Secondary Course 03
Alice in Wonderland

At the end of this page you will find a complete version of the play. It is free to download and for you to produce. Enjoy!
Alice has a dream
She sees a rabbit

Description:

In this course produce a stage play for the student’s families to help with and see or an audio play which the students can keep and review.

Teach about possessions and possessive adjectives.

Play the Chain Fairy Tale game.

Learn and teach the use of a microphone.

Guide the students to research European countries.

Alice in Wonderland is one of the most imaginative stories ever written.

Encourage your students’ imaginations.

Lewis Carroll, the author and a professor at Oxford University, first told this story to a friend’s daughter, also called Alice.

Main Objectives:

At the end of the session the students will be able to:
1. Produce their own ending of the script
2. Perform a Stage Play production
3. Perform an Audio Play production

Materials:

Microphone, Audio software on laptop, Audio player, flashcards.

Units:
1. Objectives
2. Preparatory
3. Drills
4. Song
5. Research
6. Stage Play
7. Audio Play

Rewards:

At the end of the course, please send us the script with your own ending, the video of your stage play, and the audio file of your audio play. There will be prizes of parents’ courses for:
1. The best production
2. The best video play performance
3. The best audio play performance
4. The best new ending script
5, The best illustrations to the script
6, The clearest spoken English by all the actors

Send us the attachments through this link

Unit 1
Stage model for Alice in Wonderland
Alice getting through a tiny door

Objectives

From the start immerse the students in speaking English.
Only if necessary allow them to use a little of their own language.

You have a choice of helping your students to produce:
  • A Stage Play, which your students can enjoy performing with their class and friends and show to their families.
  • An Audio Play, which your students can keep as a record for themselves, their families and friends and which they can review or you can do both
  • This Course also contains conventional English teaching.
Tips for Productions for either Stage or audio production:
  • Perform a stage or an audio play of “Alice in Wonderland” – or both!
  • Teach them how to lift their voices from a script and/or to learn their parts.
  • Teach them how to listen to and respond to each other.
  • Teach them how to respond to direction.

  • Give the students confidence in acting and speaking English.
  • Write and perform a new ending to these excerpts from “Alice in Wonderland”
  • Prepare them to start thinking about writing their own script.
  • Help them prepare sound effects
  • Help them prepare music.
  • Have fun!
For the Stage Production
  • Encourage them to create the backdrops for the Stage production
  • Help them to prepare the props.
  • Help them with costumes.
For the Audio Production
  • Teach them how to use a microphone.
  • Help them with recording and post production – see appendix.
For conventional English learning (which will also relate to the play).
  • Name some everyday things
  • Use have got + a/an; some/any correctly/li>
  • Talk about possessions and things they use at school/li>
  • Use possessive adjectives correctly/li>
  • Use (‘s) to show possession./li>
  • Name members of the family.
Unit 2
Writing game
The key Alice uses
Toothbrushes

Preparatory

A. Chain Fairy Tale
  • This is a fun writing warm-up. Everyone has a piece of paper and writes the first sentence or two to start a fairy tale (not one that already exists).
 Example: Once upon a time there was a frog that had no legs. He wanted to get married, but there were no female legless frogs in the land. After one minute the leader will say “SWITCH”.
  • At this time the writers have to put down their pens and pass the papers.
  • They cannot finish their sentences.
  • Then, the next writers will continue the story. After about ten minutes you will have as many silly stories to read as you have students.
  • Read all of the stories out loud for a good laugh.
  • You can extend this activity by trying to edit each other’s writing and spelling errors.
B. Preparation for the Stage production – get the students to help you.
  • Suggest they involve their families and ask them to help.
  • Encourage the parents to buy a parents’ course.
  • Prepare the backdrops (see script below).
  • Prepare the props (see script below).
  • Prepare the costumes – start by drawing them and then putting them together.
  • Prepare the sound effects (e.g. the countryside).
  • Record with the students using audio recording equipment.
  • Find online, create within the production or vocalise or use sound effect here.
  • Prepare any music. Again find online or use Tchaikovsky music provided or compose and perform yourselves.
Tchaikowsky theme
C. Preparation for the Audio production – get the students to help you.
  • Set up a microphone on a stand
  • Connect to recording equipment
  • If these are not available, use something to represent a microphone on a stand. It might be a teddy bear or a hat on a stand for example. Get the students to help.
  • Get practical sound effects ready. For example fiddling with key in lock..
  • Make sure that each student has a job to do either alone or as part of a team.
  • Get the students to encourage each other
D. Preparation for Conventional Learning.
  • Ask what the things we use every day are. E.g. toothbrush, shoes, water, food.
  • Ask the students what they have with them today, e.g. clothes and what they carry with them.
  • Review the use of a/an and some/any.

