SCH Duo Inspires ‘Magic’ on the Middle School Stage

When Middle School math teacher and drama director Jeanine Braak ’97, P’34, P’37 was considering this year’s Middle School play, she (and the team) didn't have to go too far to land on the perfect choice. She simply turned to her husband and playwright, Chris Braak P’34, P’37, to write a unique adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. 

Chris and Jeanine met while working in the theater and have collaborated often over the years. “We’re very fortunate because we’ve got very different skill sets and very different perspectives and attitudes toward the work, but these differences complement each other very well,” says Chris, who wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass, and Elsewhere.

The duo has been working closely to get ready for the world premiere on February 24 and 25, along with assistant director Amy Miller-Mandel, producer Heidi Painter, and technical director Daria Maidenbaum.
 
“I am always in awe at the cleverness of Chris’s writing,” says Jeanine, “and I feel so grateful to be able to direct one of his creative works! He not only wrote a really charismatic, fun, and interesting adaptation, but he has dedicated so much time to helping us design and build the set, work out staging, art, and the ‘magic’ that happens in the show.”

Part of that “magic,” comes from “going somewhere new,” according to Chris. “It’s a great time to step away from some of the older adaptations, which gloss over Alice’s actual perspective and try to really empathize with what it means to suddenly find yourself in a world that you don’t understand and have little control over,” he says. 

They are both thrilled for the Middle School students to bring this play to life. “It has been such a joy working with such a passionate and hardworking group of students,” says Jeanine.

And while Chris continues to be involved in some rehearsals—including teaching the students stage combat!—he is confident that his wife, the cast, and the crew can take it from here.

“One thing that’s always struck me is how robust SCH’s commitment is to elevating and affirming a diversity of perspectives and identities,” says Chris. “I was formally diagnosed with ADHD while I was writing this—this is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, and that struggle has had a huge effect on my own identity, and it’s also something that I tried to let inform this adaptation of the story. So it’s really a privilege to be able to hand this script to a group of performers who are part of a community that has that commitment to sensitivity, empathy, and compassion.”

Read the full Q&A with the Braaks below.

What inspired you to write this for the stage?

Chris Braak (CB): I think one of the things that made the original Alice so popular is that Lewis Carroll really dug into what the world is like from the perspective of a child; it gets lost in almost every adaptation, but one thing that you find in the original story is just how aggravating the adult—is for Alice. It’s full of weird rules and nonsense words, and everyone is always yelling at her for not understanding it. There’s been a real sea change in the way that we’ve come to treat and educate children in the West over the last 60 years or so, and I think that’s really opened up just how prescient Carroll was with his work—it’s a great time to step away from some of the older adaptations, which gloss over Alice’s actual perspective, and try to really empathize with what it means to suddenly find yourself in a world that you don’t understand and have little control over.

Can we expect any twists in the show?

CB: Well, I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll say that there’s a lot of the original text in there, and that’s going to be familiar to people who are familiar with the story. But there are also a couple of places where we’ve tried to go someplace new, to really get at some of the ideas that might have either been obvious to Carroll’s original Victorian-era audience and are now lost on us, or to accentuate some of the ideas that might have been buried by our over-familiarity with the work.

Why are you proud to have SCHers perform your work?

CB: One thing that’s always struck me is how robust SCH’s commitment is to elevating and affirming a diversity of perspectives and identities. I was formally diagnosed with ADHD while I was writing this—this is something that I’ve struggled with my whole life, and that struggle has had a huge effect on my own identity, and it’s also something that I tried to let inform this adaptation of the story. So it’s really a privilege to be able to hand this script to a group of performers who are part of a community that has that commitment to sensitivity, empathy, and compassion.

You're directing 75 students—how has that been?

Jeanine Braak (JB): It has been such a joy working with such a passionate and hardworking group of students. I find it to be very inspiring to work with so many young people who are interested and excited about theater and the arts! I am so lucky to also have Amy Miller-Mandel and Heidi Painter at rehearsal assisting with all aspects of the production. Daria Maidenbaum will work on lights, sound, and technical theater during the tech weeks of the show. It is so wonderful to have such a dedicated and skilled set of adults to work with on this production. I cannot thank them all enough for all their hard work and endless hours of dedication to the program. I am also so thankful to be working with such an amazing group of students!  

Are the students excited for the world premiere of this play?!

JB: I think it's really special for our students to know that they are the first ever to perform this adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass! They also had an opportunity to meet Chris, ask him questions about the script, and learn a little more about why he wrote the play. Chris not only is a playwright, but he has a lot of experience as an actor, director, and with performing stage combat. He was able to work with some of the students on a few scenes that required sword fighting which was pretty cool! 

What's it like to direct a play that your husband wrote, Jeanine?

JB: I am always in awe at the cleverness of Chris’s writing, and I feel so grateful to be able to direct one of his creative works! Chris not only wrote a really charismatic, fun, and interesting adaptation of the original novel by Lewis Caroll, but he has dedicated so much time to helping us design and build the set, work out staging, art, and the “magic” that happens in the show. He also led each set construction that we planned for three different Saturday mornings with a group of parents and students. He has put so much time and effort into helping us make this show come to life!  

What's it like to be involved in this production together?

JB: It has been a very rewarding and special experience working creatively together on this show. I can’t wait to see all of the students on stage and behind the scenes having fun and taking pride in all their hard work. I also hope that everyone in the audience enjoys the show as much as everyone involved has enjoyed it. We hope it is a magical experience for all!

What are you most looking forward to on opening night?

CB: As for opening night, I try not to think about it too much; you know the mystery of the theater is that you never really know what’s going to happen, and it’s great to be able to go toward it without expectations or preconceptions. To me, the most important thing is that the kids working on it—performers and crew both—realize that they’ve made something that they can really be proud of. As long as they’re able to find that confidence in their work, then the rest of it is just gravy.