Into the magic kingdom of Alice's Wonderland at Laval Liberty High School

There are many answers, but work, values and language stand out as crucial in today's social, cultural, spiritual and economic climate. These are some but not all of the lessons learned in this theatre program which when closely scrutinized probably ranks with the best in North America, and certainly at the top of the list of any high school stage productions I've seen in my four decades in education, and believe me, I've seen plenty all over the country.

Once again, in this past week's three performances of Alice's Wonderland it was obvious that anything Stephanie Pitsiladis touches in theatre arts turns to gold, in a kind of Midas touch process that flows from her own successful experiences on stage, having performed in Montreal, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles.

Ms. Pitsiladis, Theatre Concentration teacher and Consultant at Laval Liberty High School, helped a cast and crew of about 50 young people deliver their creativity and communication in a noble expression of the human spirit, with their performances providing visible evidence of hard work carried to the highest levels.

From Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, a world classic enjoyed and loved by all ages, Stephanie Pitisladis and her students developed a brand new play within the basic story of Alice's travels in Wonderland, a clever and timely adaptation which deserves great praise and respect.

Before packed audiences, the young men and women exhibited unmistakable signs that they had been taught the meaning of the joy of hard work done to the best of one's ability, for its own sake, and for the satisfaction of a job well done. Without exception, everyone in the cast and crew demonstrated a revival of the idea of good work. In Stephanie Pitisladis's own words – "Their performances truly lived up to the mission of the Theatre Concentration program to develop strength through commitment to excellence."

Well, how about some phenomenal acting? Alice, portrayed by Mara Lazaris as fearless, observant, perceptive and forthright. Scared at times (the human condition), but more often than not, level-headed in the face of a world turned upside down (by her parents' impending divorce). Morganne-Blais McPherson, playing 'bad cop' as the witchy queen and 'good cop' as Alice's caring aunt Josephina, and Zacchary Brown's caterpillar whose Why? Why? Why? Ssmply disarmed everyone within earshot. And what of Anthony Papoulias and Dean Lioumbas – Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum – what can one say, without cracking a few ribs laughing out loud. But these performers were some among many, all of whom did the Theatre Concentration Program proud, mighty proud.

"Our mission is total education – stimulation of language skills, spoken and written, development of critical skills, honing of writing, analyzing, interpreting – all of it toward enhancing the students' power of verbal expression. This program is no education frill," Ms. Pitisladis, says the twenty-something teacher whose passion for theatre arts as a vehicle of growth and development is second to none.

Besides exploring values about home and family, work and play, the students are exposed to the expression of a wide range of human concerns, such as the issue of divorce and blame, as depicted in Alice's Wonderland

But make no mistake about it, the play is still the thing, and Alice's Wonderland brought Broadway to Chomedey through professional staging that left the audience asking themselves – How do they do it?

The actors, in full force, carried their roles with panache and lively emotion, all of it making for the foundation of a spectacular show, with plenty of variety and lots of flavour.