The goal of this camp is for students to use Alice in Wonderland to show what they wonder and dream about. It gives students the opportunity to share their voices and gain confidence in presenting their ideas. Over the week long session, students will work with teaching artists to create an original hip hop musical. The final performance will showcase student’s devised work and the connections they have created with their peers.

During the first couple of days, students will spend their time learning music with a hip hop teaching artist and devising scenes with an acting teaching artist. The next few days will be spent putting the songs and scenes together for half of the day. The second half of the day will be spent with a crafts artist creating props and scenic elements for the final showcase. This format will allow students to work on all levels of the show. They will see their ideas in the writing of scenes and creation of set pieces, giving them the chance to be creative in multiple ways.

The final piece for this residency will be a musical using 3-5 songs from Chicago Children’s Theatre’s adapted Hip Hop Alice, and scenes written by the students in response to the songs. The scenes will focus on the students’ community and stories. Using the main themes from Alice in Wonderland, students will reflect on what makes them wonder and what they hope for the future. This hands on format empowers students to tell their own story and gives them authorship over the piece. Our goal is for students to relate to the characters of Alice in Wonderland and see how their values are present in the students’ lives.