A children’s play based on a well-known “nonsense” poem by author Lewis Carroll is the inspiration for Northwestern College’s next theatrical production.
Performances of “Jabberwocky” are scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19–21, in the DeWitt Theatre Arts Center. Audience members led by guides will move from scene to scene through the building in small groups, with a new group starting every 10 minutes between 6 and 8 each evening and between 2 and 4 Saturday afternoon. Groups will be limited to six people, physically distanced, and wearing masks.
Ethan Koerner, instructor in theatre, adapted Carroll’s poem into a play and is directing the production. “I was drawn to it because my daughter, who is 4, has a children’s book version of it that is a particular favorite of hers,” he says. “It has a sort of fantastical element. The Jabberwock itself is a sort of dragon-like character.”
Koerner frames the play as the telling of a bedtime story and uses the child’s imagination as the launching point for the action. Creatures like bandersnatches, borogoves, mome raths—and even the fearsome Jabberwock—are all portrayed through different styles of puppetry. “One of the main styles we’re using is shadow puppetry, which is how most of the creatures get portrayed.” Nine students are in the cast.
Tickets for “Jabberwocky” are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Due to the unique ticketing process for this show, online reservations via nwciowa.edu/tickets are encouraged. You may also contact the box office by calling 712-707-7098, emailing boxoffice@nwciowa.edu, or visiting the DeWitt Theatre box office in person Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 5 and 8 p.m. or Saturday between 1 and 4 p.m.
