The University of Ottawa Theatre Club’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was weird and hilarious, but most importantly, iconic
From Nov. 6 to 9, The University of Ottawa Theatre Club (UOTC) performed Tim Kelly’s adaptation Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a modern rewriting of Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel. A story that is greatly familiar and loved by many, exposed audiences at the Gladstone Theatre to Carroll’s timeless fantastical nonsense and anthropomorphic imagination.
This year, Yağmur Elçin, a recent graduate from the U of O theatre program was selected to direct the UOTC’s fall show. Growing up, he was always encouraged by his father to pursue arts and over time he developed a passion for acting, and realized that he wanted to pursue it professionally. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the UOTC was a testament to his first time directing. But Elçin is far from unfamiliar with the logistics of running a show, as he comes from an experienced background working in creative direction, building sets to designing sounds.
Despite it being Elçin’s first directorship, he explained how he was able to integrate into the role smoothly, keeping a fine balance between managing and directing. He ensured to give his team specific direction in rehearsals, while also providing enough space for the cast to be creative with their characters.
“I really liked doing the auditions because it’s so critical. Your cast is determining how good your play is gonna be and I’ll tell you now…my cast is phenomenal. I feel like I’m working with all-star people…everybody is just top-notch,” explained Elçin.
As somebody who isn’t overly attached to the avant-garde nor old-school theatre, Elçin planned to transform the classic Alice in Wonderland into a contemporary story for audiences. But, what makes Elçin’s approach to this iconic childhood story special?
When asked about his creative take on the play, he explained, “This is actually such a funny play, let’s make it a comedy. We fully leaned into that weirdness and the comedy aspect.”
Despite loving all characters of the cast, some performances highlighted by Elçin include Caterpillar/Mouse (Curran Hall), the Mad Hatter (Khalid Seriki), and Cheshire Cat (Dahlya Gellner). Caterpillar/Mouse’s silly sounds, phenomenal acting by Seriki’s take on the Mad Hatter, and the unique depiction of the fantastical traits of Cheshire Cat, made the UOTC’s rendition especially unique.
Audiences saw a memorable performance filled with humour, fun, and fantasy with the UOTC at Gladstone theatre. If there’s three words to describe the club’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “it’s weird, hilarious… and it’s gonna be iconic,” said Elçin.
