who she is. Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, it is a play written about teenagers, for teenagers. Embracing a non-naturalistic theatrical language, Alice Dreaming can incorporate a number of performance elements, including puppetry, mask, music and dance. Roles are suitable for performance by both boys and girls. The cast includes 29 speaking roles plus chorus. The play runs for 60-80 minutes. Designed to provoke discussion and debate, Alice Dreaming can be used as a classroom resource to develop student thinking around both personal issues and social issues, including the environment, politics and Australian history.