June 5, July 10, 1927
Lewis Carroll's classic fantasy, Alice in Wonderland, was the basis for the Theatre's 1927 Spring Play. Sometimes thought to have been based on Eva LaGailliene's adaptation, it is unlikely since LeGalliene did not seem to have produced the her version until around 1933. It was probably created by the director Lois Sandall (who preferred to be known as Mrs. Robert F. Sandall) as she did with the 1931 version called Alice Adventuring in Wonderland.
"This was such a success that the Seattle Chamber of Commerce asked The Mountaineers to repoduce it July 10th as part of the entertainment planned for the benefit of the National Education Association, which held its annual convention in Seattle during July, 1927. At the first performance over 600 were present; at the second 400 members of the N.E.A. and Mountaineers were present."
"The audience was led down a zigzag trail and could look into vistas of virgin timber and rhododendrons . . . The audience was seated on a slope with logs for seats and looked down into an open space with a mound on the right covered with ferns and moss, over which protruded the roof of a bark house. Here and there were realistic mushrooms big enough for a person to sit on. Some Eastern tourists even believed them to be the real thing . . . "
"Without a sound, two little wood sprites came out and jumped, skipped and hopped around the stage. They disappeared, a shrill scream was heard off in the woods, and Alice cam running the length of an immense fallen tree and when she had reached the stage she described her terrible sensation of falling. Then in quick succession we beheld the creatures of Carroll's fancy . . . Will Darling made the masks and costumes from pictures given in Carroll's earliest edition. Mock Turtle, Gryphon, March Hare, White Rabbit, Duchess and all the others were just as convincing as imagination could make them . . . "
"Following this play an epidemic of matrimony hit the actors. The Executioner (Herman Wunderling) married the Mock Turtle (Margaret Hargrave) and the Mad Hatter (Peter Morgan) married the Cook (Emily Gilley)." (Elizabeth Kirkwood, The Mountaineer, 1930)
Mabel (Fuzzie) Furry played the role fo the Queen of Hearts. She was a member of the original party which 'discovered' the property in 1909 when they were on a 'bush whacking' climb to try to get to Wildcat Lake. She was at the dedication of the Kitsap Cabin in 1918 and remained active as a player through most of the 1930s. In addition to her acting at Kitsap, she was an active mountain climber and photographer. Some of her photos are available through the Orbis Cascade Alliance.
Mrs. Sandall began adertising for actors early in the year in the Mountaineers Bulletin. She offered to teach acting to new Players (for a small, but reasonable fee) at her studio in downtown Seattle.
The University of Washington has made available through their digital collection some silent film snippets from this production. They are in three parts and you view them by clicking on the following links.
Links