  • Ask the students to bring some things to the teacher’s desk. Ask whose pen is this? Whose umbrella is this?

  • Review using possessive adjectives; my, your, her, his, our, their and (interrogative) whose?

  • Ask each student a question about their family.

  • Let them ask each other.

  • Let them ask each about a character from the fairy tales thy made up (see above)

  • Let them use facial expressions and gestures as well as words in answering these questions and describing their made up character.

  • Also encourage your students to revise learning about the European countries.
  • Note there are some extra small ones included here.
  • Can you spot the countries not included in course 2?Group the students into groups. Let them see which group can name the most European Countries?
  • examples: United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands (or Holland), Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia in Europe, Turkey in Europe. Then there are some very small European countries: Liechtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, Gibraltar, Malta, and Vatican City.Also encourage your students to revise learning about the European countries. Note there are some extra small ones included here. Can you spot the countries not included in course 2?

Unit 3
Stagehands moving a table
Scenery
cake
Watch
Thimble
Mario's calculator
Ann's crisps

Drills

A. The play
  • The Teacher explains that in this course we will have fun making drama.
  • Through drama they will learn English without effort.
  • Also they will absorb general knowledge and history and geography without effort
  • The students will act.
  • They will work as a team.
  • There are six speaking parts and three non-speaking parts. Discuss which part they would like to play. Girls can play boys parts.
  • Also some students might like to be stage hands. (Although these might be doubled by actors).
  • Others might like to create the music.
  • Others might like to create the sound effects.
  • One might like to be Assistant Director to the teacher.
  • Read both the stage version and the audio version with them.
  • Ask them which version they would like to produce and perform. Explain what is involved.
  • Later they can write some new endings to the play
  • Explain that their family and friends will be able to come to the stage production and / or listen to the audio production, which can be online at Learn English through Drama.
  • Their families can enjoy their performances and how good their English and other skills have become.
B. Grammar in Action
Phonics Advice

  • >But first let’s listen to the Phonics advice. Listen to and practice saying the words: afternoon, nobody, disappeared, pictures, tumbling, Australia, etc. Make sure all the consonants are sounded.

  • Look at some punctuation. Hear how commas, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks works in the script below by taking it in turns to read.

  • But realise that sometimes in drama plays the punctuation is purposely incorrect. A full stop may indicate where there should be a pause, It may not be the end of a sentence.

  • Ask the students whether these statements are true or false: “Alice is a boy.” “The rabbit is not worried.” “Alice falls down a hole.” “The rabbit has a watch” “She drowns in a pool of tears.” “Her reward is a thimble. “Review: Ask the students what dates are their National days or important holidays.

  • Ask the students how many possessive adjectives they can find in the stage and audio scripts. Ask them to write list of them.

C. Stage Play Scenery
  • For Stage help and encourage the students to paint and design backdrops or construct scenery for the tree with a branch that an actor as a cat can sit on (the cat is later in the play)
  • Black material with slits for hands to pass things through for the hole that Alice falls down.
  • The Hall with doors and keyholes and a curtain hiding a small door
  • Scenery can be anything from a black drape and a few props to a complicated set
  • Perhaps you can help your students to build wooden frames to fix canvas to paint on
Props and Music
  • Either make the props or borrow or search for and buy them. Ask their families to help. See the pictures in the script. They are:
    • the book Alice’s sister is reading
    • the book falling down the hole
    • jar of marmalade falling down the hole
    • other ornaments falling down the hole
    • a picture falling down the hole
    • a map of Australia falling down the hole
    • a pile of leaves at the bottom of the hole
    • a broom
    • table
    • curtain
    • golden key
    • bottle with label saying “drink me”
    • cake
    • plank for Alice to bump her head on
    • fan
    • long strips of blue
    • and green material to look like water
    • biscuits
    • a thimble
  • Get the stage hands to practice moving the props.
  • Help them to prepare the music.
  • Let them practice playing the music in and fading it out
  • Help and encourage them to design and create costumes.
Costumes
  • Might your students consider a career in costume design, supervision or costume making in film, TV, commercials or theatre; or might they be interested in fashion design?
  • Let them make a start designing and making costumes for Lewis Carroll, Alice, the Rabbit, the Mouse, and the Dodo.
  • See the pictures above but also search online and elsewhere.
  • Have Some tips for preparing for a career in Theatre Design; Your students can have fun and be creative, but learn to work fast and within budget
  • They will need to have the costumes ready for the actors to try on and make any changes needed before the dress rehearsal.
  • In future – as now – they can work from home on a part time basis.
  • It can be a useful second career and way of making money.
  • They should learn staying power, patience and flexibility: useful qualities in any career.
  • They should learn to listen to the ideas of the director and the actors.
  • While they are doing the above they can learn and practice their lines.
  • Tell them to think about where the audience will be and always face the audience as much as they can
Audio Play
  • For Audio the teacher demonstrates how to use a microphone – if you have assistance you can record and play back to the students..
  • Or in order not to delay for now it may, for example be a teddy bear on a hat stand.
  • Don’t worry – professional actors rarely hear their work back as they are recording. There is little time for this in the studio.
  • Stand a long way from the microphone and call: ‘Hello my name is ….’ Then move much closer to the mic and much more softly: ‘ Hello my name is ….’.
  • Get each student to repeat.
  • If you have recorded playback to students.
D. Production

  • Let the students write sentence with “I’ve got …” or “Alice has got….” or “I haven’t got …….” or “Alice hasn’t got”.

