Historical Romance By E. Thomalen
Cast 29: Principals: 2 M adults, 4 F children; doubling possible,
requires a minimum cast of 12, (6 M, 6 F) 8 adults, 4 children
This play draws on biographical information penned by the principals about the original telling of many of the episodes in Lewis Carroll's famous book. On a warm summer's day Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and his friend Robinson Duckworth took the three Liddell sisters (one of whom was Alice) on a leisurely excursion on the Thames River near Oxford. They rowed upstream, had a picnic lunch, and then drifted back to their point of departure. The play follows that journey and dramatizes some of the stories Lewis Carroll told. It charmed the girls and before they parted that evening, Alice begged Dodgson to write them down for her sometime. In the course of the play we see how the stories might have evolved, how children of different ages might respond to the stories, and what might have especially drawn their interest and captivated them. We also see how some of Charles Dodgson's colleagues at Oxford looked upon someone who was unconventional within that community.