White Rabbit is late for a very important date

The white rabbit guides spectators through the wonders and mysteries of Wonderland in a rush to be on time for his very important date.

“It’s really the most energetic part I’ve ever played,” said London Bauman, who will be the rabbit in MHCC’s adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland.”

Playing the rabbit, he is learning to channel the energy it requires to portray different types of roles: “In terms of the next part that I may play in my life, it makes me think (that) even if you’re in a situation where it’s like a drama and everything’s silent, you’ve still gotta be energetic internally to keep the audience’s attention.”

Bauman’s life as a rabbit in MHCC’s production of “Alice in Wonderland” is “weird cause I’m not a person, I’m a rabbit. So, especially in theater, you really have to go big with that so people will get it. It’s a workout, every single rehearsal. I have to jump around, and run, and hop, chase Alice.”

In MHCC’s version, Lewis Carroll turns into the white rabbit. “Knowing that he’s Lewis Carroll, I sort of imbue myself with a sense of, like, I know everything that is actually going on, because it’s Lewis Carroll’s world, and when I’m the White Rabbit, I feel like I’m leading Alice everywhere,” said Bauman.

“I know where she’s gonna go. It feels like I’m almost more powerful than the Queen of Hearts. It’s kind of a weird power thing going on, but physically, I just love to be energetic with this character ‘cause you can’t really go too big with it. It also helps contrast playing Lewis Carroll at the beginning of the play because he’s sort of an old man,” said Bauman.

The rabbit often distracts Alice from the wonders taking place in Wonderland.  “Alice is trying to chase him multiple times, but when she doesn’t chase him, she sees all of this crazy awesome stuff that is going on in Wonderland.

“I think it might be something like, slow down, stop and smell the roses because the White Rabbit is definitely not happy at all. He’s just neurotic and crazy. He’s just rushing around, and you’ve gotta slow down and take time to enjoy the moment.

“I’m really more like a theatrical tool than a character. I mean, the only person I interact with is Alice throughout the whole play, and it’s mostly her just running after me, so I’m just kind of driving her and her decision forward in a lot of ways. I don’t make a lot of big character choices through the play,” said Bauman.

The question of what it is that the rabbit is late for is a mystery that Bauman said “never really gets resolved. Maybe we’re all late to something.

“I am sort of an anxious kind of guy. I never like to be late to things,” said Bauman describing his personal connection to the White Rabbit. “I think it’s interesting that it’s also Lewis Carroll because it shows that everyone kind of has a yin-yang thing going on inside themselves, and I’m sure everyone can relate to that.”

Bauman’s sense of Alice is a feeling that follows him. “I’m sure we could relate to something, we feel like something’s chasing us, we feel like we have to go there, maybe we don’t know why. You don’t want to be late, you don’t know what for, but you know you can’t stay still – college student life,” he said.

Bauman first developed an interest in acting when his fifth grade class went to see “The Giver” performed by the Oregon Children’s Theater. “I saw people not much older than me, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is possible for me to do in like a few years,’ and so I could do it in middle school or in high school,” he said.

He started acting when he was a freshman in high school and has performed in more than a dozen plays. “I started doing as many shows as possible and never really stopped,” he said.

Bauman said acting is a way to transcend social norms. “When you’re in high school, or any school or even in college, there’s all these social constructs and norms you have to adhere to around people. Then when you go into a theater with these people, you run around and act like a rabbit, or a caterpillar, and act ridiculous. There’s really no reason to judge anybody. And it’s just hanging out as human beings. I feel like that’s really hard to find in a lot of circles.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of theater students are really shy, which is weird because it’s theater, and a lot of people just let opportunities pass them by,” he said. “I almost didn’t take this class because I knew I wouldn’t know anyone in it, but if you know you want to do something you’ve got to do it — and just know if it’s embarrassing, then it probably was a really good performance.”