  • Let the students go round and ask each other what they or Alice have or haven’t got.

  • Memory game: let the students repeat what other students have said.

  • Imagine what you have in your school. Each student can be a manager. Ask each student to write down what they have in their shop… Ask them to write two interesting things and two useful things.

  • Pair work: Ask the students to put their things on the teacher’s desk. Ask and answer: What’s this? It’s Mario’s calculator. What’s this? It’s Ann’s crisps. Etc

  • Ask some students to come in front of the class and say the question and answer.

  • Let the students tell you the story of “Alice in Wonderland” in their own words.

  • Then get them to write – if possible for homework – a synopsis in their own words of the stage or audio script.

  • Rehearse the play

  • Perform the play

  • If you have the equipment and technicians and the extra time involved, audio record the play.

  • And/or Video the stage rehearsal and performance.

  • It will be very important for the students to see and hear what they have achieved. Praise them but also help and encourage them to do even better next time. (See at the bottom other plays they can perform.

  • Don’t be frightened to make mistakes. Mistakes are a useful learning process.

Unit 4
Rosemary Clooney

Songs and Other Activities

A.  Listen to “Alice in Wonderland”  and then get the students  to join in.
Rosemary Clooney sings Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

How do you get to Wonderland?

Over the hill or under land

Or just behind the tree

When clouds go rolling by

They roll away and leave the sky

Where is the land beyond the eye?

That people cannot see

Where can it be?

Where do the stars go?

Where is the crescent moon?

They must be somewhere in the sunny afternoon

Alice in Wonderland

Where is the path to Wonderland?

Over the hill or here or there
I wonder where.

B. Practice

  • For general learning play the song – Alice in Wonderland  – to them several times.

  • Then split them into groups and let the groups compete to see which can write the words down correctly.
  • Ask questions of the different groups about the drama.
  • For example:
  • “Where does the play start?”
  • “What does Alice see running past her and what is he/she saying?”
  • “What things does Alice see on the way down the hole?”
  • “Who is the narrator?”
  • “Who wrote the original story?”
  • “Who wrote the play (dramatised the story)?”
  • “What makes Alice grow smaller?”
  • “What makes Alice grow larger? again”
  • “What makes Alice grow smaller again?”
  • “Does the mouse like cats?”
  • “What is thename of the race Alice and the anmals run?”
Unit 5
Lewis Carroll
Tom Quad, Christchurch College, Oxford

Research

  • Doing drama is a wonderful way to learn about history, geography, culture and many other subjects

  • Knowing more of the background will help to bring the play alive.

Lewis Carroll

His real name was Charles Dodgson. His ‘pen name’, the name he used as a writer, was Lewis Carroll. He was born in the north of England. He was the oldest of eleven children and loved entertaining his brothers and sisters. He was a keen photographer and was very clever. At the age of 20 he became a lecturer in mathematics at Christchurch College at the University of Oxford.

He was very shy, but always enjoyed telling stories to children, and especially to Alice Liddell the daughter of a friend. The stories he told her became The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Alice through the Looking Glass, two of the bestselling children’s books in history.

Ask your students: To help their research have them look at Lewis Carroll’s biography.

  • Where was he born?

  • Where did he teach?

  • What did he teach?

  • What was the name of the girl he told stories to?

  • What famous people did he photograph?

Unit 6
Possible costume for Alice
Possible costume for the rabbit

Stage Play

A. Casting See the following table to have fun making preparation with your students. If possible get their families to help. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, dramatised by Shaun MacLoughlin
CAST PROPS PROPS COSTUMES MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS
Alice books Material looking like water See pic of Lewis Carroll Compose and play your own music or find free music online
Alice’s sister rabbit’s watch biscuits See pics of Alice. or from Tchaikovsky’s ballet music
Lewis Carroll Jar of marmalade thimble see pic of Rabbit – large ears will help Tchaikovsky’s rabbit running music
White Rabbit any other ornaments Fan See pictures of mouse -whiskers will help English countryside in summer birds and bees, etc.
Mouse + stage hand a picture Cake See pic of Dodo Falling down hole music
Dodo + stage hand

map of Australia

 Plank for Alice to bump her head on See pic of Duck sound effect Whoosh of falling down hole
Duck (n-s) + stage hand Pile of leaves and broom CUT OUTS, BACKDROPS AND FURNITURE – Tchaikovsky’s swimming music
Table (n-s) + stage hand + another animal Table and curtain carried by stage hand Tree with a branch an actor as a cat can sit on – Tchaikovsky’s caucus race music
– Golden key Black material with slits for hands to pass things through – Fiddling with key in lock
– Bottle saying “drink me” The Hall with doors and keyholes and a curtain hiding a small door – Key opening lock
– – – – sound effect water dripping
B. Vocabulary

