Poltergeist Theatre’s Jack Bradfield talks about joining forces with Brixton House this December to present the premiere of a brand new production of Lewis Carroll’s all-time classic, Alice In Wonderland.
Set in Brixton Underground Station, rooted in the heart of the local community, this contemporary Christmas adventure is a thrilling remix that weaves storytelling, rap music and comic book visuals with the recognisable sights and sounds of Brixton. Audiences will be immersed in a theatre space which has been transformed into a strangely familiar Victoria line tube train.
Poltergeist’s Jack Bradfield, whose Ghost Walk, (co-produced with New Diorama), was a sell-out hit last Christmas, directs this fantastical tale devised from a series of workshops with actors, creatives and the team at Brixton House. This collaborative approach has resulted in a bold new show which didn’t need to venture far to find inspiration. This Alice encounters a motley crew of characters as she tries to find her way off the Victoria line back home to Brixton.
Alice in Wonderland is at Brixton House 1st to 31st December 2022.
You’re directing Alice in Wonderland at Brixton House, what can you tell us about the show?
It’s a Christmas show unlike anything you’ve seen before. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories, we’ve re-mixed this well-loved classic and set it on the London Underground.
Our Alice is a South London school girl who, following an explosive row with her Mum at Brixton Tube Station, leaps onto a train just as the doors slam shut behind her. What follows is a non-stop thrill-ride of an adventure, as Alice tumbles from carriage to carriage encountering wonderful weirdos along the way. En-route to her final destination there are amazing songs, big laughs, vivid costumes, sword fights, monsters. The show’s got all the energy of a runaway train!
We’re making the absolute most of the flexible space at Brixton House and keeping lots of tricks up our sleeve to delight our younger audiences.
Tell us how the show came to be, and the collaborative approach that was used?
Our company Poltergeist have been raring to make a Christmas show for the last few years. Gbolahan Obisesan (Artistic Director at Brixton House) and I had some exploratory conversations during Lockdown, and we settled on an idea: Alice in Wonderland on the London Underground. A unique story we hoped would resonate with everyone making sense of a nonsensical post-Covid world.
Before there was a script, or even a sense of narrative, we gathered a super-team of creatives to collide ideas together. That means we had Costume Designers offering up possible characters; we had Lighting Designers suggesting story beats; lyricists talking about colour palettes! We’ve also been working with the wonderful illustrator Israel Kujore, who was instrumental in helping us create the world of Wonderland. He’s not only illustrated the poster, but contributed to costume and set details throughout the show. We’ve pulled inspiration from comic books, anime, action movies—and jumbled them up to create a world at once familiar and totally fresh.
This show has been born out two years of workshops. It’s created something a show that’s truly special, where visuals, music, and text join together for an immersive theatrical treat.
What’s it been like for your theatre company, Poltergeist, to work with Brixton House?
A total joy. They’ve believed in us, they’ve pushed our creative limits, and helped us make our most ambitious show yet. If you haven’t been to Brixton House yet, I seriously recommend you make the trip to South London and check out this astonishing new venue.
It sounds like Brixton itself plays an important role, how do you hope to showcase Brixton to locals and visitors alike?
For Alice, Brixton is the backdrop to her real life. It means school, friends, home, Mum and Dad. For the inhabitants of Wonderland, it’s a magical place: Brixton Village is brimming with possibility, Brockwell Lido must be an ocean, the Ritzy is surely a glamorous hotel, and Electric Avenue sounds — well — electric! We ground the story in everyday Brixton, but at the same time it’s a Wonderland that only gets “curiouser and curiouser…”
How will you approach directing this show for younger audiences?
Younger audiences have always responded really positively to Poltergeist’s work, even though we’ve never before made a show specifically with them in mind! The answer then has been to fine-tune the process we already know brings excitement and joy to all our audiences. Of course, we’re packing this with everything we love as a company; moments of delight, danger, laughs and love.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking a ticket for Alice in Wonderland?
All aboard! An original Christmas treat, in a beautiful brand new theatre—plus, you’ll be singing Alice’s songs on the tube ride home.
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