The magical story of Alice in Wonderland comes to life on the stage at The Shaw Festival through plot, music, magic and stunning visuals.
About Alice in Wonderland at The Shaw Festival
On a summer day in 1862, ten-year old Alice and her two sisters were told a story about a little girl named Alice who longed for adventure, a white rabbit and a trip down a hole into an astonishing world that leads her to adventure and more. This wonderful tale became one of the best-selling books of all time (and I am sure you enjoyed it as a child too!) and this beloved story has been brought to life in a new adaptation, written especially for the Shaw Festival. In the play we will meet the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Mock Turtle and the Queen of Hearts and watch Alice try to make sense of this world of grown-up nonsense.
The process of adapting this childhood favourite book into a play at the Shaw Festival began five years ago when artistic director Jackie Maxwell and director Peter Hinton began a conversation about a play at The Shaw that would be inclusive of children and at the same time that adults would equally enjoy (yay!). As Alice in Wonderland is the second most published book in all languages after the Bible, this story clearly fit the bill!
In a story where a girl grows and shrinks from 28 feet to 8 or 9 inches, cries a pool of tears that both she and animals must swim in, and a huge game of croquet is played with flamingo mallets and hedgehog balls, a top design team had to be involved in the making of the production from the start – this is no small feat to tackle. Designers Eo Sharp (set), William Schmuck (costumes) Kevin Lamotte (lighting) and Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson (projections), together with Peter Hinton (who both wrote the adaptation and will direct the production) have been working to tackle these challenges and design what kind of world Alice’s adventures will take place in on stage. Staying true to the Victorian world the story was originally set is central to the production while blending with modern technology to create a unique theatrical act.
Alice in Wonderland Trailer
If you are to anxious to see what Alice in Wonderland holds, check out this trailer from the Shaw Festival:
Enter to Win Tickets!
My Canadian residents can now enter to win a four pack of tickets to see Alice in Wonderland live at the Shaw Festival. While there are no restrictions to location in Canada, as transportation and accommodation is not provided, please ensure you can make it to the play when entering. Good luck!
Books take us on an adventure, teach us valuable lessons and sometimes they can create memories that last a lifetime. With a personalized story tailored to your child’s name, Lost My Name, makes bedtime stories fun, memorable and precious.
The Story Behind Lost My Name
This is one of the best parts about the Lost My Name books, they were developed by a group of Dads and an Uncle who wanted better books for their kids. This simple dream started back in 2012 and with the help of their understanding families, they grew and eventually they began to sell their books. They rocked The Dragons Den, they gained investment and have continued to grow. But the heart of their company still lays in bringing magical moments to bedtime.
The Little Boy Who Lost His Name
Creating a personalized story for our youngest son was beyond easy. We visited their site, entered his name and the magic began behind the scenes. We were quickly able to flip through the images that would accompany his story. One of the neatest parts of this process is that the story is developed using the letters of your child’s name. This means that each child’s name creates a unique story from over three hundred variants, awesome right?
Our book arrived in under a week (just in time to read Christmas eve!) and our son was delighted that his book had an extra special message written to him inside the front cover. The illustrations were bright, colourful and adorable. They almost reminded me of a hand painted water-colour story. The story line was fantastic and had us giggling and guessing the whole way through. It was a beautiful story even more so knowing how much thought and time goes into each and every story. We have read The Little Boy Who Lost His Name every night for the last two weeks! It has become a huge hit in our home. The book also makes a fantastic keepsake for our son and an even better gift if you are attending a birthday party, shower or just because you want to spoil that special person in your life!
Interesting Facts
Over 500,000 copies sold in over 150 countries.
2014 top-selling children’s book in the UK and Australia.
The books are available in seven languages.
Lost My Name is one of the world’s first full stack publishers based in Hackney, east London.
Make sure you follow Lost My Name on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to keep up to date on titles and more.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Lisa Brunette is gearing up for her new release of Framed and Burning: Book Two in the Dreamslippers Series.
Framed and Burning, Book Two in the Dreamslippers Series
Published by Sky Harbor LLC
November 27, 2015 pub date
Genre: Mystery
Book Synopsis:
The Dreamslippers are a family of private investigators who have the ability to “slip” into your dreams. The first book in the series, Cat in the Flock, was published to critical acclaim and is trending at 4.5 stars on Amazon with 35 reviews. In Framed and Burning, someone sets fire to Mick Travers’s art studio, killing his assistant, and Mick won’t give an alibi. His dreamslipping sister–the eccentric Amazing Grace–is convinced he’s innocent, but her granddaughter and the police aren’t so sure. Was it Mick, or is something darker behind the fire?
