Imagine:
A high school has decided to take on Alice in Wonderland as their spring show. These are a few notes that the director might give to the actress playing Alice.
Scene: On the bank/ Down the Rabbit hole
“Emotion notes”:
At the start she is very board and a bit drowsy but, when she sees the rabbit she becomes very focused. It is very important to note this change in mood and make it obvious. When she finally stumbles down the rabbit hole it is important to remember that she is very scared and does not know where she is at this point. Her thoughts have been very jumbled and distorted by her fall and you must really exaggerate the confusion, the fear and all of the other emotions that she is feeling from flowing a talking rabbit down a magic rabbit hole.You really must tap into your inner child here and show the audience your inner Alice (we all have one). You must also bring a lot of emotion to this character, she has a lot going on and you must react as she would. You must also think about the fact that Alice all ways has something to say and is not afraid to let you know it. As a result, you must have strong stage presence at all times, and don’t be shy.All in all, Alice is a very bold character and you must let that show.
Placement/acting notes:
When sitting on the bank keep the body still but have a twitch of some sort like a leg shake. Really make the boredom know like a little kid would to their parent (“mommy I’m board i don’t wanna do this anymore.”). When the rabbit crosses look up immediately and exaggerate the sudden change in mood, really get interested.Make the fall down the rabbit hole very dramatic and exaggerated.Once down the rabbit hole remember there is a whole slew of emotion, don’t be afraid to get some tears going, fear is the main emotion we should see here. However, even though she is scared she is all so curious so, don’t let fear take over for to long. When dealing with the bottle do so with discretion at first but once she decides to drink it do not be as cautious.Use deliberate movement. This is a curious little girl, she is aware or everything.
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The Alice Project #12 
You did a fantastic job of capturing Alice’s emotions. I never really thought about her mood shifts being so dramatic, but you are correct. They are. Reminds me of the middle school kids I taught for so many years. They would be all whiny and crying about their friends they were fighting with only to turn around minutes later arm in arm with the same friend and now, “It’s all good.” Dramatic. You know what I’m talking about.
Thanks for pointing that out to me. I’ll pay more attention to it when I read it next time or discuss it with students.