English

Thai

Vietnamese

Indonesian

Stagehands

ชนะคดี

Stagehands

>petugas untuk pentas

Afternoon

บ่าย

buổi chiều

sore

Disappeared

หายตัว

biến mất

lesap

Australia

ออสเตรเลีย

nước Úc

Australia
C. What happens next?

  • Write and then perform your own ending.

  • Try “hot seating” each of the characters.

  • Ask Lewis Carroll what he is going to do with Alice?

  • Ask Alice whether she will be lonely for long.

  • Ask Alice if this is a dream or whether it is real

  • Ask the rabbit why he is so frightened of being late

  • Will the mouse meet any cats?

  • Is the Dodo the wisest of the animals

  • Think of more questions.

  • Then let the students work as a team to write the ending to the play.

  • PRIZES: Send us your script and if possible a video of your stage play.

  • There will be prizes of all the parents’ courses for:

  • The best production

  • The clearest English by all the actors.

  • The best performance.

  • The best music composed and performed by the students

  • The best illustrations to the script (which if you like we can add to our website).

  • The best new ending,

Alice and her sister by Greg Hildebrandt
Tchaikowsky theme Music
Sound of English summer countryside, bird song.
Rabbit running music
Alice falling music
Alice falling
Rabbit running
Rabbit running music again
Large room with doors and keyholes
Alice draws back the curtain
Alice drinks
Alice is nine feet tall
Blue and green material
Alice starts to swim
Swimming Music
Lots more animals swim with Alice
Caucus Music
The Dodo presents Alice with a thimble

E. The Script (the shorter version of the stage script)

Play Reading
SCENE 1ENGLISH SUMMER COUNTRYSIDE.
 ESTABLISH THEME MUSIC TCHAIKOVSKY (OR MUSIC OF YOUR CHOICE), SOUND OF BIRDSONG AND BEES. THERE IS A LARGE TREE, UNDER WHICH ALICE AND HER SISTER ARE SITTING. THE TREE CAN BE A CUT OUT OR BACKDROP, BUT THERE WILL NEED TO BE A BRANCH FOR. THE CHESHIRE CAT TO PERCH ON LATER. ALICE’S SISTER IS READING. LEWIS CARROLL, A VICTORIAN GENTLEMAN, IS SEATED AT THE SIDE OF THE STAGE, POINTING OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.
LEWIS CARROLL:It was a hot afternoon, so Alice was sitting in the garden under a tree.
ALICE:(TO HERSELF) I’m too sleepy to play. Anyway there’s nobody to play with.
CARROLL: Her sister was sitting beside her, reading a book.
 ALICE LOOKS AT THE BOOK
ALICE:It doesn’t have any pictures. I don’t like books with no pictures.
 A RABBIT RUNS PAST HER, HE IS CARRYING A WATCH THAT HE LOOKS AT AS HE RUNS.
CARROLL:But then she saw a rabbit with a brown coat.
 He had a watch in his hand.
WHITE RABBIT:Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh dear! I’m so late!
ALICE:Oh what an unusual rabbit!
 SHE GETS UP AND FOLLOWS HIM BUT HE DISAPPEARS OFF STAGE
CARROLL:She followed him, but suddenly he disappeared down a rabbit hole.
 SHE RUNS OFF THE STAGE
  
SCENE 2THE RABBIT HOLE
 FALLING DOWN SOUND EFFECT AND FALLING DOWN MUSIC. CHARACTERS SUCH AS THE MOUSE AND THE DODO WHO WE SHALL MEET LATER BRING ON
 A BACKGROUND OF BLACK MATERIAL WITH SLITS IN IT. IT HIDES THE BACKDROP OF THE TREE. IT HAS HOLES THAT OBJECTS CAN BE PASSED THROUGH. THE DODO AND THE MOUSE DISAPPEAR BEHIND THE MATERIAL. ALICE THEN ENTERS AND SWAYS BACK AND FORTH AS IF SHE IS FALLING. IN BETWEEN LOOKING AT THINGS, SHE EVEN DOES A FORWARD THEN A BACKWARD SOMERSAULT
  