ADVANCED PRAISE
“Framed and Burning is the second book in the Dreamslippers series. It’s easy to follow and hard to put down, making readers who may not have read the first book race back to give it a try!” – InD’tale Magazine
“Lisa Brunette continues to develop vibrant characters in a stunning story that will keep you reading well past your bedtime!” – On My Kindle
PRE-ORDER ON EBOOK NOW FOR $1 OFF!
Only $2.99 if you order beforeNovember 27, 2015– price goes to $3.99 afterward.
Lisa Brunette is the author of the Dreamslippers mystery series. Book One, Cat in the Flock, is an indieBRAG honoree title that has been praised by Kirkus Reviews, Midwest Book Review, Readers Lane, and others.
Brunette is a career writer/editor whose work has appeared in major daily newspapers and magazines, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Woman, and Poets & Writers. She’s interviewed a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a sex expert, homeless women, and the designer of the Batmobile, among others.
She has story design and writing credits in hundreds of bestselling video games, including the Mystery Case Files, Mystery Trackers, and Dark Tales series for Big Fish and AAA games for Nintendo and Microsoft platforms.
She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from University of Miami, where she was a Michener Fellow. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in Bellingham Review, The Comstock Review, Icarus International, and elsewhere.
She’s also received many honors for her writing, including a major grant from the Tacoma Arts Commission, the William Stafford Award, and the Associated Writing Programs Intro Journals Project Award.
She blogs at www.catintheflock.com and has been a guest-blogger for Author magazine and Dr. Chris Michaels’s blog.
Brunette is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.
While her grandmother was puzzling over Ernesto’s dream that morning, Cat was trapped in a hoarder’s house with a battalion of beagles underfoot.
Maysie Ray Duncan had thirty-three of her great-uncle’s paintings. That is, if you could find them under the detritus accumulated over however many decades Maysie had occupied the cinderblock home. It was set down on a canal in a quiet section of Miami suburbia. The beagles, which seemed to number at least twenty, had the run of the place, and judging by the odor that hit the back of Cat’s palate the minute she set foot inside, the dogs had quite possibly never been bathed.
Unable to shake the feeling that they’d missed something about that first fire at Mick’s place, Cat was still investigating. Sure, maybe crazy Candace did set both fires. It was hard to argue with a confession. But Cat felt she owed it to her uncle to make sure.
She’d combed through a digital catalogue of Mick’s art and decided she needed to talk to some of his regular buyers, people who made a point of collecting his paintings. One of them could have a grudge against him, she reasoned, or maybe they only wanted to destroy some of his work so the pieces they owned would go up in value.
Which is how she got to Maysie Ray Duncan, apparently one of her uncle’s biggest fans.
Behind a tower of newspapers dating back to the Sixties, Cat found a piece with Mick’s tell-tale signature on it—a wide M followed by a scribble followed by a cursive T followed by more scribble.
“Oh, that’s Blue Shift Number Seven,” said Maysie with delight. “One of my favorites! Number Nine must be nearby. I wanted to get Number Eight, but I was outbid. Imagine that.”
Maysie wore a velvet housecoat over a long silk dress. Her arthritic feet were stuffed into velvet-trimmed slippers. Her face was made up as if she were about to do a curtain call. Her hair was wrapped in a silk scarf tied above her painted-on eyebrows, the fringe falling down over her forehead.
“When was the last time you purchased one of Mick’s pieces?” Cat asked, trying not to topple a tower of washed-out dog food cans.
“Let me see… I attend so many of the gallery openings, you know,” she said, as if wanting credit for her society status. “I suppose it was three or four years ago. I like to get them before they really make it big.”
Cat had to hand it to her; that was some shrewd collecting. If Maysie put Mick’s work out to a gallery or auction house now, she’d surely see a huge profit.
“Do you sell the work you acquire?”
“Oh, heavens, no!” Maysie shrieked, reaching out to stroke Blue Shift Number Seven. “They’re my babies. Even more than you guys, eh, Melvin?” She picked up one of the beagles and kissed him square on the mouth. Melvin seemed unfazed by the gesture.
“So you’ve kept them all.”
“Of course!”
Cat told Maysie about the fires in Mick’s studio and beach house, and the woman broke down and wept, clutching her chest. “It’s horrible, my dear! That poor man. His precious things.”
