MANSFIELD — Morgyn Beasley isn’t really the kind of person who is often late.
But you would never know it watching the 15-year-old rush around the Mansfield Playhouse stage as the White Rabbit in Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland Jr.”
“Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!” the White Rabbit exclaims early in the show, a familiar line to anyone who knows the famous 19th-century fantasy tale.
The anthropomorphic character’s high-octane lifestyle is what drew her to the role in the show that opens a two-weekend run on Friday night at the 95 E. Third St. theater with a cast of more than 40 area young people.
“The White Rabbit is very energetic and is not scared to say what’s on her mind. I like that. I really like her energy. It’s a very fun character to play,” said Beasley, a sophomore at the Mansfield Classical Academy in Madison Township.
It’s the White Rabbit who leads Alice down the hole where the beloved character drops into a myriad of adventures in Lewis Carroll’s fantastical world below.
More on ‘Alice’
“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was an 1865 English children’s novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematician at the University of Oxford.
Carroll was his pen name. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
His novel details the story of a girl named Alice, who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures.
It’s one of the best-known works of Victorian literature. its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre.
The book has been translated into 174 languages and has been adapted for movies, radio, ballet, opera and musical theater, as well as theme parks, board games and video games.
Beasley has been involved in local youth theater for the past few years at the Playhouse and also the Renaissance Theatre.
She made her Playhouse debut in 2022 as Lady Aristo in “Beauty and the Beast.”
“I love theater. I love singing. I’ve grown up singing in church and school and just day-to-day life. But then my older sister did a show at the Renaissance and it made me fall in love with it.”
A soccer player at Mansfield Christian School, Beasley said she likes to hang out with friends and family when not in school or on stage.
Continued work as an actor may be in the offing when she is done with high school.
“Plans for after school are still in the works. I’ve always wanted to be an actress in movies and TV. But that’s still in the works and I am praying about it,” Beasley said.
Until then, though, she loves the local venues — and helping younger children find their way on those same stages.
“There is this one person that I absolutely adore from my past who helped me with theater. She’s always been a guide for me in the theater world. So I hope I can be like that to some of these younger kids.
“This is definitely a younger cast. But that’s amazing. I’m glad to see all these young kids being a part of it.”
(Below are photos from a dress rehearsal of “Alice in Wonderland” on Monday evening at the Mansfield Playhouse. The story continues below the photos.)
Beasley is the type of young person veteran artistic director Doug Wertz believes the Mansfield Playhouse attracts for its twice-yearly youth shows.
“We have lots of young kids in this show and it’s a nice, eclectic collection of children once again. A lot of new kids, as well as some that have been in children’s productions before. It’s always a great mix because they help each other out as they grow. They’re doing a nice job,” he said.
“I think they have grown. They’ve been incredibly receptive, for the most part. They’ve been extremely well behaved backstage.
“They’re just a great group of kids so I’m very, very happy again with where we are and where it’s come,” Wertz said.
For the small percentage of people not familiar with the tale, after going down the rabbit hole, Alice must find her way back home — and finds herself along the way during the 90-minute performance.
The show includes all of the iconic characters that audiences have come to love: including the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts.
Disney recently put the popular show back into circulation after pulling it down for revisions. The Playhouse last did “Alice in Wonderland” a decade ago.
“They have taken out some lines, added some new music. They have put in some different references that adults may be cognizant of … little jokes and things like that.”
“It’s a great story. What better place to use dreaming as an imagination and to just to find out who you are. That’s what it’s all about. ‘I’m Alice.’
“Alice in Wonderland is a great story … wonderful imagination.”
‘Alice’ tickets on sale now
Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $10 for students.
Shows will be Jan. 17-18 and 24-25 at 7 p.m. with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Jan. 26.
To order tickets, call the Mansfield Playhouse box office at 419-522-2883 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m. and one hour before all performances.