CARROLL:She was inside a dark hole and she was falling. Either the hole was very deep or she was falling very slowly.
 A HAND PASSES THROUGH A BOOK. ALICE LOOKS AT IT. TCHAIKOVSKY BALLET FALLING MUSIC
ALICE:No Pictures.
 AND TAKES IT AWAY AGAIN
 After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home!
CARROLL:She saw lots of things on her way down.
 OTHER HANDS PASS ORNAMENTS AND TAKE THEM AWAY AGAIN. THEN A HAND PASSES THROUGH A JAR MARKED MARMALADE. ALICE TAKES IT AND LOOKS INSIDE IT.
ALICE:It’s empty! I better put it back or it might fall and kill someone!
 SHE HANDS IT BACK. ANOTHER HAND PASSES THROUGH A PICTURE AND TAKES IT AWAY AGAIN.
ALICE:I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen. I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it’ll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward!
 I think it’s called Australia!
 ANOTHER HAND PASSES THROUGH A MAP OF AUSTRALIA ALICE LOOKS AT IT AND THE HAND TAKES IT AWAY AGAIN. ALICE SOMERSAULTS AGAIN.
  
CARROLL:She fell and fell such a long way!
 THE MOUSE AND THE DODO SWEEP A PILE OF LEAVES ONTO THE STAGE. ALICE JUMPS ONTO THEM.
 Then she found herself on a heap of dry leaves. She wasn’t hurt at all.
  
ALICE:After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home!
 THE WHITE RABBIT APPEARS, RUNNING ALONG A PASSAGE.
ALICE:I mustn’t lose him now.
RABBIT:Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting!
  
CARROLL:She was close behind him.
 But when she turned a corner, he was no longer there.
 THE RABBIT RUNS AWAY OFF THE STAGE. SHE FOLLOWS HIM.
 THE MOUSE AND THE DODO REMOVE THE BLACK MATERIAL
  
SCENE 3AND REVEAL THE BACKDROP OF A LARGE ROOM WITH DIFFERENT SIZED DOORS WITH DIFFERENT SIZED KEY HOLES.
  
 ALSO THERE IS A SMALL CURTAIN HANGING OVER PART OF THE WALL.
 A STAGE HAND WALKS ON CARRYING A TABLE. HE/SHE IS HIDDEN BY ANOTHER CURTAIN,
 EXCEPT FOR HER/HIS FEET AS IN THE PICTURE.
  ANOTHER STAGE HAND THEN HOLDS UP A KEY SO THAT THE AUDIENCE CAN SEE IT. SHE/HE THEN PUTS IT ON THE TABLE.
 ALICE RUNS ONTO THE STAGE
CARROLL:Alice looked around. She was in a large room, with doors on each side.
ALICE:Did the rabbit go out of one of them?
CARROLL:She tried to open them, but there were no keys.
ALICE::Bother! It isn’t a very good idea to run down rabbit holes after rabbits.
CARROLL:Suddenly she noticed a small gold key on the table. She ran to all the doors,
 (SOUND OF TRYING KEY IN LOCK)
CARROLL:But the key was too small to open them.
 (SHE GOES TO THE LOW CURTAIN IN THE WALL AND DRAWS IT ASIDE)
 Then she saw a low curtain and behind the curtain she found a door about fifteen inches high.
ALICE:It’s strange I didn’t notice this one before.
 (SHE PUTS THE KEY IN THE KEY IN LOCK. THIS TIME IT WORKS. THE DOOR OPENS AND WE HEAR BIRD SONG)
CARROLL:This time the key worked and the door opened. Alice went down on her knees.
ALICE:What a beautiful garden!
 (SHE STRAINS TO GET THROUGH)
 But I can’t get through! Even if my head would go through, it would be of very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope!
 A STAGE HAND PUTS A BOTTLE ON THE TABLE. THEN ALICE GETS UP AND GOES BACK TO THE TABLE.
CARROLL:She locked the door and wandered back to the table. As she put the key back she saw a bottle with the words, “Drink me” on it.
ALICE:That’s funny. This wasn’t here before.
CARROLL:She tasted it and it was so delicious that she drank it all.
ALICE:Oh, what’s happening?
CARROLL:She was getting smaller and smaller.
 WHILE ALICE SQUATS, THE STAGE HAND INSIDE THE TABLE LIFTS IT HIGHER SO THAT BY COMPARISON ALICE SEEMS SMALLER
ALICE:What a curious feeling! I must be shutting up like a telescope.
CARROLL:Soon she was only ten inches tall.
ALICE:Now I can get into the garden!
 SHE REACHES FOR THE KEY ON THE TABLE
CARROLL:But she had left the key on the table, and she was too small to reach it.
 A STAGE HAND BRINGS ON A CAKE
ALICE:I’ll never get out of this hall. I can’t climb up the table.
CARROLL:Then she noticed a very small cake on the floor beside her. She picked it up and read the words “eat me” on top of the cake.
ALICE:Will it make me bigger or smaller? I’m not a very useful size now, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.
CARROLL:She put the cake in her mouth.
 THE TABLE GETS MUCH SMALLER AS TWO STAGE HANDS BRING ON A PLANK OF WOOD OVER ALICE’S HEAD. AS ALICE STRETCHES UP, THEY BUMP IT ON HER HEAD
ALICE:Ow!
CARROLL:She cried as her head hit the ceiling.
 She was suddenly nine feet tall.
ALICE:Now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!
CARROLL:She picked up the key from the table, and went to the door to the garden. But she could only see the garden if she lay down and looked through one eye.
ALICE:Oh, what can I do now? I’ll never get into that garden.
 (SHE BEGINS TO CRY)
CARROLL:Her tears were so big that they formed a small lake, about ten inches deep.
 (WE HEAR THE SOUND OF WATER DRIPPING)
ALICE:(STILL CRYING) You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a great girl like you, to go on crying in this way!
 THE RABBIT RUNS ONTO THE STAGE
CARROLL:Then she saw the rabbit running towards her.
 He was carrying a pink fan.
WHITE RABBIT:

