In the Wagon Wheel Junior production of “The Trials of Alice in Wonderland,” Alice is put on trial for growing and changing.
The Queen of Hearts is the judge; the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and Caterpillar are witnesses; and the jury is a deck of cards, according to a synopsis of the show on the Wagon Wheel website. There’s no kangaroos, but it’s definitely a kangaroo court.
Olliver Pettit, 17, a homeschooled student, plays Dormouse in the musical comedy. He’s been involved in theater for seven years. DeLaney McCammon, who will turn 12 in February and goes to Washington Elementary School, plays Tiny Alice. She’s been doing theater since about 2020.
“The Trials of Alice in Wonderland” is the 10th Wagon Wheel show for both Pettit and McCammon.
In explaining how the show and “Alice in Wonderland” are alike and different, McCammon said, “The same characters are in it, mostly, but Alice is on trial and the King and Queen are the judges, and then Tweedledee and Tweedledum are the lawyers.”
As for which one is the defense lawyer and which one is the prosecutor, Pettit said, “That is to be determined!”
He said “The Trials of Alice” is a “very fun spin” on a classic story. “I guess you could say it’s a quirky approach to a familiar story.”
The show incorporates flashbacks during the trial to explain what Alice had been doing during her alleged crimes. When it flashes back to when Alice was shrunk to a very small size, that’s when McCammon is playing Tiny Alice.
Pettit said Dormouse is a fun character.
“He’s pretty much always in a state of semi-consciousness a lot of times. During the song numbers, he’s lucid most of the time. I am a part of the tea party scene,” he stated.
McCammon said they enjoy doing this show because they love singing.

    DeLaney McCammon (L) plays Tiny Alice and Olliver Pettit (R) is Dormouse in Wagon Wheel Junior’s production of the musical comedy “The Trials of Alice in Wonderland.” Show times are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

“Love it!” she said. “It’s just so happy and all the different songs you learn brings happiness in your heart, and it makes you want to share that with other people.”
Pettit said he loved the storytelling of singing. “It makes saying words so beautiful. It’s like how they say a picture is worth a 1,000 words, it’s like that but it’s a way of telling a story that’s different and it makes it almost beautiful. Not just the story but the words are beautiful,” he said.
“The Trials of Alice” definitely has some funny moments in it, too, Pettit stated.
McCammon’s favorite funny moment in the show is the tea party.
“The tea party scene is very fun,” Pettit agreed. “I love the finale because it’s not just silly, goofy, there’s like an underlying message to the show.”
He said the show’s message is to be true to yourself and no matter how much things change around you, you can always stay the same.
“Just be yourself,” McCammon said.
What Pettit likes about performing in the Wagon Wheel Junior shows, he said, is “just the camaraderie of all the kids. It’s really fun to watch people grow and change.”
“It prepares you if you’d like to be a professional actor some day. It prepares you a lot,” McCammon said, adding that she wants to be a professional actor. “I love it.”
Show times are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased through the box office, by phone at 574-267-8041 or on the website at wagonwheelcenter.org. The show is about an hour with an intermission. There will be a bake sale at the shows, which serves as a big fundraiser for Wagon Wheel Junior.
“It’s a hilarious, amazing show that people of all ages could enjoy,” McCammon stated.