Tickets can also be purchased online at www.mansfieldplayhouse.com
Three local young people bring Alice to life during the Playhouse show — small, medium and tall, depending upon the scene.
Isla Donley, 17, a home-schooled senior who lives in Mansfield, provides audiences with tall Alice. It’s her first Playhouse role, though she has done theater for a decade, primarily at the Renaissance.
“Lots of my friends are in this production. They have been doing shows here for a few years. Since I am a senior this year, I wanted to basically get involved in as much as I could for my senior year before I go off to college,” Donley said.
The role gives her the chance to do things on stage she tries to avoid in real life.
“I get to complain, which is always a fun time. I get to be someone I am not, I guess,” she said with a laugh.
Donley said she stays busy when not performing.
“I teach myself to dance at home, so I do dance. I like to exercise. I go for walks in South Park, close to where I live. I take care of my kittens … I have cats at home.”
Not surprisingly, one of her favorite songs from the show is “Golden Afternoon,” when Alice encounters singing flowers.
“When I listened to the soundtrack before I auditioned, that was the song that really caught my interest the most,” she said.
Donley, who turns 18 in February, said she also feels the need to assist younger performers on stage,
“I haven’t been to as many of the full dance rehearsals, because I’m not in a lot of the dancing scenes. So I haven’t helped quite as much that way as I would for a different show. But I would say I still feel responsible for helping them,” she said.
Life after high school is yet to be determined.
“I want to go to college. We have been looking around. I haven’t quite found it. I have interests in linguistics or Japanese and musical theater,” Donley said.
more recent coverage of shows at the mansfield playhouse
Adon Burton, a seventh-grade home-schooled student who lives in Lexington, said he was drawn to the Mad Hatter’s role, his eighth show at the Playhouse.
“I think it’s a really fun role. Just the craziness of him. You can also experience multiple things with your acting and singing skills (through the role),” the 13-year-old said.
Burton has been performing since he was 7 years old and was most recently on the Playhouse stage in June of 2024 as Jukes in “Peter Pan Jr.”
“I think the people are what keeps me coming back … but the acting is very fun, too,” he said.
Like his other older castmates, Burton believes in helping the younger performers.
“It’s kind of a weird feeling (now) being the older kid, but I definitely need to step up and help the little guys. I come from a family of 13, so it kind of helped because I have had experience,” he said.
When he is not on stage, Burton likes to be physically active with running, basketball, swimming and rock climbing.
A different kind of art may be in his future.
“I’d like to go to art school and study, if that’s possible. I eventually would like to be a graphic novelist.”
‘Alice in Wonderland Jr.’ cast
Alice (Medium) – Beatrice Jones
Alice (Tall) – Isla Donley
Alice (Small) – Julia Burton
Mathilda – Piper Donahue
Friend #1 – Anna Burton
Friend #2 – Olivia Brumagin
Cheshire #1 – Estel Bramlage
Cheshire #2 – Lily Tomlinson
Cheshire #3 – Delta Davis
White Rabbit – Morgyn Beasley
Door Knob – Jalen Stancombe
Dodo Bird – Marco Armstrong
Tweedle Dum – Joseph Reddy
Tweedle Dee – Roman Hipfl
Rose – Micah Burton
Lily – Madelyn Shafley
Petunia – Gwyneth Jones
Daisy – Taylor Beasley
Violet – Lydia McFadden
Caterpillar – Graycen Stevens
Mad Hatter – Adon Burton
March Hare – Kinley Clow
King of Hearts – Gabriel Anderson
Queen of Hearts – Sophia Parsons
Ace of Spades – Elijah Burton
Two of Clubs – Toby Lux
Three of Diamonds – Derrick Foster
Four of Hearts – Briner McCready
Ensemble
Mailey Hiner, Josie McNary, Stella McNary, Breah Boyd, Ella Aquino, Anna Ankrum, Julianna Kinnunen, Breyson Schnell, Violet Bringman, Scarlett Bringman, Jordyn Beasley, Hardtly Roig