Workshop in anniversary Wonderland

LARGE SCALE: the cast of Workshop’s 40th anniversary show.

Oldham Theatre Workshop falls down a rabbit hole into its fifth decade this week with a special 40th birthday production of classic story “Alice in Wonderland”.

Lewis Carroll’s surreal tale has been turned into a musical by Workshop director James Atherton and lyricist Sarah Nelson — and gets a new character into the bargain, a narrator figure, done up like a circus ringmaster.

The 55-strong cast is headed by 11-year-old Naimh Purtill as Alice, in her first leading role, and Kassie Bowers as the narrator (pictured centre, right and left), and features several older Workshop members, who have returned from drama schools and university to appear in the special anniversary production at the Oldham Coliseum until Saturday. Over the years the group has produced many TV and West End stars and continues to work with up to 250 youngsters a year, both in home-grown musicals and theatre workshops.