Cat left Maysie’s house gasping for fresh air. That had been a bust, but at least her mental picture of who collects art these days got more rounded out.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by LegitLit Books. I did not receive compensation for this post.
Music has the power to soothe, to create energy, to relax but did you also know it can help you concentrate?
One of the hardest things I find at the office is drowning out the constant conversations, requests and noise from others around me. But somehow I have to as my works depends on it. The skill of concentrating on the task at hand is extremely important to ensure my job is done and done well. While naturally I want to think I am great at concentrating on the task at hand, this is not always the case. Neuroscience and psychology have looked into ways that we can help boost our concentration levels to produce higher quality work and Focus @ Will uses this to help boost your concentration in the best way possible – with music!
Science has discovered that after about twenty minutes in a crowded, loud environment that individuals were able to concentrate on their work while drowning out the outside noise (see there is reason behind those coffee-house study dates!). So the trick for Focus @ Will is to find something that will occupy your brain just enough to allow the other part of your mind to concentrate on the task at hand. But not all music is created the same as they found, lyrics can be distracting to workers as well as music that the listeners perhaps liked or disliked.
Focus @ Will has developed an array of music collections to suit your every need (I personally enjoyed the classical and focus spa). I found they helped to calm my anxiety, allow me to relax and focus on the task at hand. They did not feel distracting and the music did not bother my co-workers at all, as I kept it playing on my computer while working throughout the day. I did take recommended breaks and you can even track your focus during your session.
So if you are ready to get your concentration on while listening to scientifically formulated music, head over to Focus @ Will to sign up for your free trial now!
Make sure to follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with news and more.
Keep your family healthy with Complete Family Nutrition, your ultimate guide to nutrition and recipes geared towards the busy family.
About Complete Family Nutrition
Keeping our families healthy and nourished can be difficult in today’s fast-paced, eat-on-the-go lifestyle. It can be confusing to figure out who in your family needs-and doesn’t need-which nutrients as they grow.
Complete Family Nutrition is here to help. It is a one-stop visual guide to the best, most-balanced diet for every family member, from infants to adults. Ideal for busy parents and families concerned with eating healthy, Complete Family Nutrition explains how nutrition can promote healthy weight, optimal memory, growth and development, digestive health, and balanced moods. It discusses the essential nutrients (and serving sizes) that each family member needs, and includes details on proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, and salt.
Fifty easy-to-follow recipes are included so that you can help keep your family on track.
My Thoughts
A fantastic resource and recipe guide for the whole family. Each section is broken down by need (children, babies, prenatal, diabetic, etc..). It also includes helpful suggestions on the important nutrients, actual serving sizes (which is super helpful for someone who grew up in an Italian family!) and helpful tips and ideas. I love her background and she writes honestly and full of explanation. This is not a book that will leave you puzzled about proper nutrition but instead leave you inspired and ready to tackle your New Years resolutions! Jane truly lives nutrition and healthy living and this shines through her book. I love her statement that “food nourishes your life, not just your body” and have tried to embody this saying.
Her recipes are incredibly easy to follow and delicious. All of the ingredients are simple, healthy items you should be able to find in your pantry or refrigerator and if not head out to the grocery store to stock up! You will not be disappointed as they are full of flavour and taste.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Jane Clarke, BSc (Honours) SRD, is Britain’s most trusted Nutritionist
and a trained Cordon Bleu Chef, whose belief is grounded in the simple statement that: ‘food nourishes your life, not just your body’.
Jane’s mission is to change people’s lives through the power of nourishment and she has pursued this ambition through her extensive writing, TV presenting, personal appearances, charity work and private practices, which she has run for over 15 years.
Jane continues to inspire and inform the great British public by writing for a variety of publications. She has written for, amongst others: The Daily Mail, Observer, London Times and The Mail on Sunday. Jane is one of the most influential Health Writers in the UK and Europe today.
Also a qualified Dietician she continues to spearhead Nutrition and Dietetic practices in London and Leicester advising some of Britain’s leading professional sports people and many of the world’s biggest music and media personalities whilst also continuing to treat young children, teenagers and adults with health problems such as Diabetes, IBS, Dementia, Depression and Jane runs a specialist Cancer and Dementia Nutrition practice in Marylebone, just around the corner to the major London Oncology Centres and hospitals. You can visit Jane on her website.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Complete Family Nutrition in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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