Dragon's Egg Project
Commissioned by the Cultural Commission of New Jersey
October ’07

Through special invitation, THEATRE LILA will travel to Mystic, CT in June to perform in “Alice Wanders…” the 2007 incarnation of The Dragon’s Egg Theatre and Dance Center’s Narrative Assemblage Project. Hosted by Marya Ursin and her company, the Mystic Paper Beasts, the Narrative Assemblage Project is a one-of-a-kind theater festival where theater and dance companies are invited to create compositions inspired by a work of literature. This year, Theatre LÎLA, along with 6 other professional theatre companies, will present original pieces based on the Lewis Carroll’s classic tale The Adventures of Alice In Wonderland.

Theatre LILA’s Artistic Director Jessica Lanius will direct co-Artistic Director Andy Arden Reese in the role of Alice. In this comic, contemporary fusion & deconstruction, our Alice - now 40 years old – is still trapped in a world of jabberwockies, crazy kings and queens, “eat me” cookies, “drink me” bottles, and the inability to EVER leave Wonderland. What keeps her swirling and spiraling in her mad teacup? What does she need to do to find her way out of the rabbit hole and back into life?

Marya Ursin and The Mystic Paper Beasts have been long time good friends and contributors to Theatre LILA’s success and growth as a company through the donation of their beautiful retreat space, The Dragon’s Egg. Over the past 2 1/2 years, The Egg has provided Theatre LILA the ability to retreat in the purest sense – building our ensemble company, developing seed ideas, and rehearsing productions in a deeply focused way. We are thrilled to be invited to participate in this unique and “wonder” –full opportunity.

THE DRAGON’S EGG website

"With the Dragon's Egg, Marya and Dan have created a space that is beyond verbal description. It can be described in movement and sound, or memory and dream. It is a place where judgment is suspended and everything is possible. Truly, it is an artist's paradise. We are blessed to have access to such an open, inviting and life affirming site."
-Victoria Dryden, artist and dreamer