2023-24 Relaxed Performance Fact Sheet

KEY INFORMATION Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2024 Time: 2:00 pm Location: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Address: 145 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5H 4G1 Length of Performance: 95 minutes (Act II – 30, Act III – 45) Intermission: One 20-minute intermission Link to website: https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/Alice-sAdventures-in-Wonderland

GENERAL THINGS TO KNOW

RELAXED PERFORMANCE Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Acts II & III Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 2:00 pm This fact sheet has key information about the show and the theatre that you may find useful and that may help you to fully enjoy your afternoon with us.

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The performance will be at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (Four Seasons Centre)

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The performance begins at 2:00 pm

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There is a parking lot underneath the theatre. It costs $25, but please come prepared to pay more if necessary

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The parking machine takes credit cards only

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There are many other places to park within walking distance of the theatre

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There is a lot of construction in the area, please be prepared and allow yourself plenty of extra time to get around the area

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If you are taking the subway, there is an underground entrance to the Four Seasons Centre at Osgoode station

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If you need to pick up your tickets, the Box Office will open at 11:00 am. There may be a lineup at the box office, especially around 11:00 am and shortly before the performance begins. Please allow extra time to pick up your tickets.

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The lobby to the Four Seasons Centre will open at 12:45 pm

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To enter the lobby, you will need your ticket

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The concession will be open for pre-performance and during the intermission

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The auditorium will open one hour before the performance begins, at this time the ushers will open the doors and let people know they can go in and find their seat(s)

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There will be overhead announcements while you wait in the lobby – please be prepared for these

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The seating is assigned/ticketed seating. That means that your seat is assigned and you can find the location of your seat printed on your ticket.

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An usher can direct you to your seat(s)

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There are a limited number of booster seats available.

Please ask an usher if you need one.

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The Four Seasons Centre has many floors – the street level (Main Floor Lobby) has the lobby, concession and boutique; downstairs (Lower Level Lobby) are the washrooms and coatcheck and upstairs (the Grand Ring, Rings 3 and 4) are the boxes/balcony seating areas, the Quiet Room and a gender neutral/accessible washroom (please note that the accessible washroom does not have a button, so someone may need to open the door for people using this space) and washroom stalls.

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There are stairs and elevators to help you get from floor to floor

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Music for the performance will be played by a live orchestra from the orchestra pit in front of the stage. Please stay back from the orchestra pit.

ABOUT ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has charm and spectacle in abundance and is beautifully choreographed by a leading innovator in story ballet, Christopher Wheeldon. A tap-dancing Mad Hatter, hurried White Rabbit and comical Queen of Hearts join the fanciful cast of characters who bring Lewis Carroll’s story to life, with the addition of a love interest for Alice.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland features puppetry and video projections in a brilliant design by Bob Crowley, an original score by Joby Talbot and lighting by Natasha Katz.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE You will be seeing Acts II (2) and III (3) of the ballet Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!

This is a live performance on stage. It is performed by dancers right in front of you! It has dancers, music and a set.

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When you enter the auditorium, the orchestra will be warming up. This may sound loud.

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The lights in the auditorium will be left on at a low level during the performance

What is a set?

A set is the background behind and around the dancers.

It is also the furniture that the dancers sit, stand or dance on throughout the ballet. Sets help us to know where and when the ballet takes place. In this ballet there are many different sets because the ballet takes place in many different locations.

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A Quiet Room has been set up on the Grand Ring floor. Ushers can take you there at any time, if needed.

Can you count how many times the set changes in each Act?

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There is a host for this performance. They will introduce the ballet and give you information on what has happened in Act I.

When you enter the auditorium to take your seat the Orchestra will be in the “orchestra pit” warming up.

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The host will speak before the ballet begins

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There will be an ASL Interpreter on stage while the Host speaks

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There is a page on The National Ballet of Canada’s website for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This page gives a lot of information about the story and can help us to follow what is happening on stage. You can access the page here: https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/Alice-s-Adventures-inWonderland

When the performance is about to begin, the host – Lisa Robinson – will introduce the show and the orchestra and give some information about the first two acts of the ballet.

