Jonathan Buckingham and Kenya Lewis, Drama Alumni, Debut World Premiere of “Glass ~n~ Mirrors” in Collaboration with the School of Drama BFA Program
Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, a sequel to his wildly successful novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is an enduring classic that’s been successfully adapted into plays, television programs, movies, and more.
For an upcoming performance presented by the College of Performing Arts’ School of Drama, BFA students will bring to life new characters inspired by the classic tale thanks to “GLASS ~n~ MIRRORS,” a new play written by Drama alumni Jonathan Buckingham and Kenya Lewis.
Initially, the playwrights were asked to develop a play that wasn’t related to racial trauma, and worked closely with Glynis Rigsby, Assistant Professor of Dramatic Arts, to identify source material they could adapt. With Carroll’s vast network of characters as inspiration, Buckingham and Lewis rethought their Alice as a young Black woman in college, and created their own play from there.
“We set the play during Alice’s time at college because Kenya and I wanted something that was going to connect the story to us, to the students, and the place where it was being produced,” shares Buckingham. “We wanted the characters to feel familiar, while also giving us a range of characters, situations, and ideas that could be thought of.”
“When considering the emotional and spiritual journey that our Alice might be on, we liked that it was a sort of coming of age story so that’s great for the college age range,” further adds Lewis. “Being that we were writing the play for college kids, we thought it’d be nice to make Alice the same age as the actors. In addition, there is so much about the world of Alice in Wonderland that reminds us of New York and that is rooted in our own college experiences as migrants from Philly and Houston. Lastly, college, particularly in New York, can be a very isolating yet over stimulating experience. This was true for me and Jonathan. So ultimately we knew Wonderland would be a great landscape for this type of chaos.”
The new play highlights a variety of themes, including the power of confronting your past and letting things go in order to move forward, the falseness that is often present in duality, identity and race, New York City life, and more.
For both Buckingham and Lewis, collaborating with current students in the School of Drama, as well as professors like Glynis Rigsby and the director Candis C. Jones was a unique and rewarding experience that helped them create a new lens on their own work and life.
“It’s always nice to hear your words read and how other people interpret your work,” says Buckingham. “I had never had a New School experience where it felt like the outside looking in. I’m not an undergrad student anymore so now I can form different relationships with students, faculty, and other staff.”
“We were able to work for a year, having enriching conversations and engaging with different wordly connections to bring this play into fruition,” says Lewis. “It is these moments that help build the world of the play brick by brick. On the other hand, me and Jonathan are in the early part of our career as theater artists, and we were able to learn so much through this process; that is as independent contractors, intellectual proprietors, cultural creators in institutions, etc… Our collaboration with Glynis was a platform to further understand not only the various layers of the play, but also ourselves as creatives and professionals!”
Studying at the School of Drama provided Buckingham and Lewis with the tools to invest in their own creative communities, and the ability to hone their voices and perspectives.
“They encouraged our quirks and nuances, which was very visible through the curriculum’s interdisciplinary foundation,” explains Lewis. “It’s where talent meets perspective. We weren’t just trained to be actors or directors but artists with something to say. I think that’s one of the keys to sustainability in many art forms; that is to allow your artistry to evolve and grow and you with it. But when you’re grounded in your unique voice and perspective, you’ll continue to be successful on your terms.”
Next up, Buckingham is at work stage managing a show in development at The Tank called “Ghetto Alchemy: A Lunchroom Survival Guide.” Lewis is also looking ahead to a role as a collaborator on the viBe Collab Artists in Residence Program, which will go live in June with the viBe Theater Experience, as well as co-directing a writing based movement program called Journey 2 Self under her collective The Network Across Project.