Oh! The Duchess, the Duchess!

 Oh! Won’t she be savage if I’ve kept her waiting!
ALICE:Excuse me, sir…..
 HE DROPS HIS FAN
WHITE RABBIT:Oh!
 HE RUNS OFF THE STAGE. ALICE PICKS UP
 THE FAN AND BEGINS TO FAN HERSELF
ALICE:Oh dear, I’m all alone again. How will I find my way home?
 SHE STARTS TO CRY AGAIN
 THE STAGE HANDS TAKE AWAY
 THE PLANK. THE TABLE GROWS TALL AGAIN AND MORE STAGE HANDS BRING ON LONG STRIPS OF BLUE AND GREEN MATERIAL TO LOOK LIKE WATER – OR THEY BRING ON A LONG PAINTING OF WAVES ACROSS THE STAGE.
CARROLL:As she fanned herself, she became smaller and smaller. And as she cried the lake of tears got bigger and bigger.
 Soon it was so deep that she had to stop crying and start swimming.
 (ALICE STARTS TO SWIM. WE HEAR SOUND EFFECTS OF SPLASHING)
ALICE:I wish I hadn’t cried so much!
 I shall be drowned in my own tears!
 (SPLASHING GETS SLOWLY LOUDER. SHE IS JOINED BY A MOUSE ALSO SWIMMING. TCHAIKOVSKY BALLET MUSIC MAY SUGGEST SWIMMING.)
CARROLL:Just then she heard some splashing.
 She thought it might be a hippopotamus or a walrus. She swam closer to find out that it was a mouse. She realised how small she was.
ALICE:Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool?
 I am very tired of swimming about here!
CARROLL:The mouse seemed to wink at her, but didn’t say anything. Alice thought perhaps he does not understand English. She remembered the French for ‘where is my cat?’
ALICE:Ou est ma chatte?
 (LOUD SPLASH)
MOUSE:Ooooh!
CARROLL:The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright.
ALICE:Oh, I beg your pardon! I quite forgot you don’t like cats.
MOUSE:Not like cats! Would you like cats if you were me? Nasty low, vulgar things. My family always hated them.
 (MORE SPLASHES. LOTS MORE ANIMALS JOIN THEM: A DUCK, A DODO AND AN EAGLET)
CARROLL:The mouse started to swim away. And Alice heard more splashes. The pool was getting crowded with birds and animals that fell into it. There were a Duck and a Dodo, the Mouse and an Eaglet.
 Alice led the way, and the whole party swam to the shore. They seemed to have left the room.
  
SCENE 4

THE ANIMALS WHO DOUBLE AS STAGE HANDS REMOVE THE BACKDROPS AND OTHER PROPS. THE TABLE WALKS OFF.

DRY LAND

  
ALICE:How are we going to get dry?
DODO:I know the best way.
ALICE:What’s that?
DODO:A race.
ALICE:What sort of race? Please explain it to us.
DODO:The best way to explain the race, is to do it.
 You must all stand in a circle.
 THE ANIMALS FORM A CIRCLE
CARROLL:They all stood in a circle.
DODO:Now run about.
 CAUCUS MUSIC. THEY RUN ROUND AND ROUND THE STAGE FOR ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS
CARROLL:They all ran about for about half an hour until the Dodo cried:
DODO:Stop! The race is over.
ALL THE ANIMALS:Who has won?
DODO:Everyone has won. Everyone must have a prize, and she must give the prizes.
 ALICE FEELS IN HER POCKETS AND FINDS SOME BISCUITS
CARROLL:Alice felt in her pockets and found some biscuits. She gave one to each animal. She had just enough.
MOUSEBut she must have a prize herself.
CARROLL:Said the mouse.
DODO:Of course. What else have you got in your pocket?
 SHE FINDS A THIMBLE
ALICE:Only a thimble.
DODO:Hand it over here.
CARROLL:Then he presented it to her.
DODO:We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble.
 (EVERYBODY CHEERS)
CARROLL:Then they all sat down and ate their biscuits.
 THEN THEY GET UP AND LEAVE
 Then they all went home, and suddenly Alice was all alone again.