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Here are some things about the performance you may find interesting or want to watch/listen for: • •

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Ballet tells a story through dance - this is the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland This ballet is based on the classic story by Lewis Carroll and includes all of the adventures Alice has there. This includes, but is not limited to: meeting new people, falling in love, a Queen who is very strict and threatens to execute everyone, an executioner and animals that are a similar size to Alice Music helps to build the emotion in the ballet – it can help us know how to feel and what is happening If the music is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones Please make sure that mobile devices are set to silent for the duration of the ballet When you take your seat the curtains on stage will be closed When the ballet begins the orchestra will begin playing music and the curtains will open

ACT II (2) - 30 minutes

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WHAT HAPPENS IN ACT II (2) • •

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This is the beginning of Act II (Act 2 means it is the second portion or act of the ballet) Sometimes audience members clap when the orchestra begins to play and the curtains open. If the clapping is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The lights on stage come up slowly Alice is in a spotlight. The spotlight is not very bright.

Alice is in Wonderland and is confused Alice wears a purple dress In the dim lighting, a large puppet of a cat appears at the side of the stage – this is the Cheshire Cat Can you tell how many dancers/puppeteers it takes to make the Cheshire Cat move?

The Cheshire Cat twirls and seems to separate into many

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parts – this is possible because of how the puppet is made and how the dancers/puppeteers move it It is still very dark on stage The Cheshire Cat leaves the stage and the music changes Often the audience will clap after dancers have finished dancing (even though the ballet is still going on). If the clapping is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

A curtain lifts to reveal large teapots, cups and cutlery It is now lighter on stage The Mad Hatter is on a small stage with tea cup lights around it The March Hare and the Dormouse sit beside the stage that the Mad Hatter stands on Alice and the Mad Hatter dance together on the small stage When two people dance together in ballet it is called a Pas de Deux The Mad Hatter has taps on his shoes – this means that a tapping sound is made when he dances The Mad Hatter’s tea party has begun!

As Alice, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse dance together, the music gets louder. If the music is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

The Dormouse gets put inside a teapot. The Dormouse is safe inside the teapot.

The music gets faster and louder. If the music is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

Alice helps the Dormouse out of the teapot The music contains a ticking pattern similar to that of a clock The Dormouse gets put back inside the teapot Alice tries on the Mad Hatter’s hat The March Hare and the Dormouse leave the stage A bell dings lightly and the Mad Hatter leaves the stage Behind Alice, a large set piece with the Mad Hatter’s hat painted on it lowers onto stage Page 3 of 8

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A door opens in the set piece and the Cheshire Cat pops its head and paws out of the doorway The music is lighter and slower The Cheshire Cat leaves The music changes again. It is much slower now.

The large set piece with the Mad Hatter’s hat on it goes up and away from the stage Alice dances alone on stage The music is gentle and flowing as Alice dances Other dancers join Alice and the music gets a little louder The other dancers leave the stage There are light sounds, like tinkling bells, in the music – it may seem high-pitched. If it is too high-pitched, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

Light drumming begins and new dancers come on stage with Alice A screen lifts behind Alice to show another part of the stage and set There is a large mushroom on stage A Caterpillar is on the mushroom and then begins dancing on stage beside Alice Alice watches the Caterpillar dance The music is faster here and gets louder as the Caterpillar dances. If the music is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

En pointe – have you noticed that sometimes the ballerinas look like they are dancing on their tiptoes? This is called “en pointe” and their shoes help them to do this but it still takes many years of training to dance like this Alice dances with the Caterpillar The Caterpillar leaves the stage and comes back with many dancers behind him under a long costume that covers their heads, making up the full length of the Caterpillar’s body How many legs does the Caterpillar have?

As the Caterpillar crosses the stage, the lights create a checkered pattern on the stage The mushroom disappears

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Alice is alone on stage again Alice eats something The music becomes lighter and softer The wall behind Alice is covered in doors The music gets louder and faster and the wall lifts to show many dancers on stage These are the flowers – Alice has made it to the garden All of the flowers dance in pairs There are letters and numbers on the wall/set at the back of the stage The lights come up and are bright for the first time in this Act Alice and the flowers dance The music is upbeat and happy The Knave appears. He wears a red and white top and red bottoms The Knave dances in the garden with the flowers Alice and the Knave dance together As they dance, the lights get lower and the music gets slower They are happy dancing together The music gets faster The flowers come back on stage and dance with Alice and the Knave The music gets light and begins to slow The lights dim The Queen of Hearts enters from the right – she is pushed in on a tall heart sculpture Two of the Queen of Hearts’ guards enter from the left Alice and the Knave are caught between the Queen of Hearts and the guards The White Rabbit enters from the right Alice crosses the stage to the White Rabbit The Queen of Hearts captures the Knave A curtain drops behind the Queen of Hearts and the flowers disappear behind it The Knave leaves the stage Page 4 of 8

