Alice (1979-1980)

The maquette for Alice was perhaps the biggest mystery of the term! 

Based on the label on the maquette, the students were presented with the model for the set of a production called Alice, part of the 1979-1980 season, by designer Brian Jackson. However, the only programs in the National Arts Centre Archives were for two later productions: a 1984 French Theatre production called Alice, with no set designer named, and a 1983 dance production called Alice Through the Looking Glass, set designer Roy Robitschek. Further searching, of archives of the Ottawa Citizen for announcements or reviews and a list of NAC productions of Canadian plays between 1969 to 1985 also came up empty for an Alice production that matched the information on the label for our maquette.

After a few weeks weeks, the mystery was finally solved by another discovery in the NAC archives — a poster tube with a label reading:

Alice 1979-1980

Designer: Brian Jackson

Contents: Original Ground Plans

(Show not produced)

So, the reason that there was no program, or poster, or any other documents of that sort for the show was, in fact, that it never got as far as needing them!

From the contents of the poster tube, Marta V. Meljnik and Sophie Lawall learned that the production had been a co-production with three other theatres, Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, Centaur Theatre in Montreal, and Vancouver East Cultural Centre (now the Cultch). Of these theatres, only Tarragon has its 1979-1980 season show list available online, and neither it, nor the immediately preceding and succeeding seasons, contain Alice. It seems, therefore, that, based on the available information, that Alice was not produced at any of these theatres.

The students working on this maquette noted a few wrinkles in the background but otherwise no major damage to the maquette. They removed cobwebs and focused on dusting floors as well as the paper ‘slices’ of scenery (trees for background), the boat, figures, and touch-ups, using both the cheesecloth and many cotton swabs.

They left dusting of the floor to the end, so as to remove any dust that was brushed onto it along with whatever dust was already there. For a finishing touch: they used the little blower to finish up. 

Preservation team: Marta V. Meljnik and Sophie Lawall