{"id":74338,"date":"2026-02-10T08:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T13:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=74338"},"modified":"2026-02-11T20:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T01:00:02","slug":"utc-theatre-co-presents-alice-by-heart-feb-24-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/utc-theatre-co-presents-alice-by-heart-feb-24-28\/","title":{"rendered":"UTC Theatre Co. presents \u201cAlice by Heart\u201d Feb. 24-28"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Annie

Annie Mitchell as Alice and Teagan Bartz as Alfred star in the UTC Theatre Co.’s upcoming production of “Alice by Heart.” Photo courtesy of UTC Theatre Co.<\/p><\/div>\n

A story of imagination forged under pressure takes the stage later this month when \u201cAlice by Heart,\u201d a musical set against the backdrop of the London Blitz during World War II, comes to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts Center\u2019s Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre.<\/p>\n

Performed by the UTC Theatre Co., \u201cAlice by Heart\u201d runs at 7:30 p.m. from Feb. 24-28, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here<\/strong><\/a> and through the UTC Fine Arts Center Box Office\u2014in person or by phone at 423-425-4269. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for students (with proof of student ID) and seniors.<\/p>\n

The UTC Fine Arts Center is located at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street on the UTC campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlice by Heart\u201d features music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, and is based on a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson.<\/p>\n

The musical centers on Alice Spencer and her best friend, Alfred, two teenagers sheltering in an underground bunker during the bombing of London. As war closes in, the pair retreat into their shared copy of Lewis Carroll\u2019s \u201cAlice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland,\u201d transforming the bunker and its inhabitants into a reimagined Wonderland shaped by memory, fear and grief.<\/p>\n

The production is directed by Steve Ray, head of the UTC Department of Theatre and artistic director of the UTC Theatre Co.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a musical that was recommended by our students,\u201d Ray said. \u201cEvery year we take solicitations from our students about what plays they would like to do, and this was high on their list. This is a very fun, unique play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ray said the dual worlds of the production\u2014wartime London and Wonderland\u2014are essential to how the story unfolds on stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blitz is the chaos that is the world of the play, but it has to change to Alice in Wonderland just for these young people to get through it,\u201d he said. \u201cAs the play progresses, we see more and more of Wonderland take over as an escape or a way to deal with the difficulty of the pain of war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ray pointed to the creative team behind the musical as a draw for audiences. Sheik and Sater are the creators of \u201cSpring Awakening,\u201d the Tony Award-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2006. Sheik, a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, is also known for the 1996 hit \u201cBarely Breathing,\u201d which was ranked No. 88 on VH1\u2019s \u201c100 Greatest Songs of the \u201990s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some great music\u2014interesting, unusual music for musical theater,\u201d Ray said. \u201cBut I think the real thing is the way this play just has a visceral gut punch. It tugs on your heartstrings in ways you don\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Teagan

From left: Teagan Bartz as Alfred, Kyra Hollmon as Cheshire Cat\/Tabatha and Annie Mitchell as Alice. Photo courtesy of UTC Theatre Co.<\/p><\/div>\n

The 15-student \u201cAlice by Heart\u201d cast is comprised of the following UTC undergraduates (academic year\/major\/hometown):<\/p>\n