Unit 7

Audio Play

Set up microphone on stand, attach to recording equipment, set up audio editing software on computer.

Alice in Wonderland


Dramatized for AUDIO by Shaun Macloughlin.

 
CAST SPOT EFFECTS AND VOCALISATIONS RECORDED EFFECTS MUSIC
Lewis Carroll Thump of body falling onto pile of leaves English countryside in summer: birds and bees Compose and play your own music or find free music online
Alice Fiddling with key in lock Whoosh of falling down hole >or from Tchaikovsky’s ballet music
White Rabbit Key opening lock sound effect water dripping Tchaikovsky’s theme music or your own
Mouse Splashing in bucket to make swimming noises or recorded splashing Tchaikovsky’s rabbit running music or your own
Dodo swimming breathing from animals Tchaikovsky’s falling down hole music or your own

The Shorter Version of the Audio Script 

SCENE 1

EXT. ENGLISH SUMMER COUNTRYSIDE.

ESTABLISH THEME MUSIC, BIRDSONG AND BEES
LEWIS CARROLL: It was a hot afternoon, so Alice was sitting in the garden under a tree.
ALICE: (TO HERSELF) I’m too sleepy to play. Anyway there’s nobody to play with.
CARROLL: Her sister was sitting beside her, reading a book. There were no pictures in the book and Alice didn’t like books with no pictures.
ALICE:

I think I’ll go and pick some flowers.

RABBIT RUNNING MUSIC

CARROLL:

 But then she saw a rabbit with a brown coat. He had a watch in his hand. He was saying.
WHITE RABBIT:

Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I’m so late!
ALICE: Oh what an unusual rabbit!
CARROLL: She followed him, but suddenly he disappeared down a rabbit hole.
SCENE 2

INT. RABBIT HOLE

FALLING DOWN SOUND EFFECT FOLLOWED BY FALLING DOWN MUSIC

CARROLL:

 She was inside a dark hole and she was falling. Either the hole was very deep or she was falling very slowly. She saw lots of things on her way down. There were cupboards on the sides of the hole, and maps and pictures. She fell and fell such a long way!
ALICE:

I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it’ll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! I think it’s called Australia!

(WE HEAR A BUMP OF A BODY FALLING INTO A PILE OF LEAVES)
CARROLL: Then she found herself on a heap of dry leaves. She wasn’t hurt at all.
ALICE: After such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home!
CARROLL: She could see the white rabbit in the distance.
ALICE: I mustn’t lose him now.
CARROLL: She heard him say:
WHITE RABBIT: Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting!
CARROLL: She was close behind him. But when she turned a corner, he was no longer there. She looked around. She was in a large room, with doors on each side.
ALICE: Did the rabbit go out of one of them?
CARROLL: She tried to open them, but there were no keys.
ALICE: Bother! It isn’t a very good idea to run down rabbit holes after rabbits.
CARROLL:

Suddenly she noticed a small gold key on a table in the middle of the room. She ran to all the doors,

(SOUND OF TRYING KEY IN LOCK)

But the key was too small to open them. Then she saw a low curtain and behind the curtain she found a door about fifteen inches high.
ALICE:

It’s strange I didn’t notice this one before.

(SOUND OF KEY IN LOCK. THIS TIME IT WORKS. THE DOOR OPENS AND WE HEAR BIRD SONG)
CARROLL: This time the key worked and the door opened. Alice went down on her knees.
ALICE:

What a beautiful garden!

(SHE STRAINS TO GET THROUGH)

But I can’t get through! Even if my head would go through, it would be of very little use without my shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope!

CARROLL:

 She locked the door and wandered back to the table. As she put the key back she saw a bottle with the words, “Drink me” on it.

ALICE:

That’s funny. This wasn’t here before.

CARROLL:

She tasted it and it was so delicious that she drank it all.
ALICE: Oh, what’s happening?
CARROLL: She was getting smaller and smaller.
ALICE: What a curious feeling! I must be shutting up like a telescope.
CARROLL: Soon she was only ten inches tall.
ALICE: Now I can get into the garden!
CARROLL: But she had left the key on the table, and she was too small to reach it.
ALICE: I’ll never get out of this hall. I can’t climb up that table leg.
CARROLL: Then she noticed a very small cake on the floor beside her. She picked it up and read the words “eat me” on top of the cake.
ALICE: Will it make me bigger or smaller? I’m not a very useful size now, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.

