From Saturday 5 April families are invited to tumble down the Rabbit Hole and into Wonderland to enjoy a brand new immersive play experience. Adventures in Wonderland has been created by Manchester’s Z-arts in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books and celebrates the 160th anniversary of one of the most loved children’s books of all time, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Stepping into the shoes of Alice, children will find things in Wonderland become “curiouser and curiouser!” Greeting you as your storyteller is the White Rabbit, and from the shape shifting Cheshire Cat to a game of croquet with flamingos, there are scenes that will be familiar, including the chance to take your place at the Mad Hatter’s tea party!
Tunnels to crawl through, mazes to get lost in, fairground mirrors to amuse and a ball pool to ‘splash’ into, plus interactive games and sensory areas, all bring Lewis Carroll’s fantastical world to life. There are lots of surprises along the way, great photo-opportunities and dress-up for the occasion is most definitely encouraged!
And as you wake up back on the riverbank, just in time for tea, you’ll find Z-arts’ café, Butties and Books, serving tea party themed food and of course jam tarts! There are plenty of fun keepsakes to choose from in the gift shop that start at pocket money prices, and you can also take home a specially designed activity book priced at £2.50 which is full of Wonderland inspired puzzles, riddles, colouring and more.
Created to enchant children aged 1- 8 years the design and build of the whole set that makes up Adventures in Wonderland is the skilful work of Z-arts’ in-house team. This includes 20 creatives including an illustrator, production manager, lighting designer, costume designer, musical composer, carpenter and more. And making sure the roses are painted to the Queen of Hearts’ liking are a team of amazing scenic artists!
Within the experience space, a small exhibition features prints of the original book illustrations by John Tenniel, with colour by Harry G. Theaker and Diz Wallis, contributed by Macmillan Children’s Books. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’s author, Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), was born and spent his childhood in the village of Daresbury in Cheshire where his father was vicar. Published in 1865 by Macmillan, it is said to be one of the most quoted books in the world after the Bible and Shakespeare, and has been translated into over 170 different languages.
Z-arts is the UK’s only dedicated arts centre for children and their families. Located in Hulme, Manchester everything about Z-arts is Family Friendly. It features a theatre, children’s library, escape room, playrooms, studios and more. Adventures in Wonderland has been in development over the last 12 months and follows previous immersive experiences at Z-arts that have included A World Inside a Book, stories by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and the adventures of Mog the Forgetful Cat. This is the first time that the team has taken on the entire process in-house.
Hop along this Easter holidays
All tickets for Adventures in Wonderland are priced at £12 (plus 60p booking fee), with a family ticket for four priced at £40 (plus £2.40 booking fee). All sessions are timed and are available from Saturday 5 April, with dates released until the summer. Booking details are here. And for a special treat you can join the Launch Party hosted by the Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts on Saturday 5 April. Tickets for this are £18 (plus 90p booking fee). Booking details are here. For further information about Z-arts visit z-arts.org