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The Guards and the Queen of Hearts follow him The White Rabbit grabs Alice’s hand and they follow the Knave and the Queen of Hearts Alice and the White Rabbit are trying to save the Knave The stage goes dark A large sign appears on the right side of the stage – it reads “Interval” This is the end of Act II (2) The audience may clap at the end of Act II (2), but if it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones

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INTERMISSION – 20 minutes • An intermission is a break in the ballet – the ballet is not over • During the intermission you can leave your seat to use the washroom, go outside, walk around the lobby, or you can stay in your seat. It is your choice.

• The lights in the auditorium will come up to full so that there is enough light to move around safely • The ushers will let you know when it is time to re-enter the auditorium (seating area) for Act III (3) ACT III (3) – 45 minutes

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WHAT HAPPENS IN ACT III (3) • • • •

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The sign on the stage will read “Act III” The orchestra will do a short warm-up before the act begins The conductor will go back into the Orchestra Pit. They may turn and face the audience before they begin conducting.

Sometimes audience members clap when the orchestra begins to play and the curtains open. If the clapping is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

The stage will go dark The music begins and the curtain begins to rise – the stage behind the curtain is lit, so light will appear when the curtain goes up

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The lights on stage are mostly red Three gardeners are tending to the Queen of Hearts’ garden They are trying to paint the roses red The music is quite quick here – the gardeners are nervous and the music helps us to know this Alice enters the garden The drumming in the music gets louder. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

A fanfare is played. A fanfare is a short sound made my brass instruments to introduce someone important.

The White Rabbit enters the garden and finds Alice with the gardeners The roses all turn white The court of the Queen of Hearts arrives in the garden The music gets louder. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The Queen of Hearts enters the garden, pushed in on her tall heart sculpture The Queen of Hearts sees that the roses are white and orders the gardeners to be executed The gardeners leave before the Executioner can get to them The Executioner carries an axe. This is a prop, which means that it is not real and cannot hurt anyone in real life, but for the characters in the ballet it is real.

The music gets quieter The Queen of Hearts leaves her tall heart and dances for the court The White Rabbit makes a sound with a horn several times The lights on stage turn from red to green The music changes The Queen of Hearts and the Duchess play croquet Can you tell what bird they use as the croquet mallet and what animals they use as the balls?

The music slows down and the stage goes darker The Knave appears and dances with Alice Page 5 of 8

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The lights get brighter and the croquet game continues The Queen of Hearts cheats at croquet The music gets louder and heavier. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The Queen of Hearts orders the Duchess to be executed The lights get darker The music gets lighter The Knave and Alice see each other again The Queen of Hearts finds them The music gets quicker here The stage gets darker The Queen of Hearts captures the Knave The drum sounds in the music get louder A sharp clapping/snapping sound is played. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

The stage gets darker Alice leaves to try and save the Knave The Queen of Hearts, the King and the White Rabbit leave The Cheshire Cat appears at the back of the stage The stage goes black Loud drumming is played. If it is too loud you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The lights slowly come back up The back of the stage has playing cards on it Dancers are in front of the cards The music is loud and fast and feels heavy or anxious. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

Guards enter with the Knave – he is their prisoner Alice runs behind them The music sounds like marching The cards on the set behind the dancers begin to change The music changes and becomes lighter, before getting fast and loud again

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The cards behind the dancers move and change quickly The curtain rises and the stage behind it is lit with red lights There are tall stacks of cards on either side of the stage This is the courtroom The music gets faster and louder. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

The White Rabbit enters The music changes and is lighter The White Rabbit dances around the courtroom The music uses bells (similar sounding to sleigh bells) here, this may seem high-pitched. If it is too high-pitched, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

A timpani (a large drum) joins in the music. It can seem loud.

If it is too loud you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The music gets faster The White Rabbit makes a sound with a horn several times People and animals who Alice has met in Wonderland enter the courtroom The King and Queen of Hearts enter the courtroom The Queen of Hearts dances The Queen of Hearts dances with the Executioner and then with his axe The White Rabbit makes a sound with a horn several times The Knave is brought in by guards Members of Wonderland testify in the courtroom The music changes as different people testify The music gets faster The drums get louder. If they are too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The Duchess takes the tray of tarts Everyone surrounds the Duchess and dance around her The music gets louder and faster. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening Page 6 of 8

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headphones.