CARROLL:

She put the cake in her mouth.

(WE HEAR A THUMP)
ALICE: Ow!

CARROLL:

She cried as her head hit the ceiling.

She was suddenly nine feet tall.
ALICE: Now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!

CARROLL:

 She picked up the key from the table, and went to the door to the garden. But she could only see the garden if she lay down and looked through one eye.
ALICE:

Oh, what can I do now? I’ll never get into that garden.

(SHE BEGINS TO CRY)
CARROLL:

Her tears were so big that they formed a small lake, about ten inches deep.

(WE HEAR THE SOUND OF WATER DRIPPING)
ALICE: (STILL CRYING) You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a great girl like you, to go on crying in this way!
CARROLL:

Then she saw the rabbit running towards her.

He was carrying a pink fan.
WHITE RABBIT:

Oh! The Duchess, the Duchess!

Oh! Won’t she be savage if I’ve kept her waiting!
ALICE: Excuse me, sir…..
WHITE RABBIT: Oh!
CARROLL: He was so frightened by this enormous girl that he dropped his fan and ran away. Alice picked up the fan and began to fan herself.
ALICE:

Oh dear, I’m all alone again. How will I find my way home?

(SHE STARTS TO CRY AGAIN)
CARROLL: As she fanned herself, she became smaller and smaller. And as she cried the lake of tears got bigger and bigger. Soon it was so deep that she had to stop crying and start swimming.

ALICE:

In the pool of tears wish I hadn’t cried so much! I shall be drowned in my own tears!

(SPLASHING GETS SLOWLY LOUDER)
CARROLL:

Just then she heard some splashing.

She thought it might be a hippopotamus or a walrus. She swam closer to find out that it was a mouse. She realised how small she was.
ALICE: Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming about here!
CARROLL: The mouse seemed to wink at her, but didn’t say anything. Alice thought perhaps he does not understand English. She remembered the French for ‘where is my cat?’
ALICE:

Ou est ma chatte?

(LOUD SPLASH)
MOUSE: Ooooh!
CARROLL: The Mouse gave a sudden leap out of the water, and seemed to quiver all over with fright.
ALICE: Oh, I beg your pardon! I quite forgot you don’t like cats.
MOUSE:

Not like cats! Would you like cats if you were me? Nasty low, vulgar things. My family always hated them.

(MORE SPLASHES)
CARROLL:

The mouse started to swim away. And Alice heard more splashes. The pool was getting crowded with birds and animals that fell into it. There were a Duck and a Dodo, the mouse and an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures.

Alice led the way, and the whole party swam to the shore. They seemed to have left the room.
ALICE: How are we going to get dry?
DODO: I know the best way.
ALICE: What’s that?
DODO: A race.
ALICE: What sort of race? Please explain it to us.
DODO:

The best way to explain the race, is to do it.

You must all stand in a circle.
CARROLL: They all stood in a circle.
DODO: Now run about.
CARROLL: They all ran about for about half an hour until the Dodo cried:
DODO: Stop! The race is over.
ALL THE ANIMALS: Who has won?
DODO: Everyone has won. Everyone must have a prize, and she must give the prizes.
CARROLL: Alice felt in her pockets and found some biscuits. She gave one to each animal. She had just enough.
MOUSE But she must have a prize herself.
CARROLL: Said the mouse.
DODO: Of course. What else have you got in your pocket?
ALICE: Only a thimble.
DODO: Hand it over here.
CARROLL: Then he presented it to her.
DODO

We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble.

(EVERYBODY CHEERS)
CARROLL:

Then they all sat down and ate their biscuits. Then their mothers came and took them all home, and suddenly Alice was all alone again.

Notes, Recommendations and Homework

The teacher gives the students rewards, perhaps an English through Drama certificate.

For their homework please let them draw any character or action from “Alice in Wonderland” Also write his/her name on the picture.

Or for homework continue with finding the answers to research questions.

Or best of all get the students to complete their own version of the script.

Once they have done this your school or drama club can also produce and perform the full stage version of Alice in Wonderland.

You can also download the first three scenes of The Audio Script

You can submit your students’ pictures to the Learn English through Drama website. The best pictures will go on the website. If they wish we shall add their name, school and / or country.
Also encourage your students  to submit their pictures.

We have several pages with  advice on creating an audio play.  Have a listen! You might be inspired to create your own audio play!

We have advice on the use of music in plays and particularly the music of the great classical composers and of film music.  Have a listen !

Secondary 02 - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Secondary 04 - The Jungle Book
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