Running Out of Time in Wonderland: On Grief and Childhood
Alice Spencer and Alfred Hallam are running through the streets of Bromley in London 1940, pretending to chase each other as Alice and the White Rabbit, when suddenly, the world around them changes forever. They see the homes they once loved reduced to dust, their families eternally lost, and their country brought squarely into the fray of World War II. Months before, after war was officially declared, Britain entered a phase later referred to as the “Phoney War,” a period in which the British government prepared for upcoming battles, allowing militaries and governments to strategize and do their best to minimize casualties. Many families sent their children away from London to safer areas for fear that the violence to come would claim their lives. Eventually, many of these children returned to their homes, as families believed that the lack of bombings over those initial months meant that the danger had subsided. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The Blitz rocked London from September 1940 to May 1941, and like so many young people who lived in the city during this period of time, Alice and Alfred found themselves orphaned, alone, and longing for the safety they once knew. Alice held their favorite book close and prayed that one day, she and Alfred would be able to play Wonderland in their rose garden once more.
As London was being targeted by daily air-raids, many citizens found refuge in “rest centres,” living in these makeshift shelters that were created with the intention of giving newly unhoused Londoners somewhere to access necessary resources and find community before finding new homes. These stations were set up in many municipal buildings that still stood: churches, schools, and in tube stations in the Underground. However, as finding other safe areas to relocate to became more and more impossible, many people stayed in these public shelters for weeks or even months at a time, losing all concept of time and hope. Children were separated from their families, alone and afraid, left to the care of orderlies in charge. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals and leaders in London, the quality of life in these rest centres was often very low and posed various dangers, including poor air quality, lack of sunlight, and heightened potential for the spread of disease. Alfred had contracted tuberculosis years before, and through medical treatment and support from those around him, Alice had seen him make incredible strides towards a healthier future. However, after losing his family and being exposed to the hazardous conditions of this rest station, he began to deteriorate quickly.
Our show follows Alice as she interprets the ever-changing world around her through the only lens that brings her clarity and comfort: her favorite story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Play and imagination have been proven to be a means of understanding amorphous, adult experiences such as grief and trauma, and are often coping skills used by young people in the worst of times. A study conducted by psychologists in 2023 on the practice of play therapy notes that “Play is not a merely recreational activity, it has a therapeutic purpose and can be a tool for the assessment of problems, and emotional issues.”† Alice is able to create the world in which she wishes to be, out of the broken pieces of the one she once knew. Through her pain, she transports the people around her into a version of the rest centre that can give them all some relief, and brings something fantastical to the static in which they now find themselves. Alice uses her youthful imagination to hold onto the love she has for Alfred, allowing them to take one more trip to Wonderland together.
—Eve Harrison, Assistant Dramaturg
†Gupta, N., Chaudhary, R., Gupta, M., Ikehara, L. H., Zubiar, F., & Madabushi, J. S. (2023). Play Therapy As Effective Options for School-Age Children With Emotional and Behavioral
