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Dining with Alice
12 May 2011 - 21 May 2011
12 May 2011 - 21 May 2011
Hillary Westlake’s immersive production Dining With Alice brought diners up close with the cast of characters from Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece.
A theatrical experience with a difference. Dining with Alice served up an enchanting Victorian feast in the grounds of a manor house.
Over eight nights, guests were served a four-course meal outdoors by a team of volunteers. Imaginatively-named dishes including ‘Mock Turtle Soup’ and ‘The Pie of Hearts’ were on the menu, specially created by Bompas & Parr in association with students from City College Norwich.
Transported into Lewis Caroll’s imaginary world, this immersive piece of theatre brought unexpected moments from well-loved characters: Alice running through the trees; the screaming Queen of Hearts; the anxious White Rabbit. The performance culminated at nightfall with a musical finale under the stars. An epic production in a beautiful setting, Dining With Alice turned audiences into honoured guests and breathed new life into a literary classic.
Part of the Sky Arts Artichoke Season. Produced in collaboration with Norfolk & Norwich Festival.
Number of waiters
Number of guests
Size of the Elsing Hall Estate
Age range of volunteer waiters
Wonderland had moved from whimsy toward madness. It never was entirely a children’s book.