After roughly three months of rehearsals, Philomath Middle School Drama is ready to take audiences down the rabbit hole.
“Alice in Wonderland Jr.” will be presented Thursday through Saturday in the Philomath High School auditorium. Performances begin at 7 p.m. each of those three days along with a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday. The musical features an A cast and B cast with both performing across the four-show run. Tickets (sold at the door) are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Fire and Rescue Calls: Motorcycle crash, vehicle-house incident among responses
Editor’s note: This log is based on information submitted to the media by Philomath Fire and Rescue: FRIDAY, MARCH 6 • No calls of public significance reported. Other calls: Emergency medical services responded to calls at 9:40 a.m. (Main Street) and 4:45 p.m. (Houser Lane). SATURDAY, MARCH 7 • 5:14 p.m. — Emergency medical services…
The production is co-directed by middle school teacher Shannon Webb and 2025 Philomath HIgh graduate Natalee Barton, who stepped into the role after previously volunteering as a high school helper with middle school shows.
Barton, who is taking a gap year before continuing her education, said the decision to stay involved with the program was an easy one.
“I’ve been in the shows in middle school that she’s directed and then the shows she’s directed all through high school,” Barton said. “Now I’m on the flip side of it as an adult and I still love it. It’s like my favorite thing.”
Barton described her role as one focused on supporting Webb and the broader production team.
“There’s so much work to go around and it’s not even just me and Miss Webb,” Barton said. “There’s costume and choreography and tech and sound and stage crew — all of that. For me personally, I just offer to do things. Being the head director can be a lot of responsibility and there’s a lot to do so I just love to take stuff off Shannon’s plate.”
Barton said the cast has brought plenty of enthusiasm to the process — sometimes more than enough.
“I think these kids specifically just love singing and dancing,” she said. I often find myself at practices just saying ‘sing louder’ or ‘smile more’ — just reminders because it’s a lot to think about doing all of these crazy dance moves and singing as loud as you can so everyone in the audience can hear.
“Honestly, they give me energy, I think, to help lead them,” Barton added. “I feel like my job is to rein them in at times when they get really crazy but they know how to bring the fun to the show.”
Two eighth graders in the B cast — Sarah Workman, who plays Alice, and Sophia Brandt, who plays the Caterpillar — shared their experiences ahead of opening night.
For Workman, the biggest challenge has been pulling everything together as a group.
“The hardest part is to memorize or learn and getting everyone to come together to learn the dances because everyone has to put in an effort to do it,” she said.
Tessa King plays Alice with the A cast.
Brandt, meanwhile, said costume logistics added a layer of difficulty to the rehearsal process — noting that her costume had only started coming together in the days before last week’s tea party performance.
“I actually tried on the jacket for my costume earlier today in class,” Brandt said Thursday. “I think one of the hardest parts was just performing in practice while having to imagine what it was like with the costume.”
Brandt said she’s embraced both her featured role and the time she spends as part of the ensemble.
“I think it’s a really good role because I get a couple of minutes on stage and then I just get to be in the magic again with my other roles,” she said. “It’s really cool to just be in the background and be a part of the overall magic.”
Wren Pope plays the role of Caterpillar with the A cast.
Beyond the performance itself, Brandt said one of the most meaningful parts of the experience has been the relationships she’s built with castmates she never would have met otherwise.
“During the first practice, I only knew people from my friend group and by the end, I could probably name everybody,” she said. “I see people in the hallways and sixth graders that I would have never known or communicated with now say hi to me and they look up to me. It’s really cool just to get to know people that you would have never become friends with if you weren’t in the play.”
Both Workman and Brandt said they’re most excited for audiences to experience the finale.
“I’m super excited for the finale — it’s a simpleish dance but it really ties together the whole show,” Workman said. “It’s so exciting to do.”
Brandt echoed the sentiment. “I’m really excited for them to see the finale because that’s where all of us are just so happy and we’re all on stage and it’s where the show comes together,” she said.
For Workman, the entire arc of the production has been rewarding in itself.
“Working so hard for three or so months and then just performing it all through the span of like two weeks,” she said of what she’s enjoyed most.