Everyone snaps their fingers at the Duchess as she tries to eat the tarts The Queen of Hearts puts a stop to the dancing and tart eating The King insists that the Knave be allowed to speak for himself The music slows down The stage gets darker The Knave dances The lights change colour and it gets a bit brighter on stage Alice dances Alice and the Knave approach the Queen of Hearts Alice and the Knave share their testimony There are bells in the music. They may seem high-pitched. If it is too high-pitched, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The music gets louder. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

Alice and the Knave hug The Queen of Hearts stands The lights on stage get brighter and the background turns red The Queen of Hearts calls for the Knave to be executed The Queen of Hearts grabs the axe and begins to move off of her throne Fanfare sounds loudly. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The music gets faster Fanfare sounds loudly. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

Everyone tries to hide Alice and the Knave from the Queen of Hearts Alice knocks the Mad Hatter over and everyone behind him falls down in a long, winding row Fanfare sounds loudly. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

The Queen of Hearts falls off of her throne

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The stacks of cards at the side of the stage fall No one gets hurt in this sequence – it is a rehearsed scene and is very safe for all of the dancers The stage gets dark and the music gets louder The back of the stage looks like cards falling quickly Everyone leaves the stage The stage is dark except for the falling cards The music gets quicker and the cards fall faster If the cards are falling too fast, you can cover your eyes (partially or all the way) until the music makes a wind-like sound The cards look like they are falling into a tunnel – it may feel like you are moving as the tunnel moves, this is an illusion. But if it feels uncomfortable, you can cover your eyes (partially or all the way) until the music makes a wind-like sound The cards turn into leaves The music gets slower The lights come up on stage Alice is asleep on a bench in a park Alice wakes up. She holds a book.

The Knave, now dressed in more modern clothes, hugs her It was all a dream!

The music is light and joyful The music gets louder as Alice and the Knave dance A man enters. H carries a camera and wears sunglasses.

Alice recognizes the man from Wonderland Alice kisses the Knave Alice and the Knave leave The music gets softer The man sits on the bench The man twitches and scratches himself Can you guess who the man was in Wonderland?

The lights go down The curtain comes down Page 7 of 8

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This is the end of the ballet The audience may clap at the end. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sounddampening headphones.

The curtain comes back up and the lights get bright on stage – this is the curtain call (bows) The curtain call is a chance for the audience to tell the dancers and the orchestra how much they enjoyed the ballet – you can clap, say “bravo”, and even stand up from your seat as the dancers bow. If it is too loud, you can cover your ears with your hands or put on sound-dampening headphones.

There are many dancers in the ballet and the curtain call may take a few minutes for them to all have a chance to bow for you After the bows are over, the curtain will go down and stay down and the lights will come up in the auditorium Now is the time to leave the auditorium

MASKING PROTOCOLS The National Ballet of Canada no longer requires masking.

However, if wearing a mask is more comfortable for you, you are welcome to wear one in and around the venue. Please note that some staff may wear masks but it is not required for staff to be masked.

This fact sheet was prepared by Rachel Marks.

2023/24 Season Sponsor

Lead philanthropic support for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is provided by an anonymous friend of the National Ballet with additional support generously provided by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Richard M. Ivey, C.C., Rosamond Ivey, Robert & Judith Lawrie and Wallace McCain & Margaret McCain, C.C.

presents Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

The National Ballet of Canada’s Relaxed Performances and the accompanying Visual Guide are made possible in part through the generous support of Ruth Watts-Gransden.

Photo Credits First page: Tirion Law, Siphesihle November, Jack Bertinshaw and Jurgita Dronina in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Photo by Karolina Kuras.

This page: Tirion Law and Heather Ogden with Artists of the Ballet in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Photo by Karolina Kuras.

The National Ballet of Canada’s Education and Community Engagement programmes are generously supported by the Anna McCowan-Johnson Dance Accessibility Fund at The National Ballet of Canada, Endowment Foundation.

The National Ballet of Canada gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Ontario Arts Council; the City of Toronto through the Economic Development & Culture Department; the Government of Canada – Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism; and the Government of Ontario through The Honourable Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

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