Denver / Lincolnton, NC – The Lincoln Theatre Guild is proud to unveil the cast and performance dates for its first production of 2007, Alice in Wonderland. The imaginative tale is a rendition of Lewis Carroll’s original, with all of the unusual characters one would expect. The performance dates are April 13th and 14th at 8:00 p.m. and April 15th at 2:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Cultural Center in Lincolnton and April 27th and 28th @ 8:00 p.m. at North Lincoln High School in Denver. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens.

Local Bandy’s High School sophomore, Melanie Johnson, will light up the main stage in her role of Alice. According to Ms. Johnson, while she’s had a couple of acting roles in various high school plays, this is her first performance for the Lincoln Theatre Guild. “I’m so excited to play the role of Alice in this production,” states Ms. Johnson. “I think this is going to be a challenging yet rewarding role to play because Alice goes through so many different emotions over the course of the play. She goes from being happy to sad, domineering to shy and so many other emotions that it shows her learning through all of her experiences. I think everyone, including myself, can learn from her escapades and how to apply it to real life.”

The 18 main cast roles are comprised of 16 students and two adults:

Alice - Melanie Johnson, Sophomore, Bandy’s High School

White Rabbit - Hannah Rhyne, 6th Grade, SouthLake Christian Academy

Caterpillar - Laurel Rowland, 5th Grade, Long Creek Elementary School

Frog-footman - Sylvester Stroud, 6th Grade, Home School

Cook - Sandra Blankenship, Librarian, Township 3 Elem. School

March Hare - Jessica Donnelly, Sophomore, East Lincoln High School

Mad Hatter - Alyssa Rudisill, 8th Grade, Pumpkin Center Middle School

Tweedledee - Emma Blankenship, 6th Grade, Shelby Middle School

Tweedledum - Calli Brown, 7th Grade, Pumpkin Center Middle School

Gryphon - Rachel Hinson, Freshman, Gaston College

Mock Turtle - Staley Stroud, 8th Grade, Home School

Dormouse - Cyndi Turbyfill, 8th Grade, Lincolnton Middle School

Duchess - McKenna Estes, 5th Grade, Beam Intermediate School

Red Queen - Jessica Sumney, Sophomore, East Lincoln High School

White Queen - Amaria DeMao, Sophomore, East Lincoln High School

King of Hearts - Kirk Herbertson, Volunteer

Knave of Hearts - Joel Barrio, 7th Grade, St. Marks Catholic School

Executioner - Simon Stroud, 5th Grade, Home School

Dr. Elizabeth Peterson-Vita, a seasoned professional who moved to the Carolinas from New York in 2000, will direct Alice in Wonderland. Her directorial credits include Radiance of a Thousand Suns: the Hiroshima Project, Slaughterhouse-Five, Miller’s Court, A Broadway Christmas Carol, Jack: the Musical, and Nijinsky’s Last Dance. As an actor, she has been seen on-stage in productions with BareBones Theatre Group, Matthews Playhouse, Hickory Theatre-on-a-Stick, Epic Arts Repertory, Theatre Charlotte, Rock Hill Community Theatre, and Class 5 Poets.

“We have assembled a talented cast who will bring this production to life,” stated Dr. Peterson-Vita. “I was truly pleased by the number of citizens from around and outside of the county that auditioned, requiring a call back audition to determine the role of Alice. This speaks to the passion and interest in the area for live community theater.”

Dr. Elizabeth Peterson-Vita is supported by a seasoned team including Ryan Gurganious as Assistant Director, Cecil Smith as Stage Manager, Stacey Pilkington as Set Designer, Katie Bunn as Costume Designer, Jim Vita as Sound and Music Director, and Bobby Turbyfield as Lighting Director. Lincoln Theatre Guild invites other citizens in the area to volunteer in a variety of capacities to further support the production’s preparation for its April performances. Individuals can go online to www.lincolntheatreguild.com to submit a volunteer inquiry form.

Alice in Wonderland is made possible through a grant from the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency, through the Arts Council of Lincoln County. The Grassroots Art Program stipulates the performance is to be presented at no cost to area school systems in school day matinees to be held in Lincolnton and East Lincoln so that public, charter and home schooled children can all experience the art of live theatre. A portion of the funds previously received from the City of Lincolnton was also allocated for this production. SLD Unlimited Marketing/PR, Inc. is also a Producing Underwriter for the production.

The Lincoln Theatre Guild has been offering professional-quality community theatre productions to Lincoln County since its establishment in 1980. A member of the Lincoln Arts Council, the Guild’s mission is to bring the passion of the performing arts to the area through providing quality live theatrical entertainment in a supportive environment for the enjoyment and education of the greater community. The Guild’s annual Drama Camp has become such a popular youth summer program that it expanded to two weeks in 2003. Past productions of the Lincoln Theatre Guild have included musicals and comedy to drama and Open Air Shakespeare. More information about memberships, tickets, and underwriter programs can be found by going to the Guild’s website. To continue to monitor updates, opportunities and status of activities or planned performances, go to www.lincolntheatreguild.org.