This summer, theatre-goers of all ages can look forward to exciting, free entertainment played upon stages across the greater Birmingham area in the Magic City Theatre Festival. Building on the success of last year’s festival, Birmingham Children’s Theatre (BCT) presents Alice in Wonderland, a world-premier adaptation by BCT’s Executive Artistic Director Brandon Bruce and Luke Schares, based on the stories by Lewis Carroll.
“I'm thrilled that we're able to return with the Magic City Theatre Festival for our second year. Last year's production of The Three Musketeers stands as one of my personal favorite shows I've ever worked on, so it means the world to me that we're able to return,” says Bruce, “Alice in Wonderland has a universal appeal that people of all ages can appreciate. Alice not only encounters wild, stupendous, and funny characters, she also wonders about her own identity. This is something we all do - whether it's determining your own career path, your place among your family, we all wonder about just who we are.”
The Magic City Theatre Festival’s fresh take on this classic tale finds Alice in a post-industrial Wonderland, far from the Victorian rules and manners of her adolescence. Embracing the ever-lasting themes of curiosity, growing up, and finding identity, audiences young and old will find a little of themselves in the furnaces of Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland will play May 30th through June 2nd at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.
Karen Utz, Interim Executive Director of Sloss Furnaces, is “excited to see artistic projects happening throughout the Sloss site - they not only bring life to the site, but theatre events in the historic #1 Cast Shed show the versatility of what can happen at the nation’s only 20th century industrial blast furnace!”
With incredible support from the City of Hoover,Alice in Wonderland will then move to the Riverchase Galleria with performances June 13th - 16th in the Center Court.
Curt Posey, Hoover City Council and Arts Council Liaison, says, “Bringing Alice in Wonderland to the Riverchase Galleria and the Hoover community is the perfect opportunity at the perfect time. Our citizens have expressed interest in a larger investment in the arts, and these performances offer the opportunity to see live theater in their own backyard.”
Paulette Pearson, Chair of the Hoover Arts Council, adds, “Seeing the imagery and characters of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories brought to life will be a fantasy that audiences of all ages can enjoy. To make that available for free to the public makes it a performance everyone can appreciate. This is a fabulous opportunity not just for Hoover, but for the entire Birmingham metro area.”
All performances of Alice in Wonderland will be available for free to the public thanks to generous support from the City of Hoover and the Hoover Arts Council, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the Caring Foundation of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, and Protective Life Corporation. “I'm particularly proud and grateful that the Birmingham/Hoover communities are supporting this so well that we're able to offer the show for free. Birmingham is definitely experiencing a re-birth,” says Bruce.
Tickets and further information about the show can be found as www.bct123.org or on Eventbrite (Sloss Furnaces and Riverchase Galleria).
About the Magic City Theatre Festival
The Magic City Theatre Festival was created to provide exciting, high-quality summer entertainment for all ages. Expanding on their core values to educate, enrich and entertain, the Birmingham Children’s Theatre believes this festival creates an opportunity for the whole of the Birmingham community to engage with each other and these classic stories brought to life onstage.
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