Curiouser and curiouser as Alice’s aerial circus enchants Fernhill Dementia Care Home residents

A dazzling adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, performed as an outdoor aerial circus, wowed an audience at Fernhill dedicated dementia care home.

The garden at Fernhill was the ideal setting for ‘Alice’s Adventures in Aerialand’, staged by London-based professional theatre company The Dot Collective.

Using hoops, aerial bars and silks, four acrobatic performers played the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit and of course Alice herself.

There were smiles all round as the colourful characters spoke directly with the audience quoting famous lines from Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of wonder and nonsense.

“I really enjoyed the show,” said Fernhill resident Joan Vohra. “The way they did it was something completely new to me.”

Fernill Companion Ann Marie Knight said: “This was such a treat for our residents. They couldn’t wait to go into the garden to see it.

“It’s essential to provide entertainment focused on our residents’ needs and this was perfect. It was a truly wonderful performance.

“There was laughter and the chance to sing along with the performers.

“Our residents clearly enjoyed it and gave a rapturous round of applause at the end.

“And there was lots of time to chat with the cast after the show.”

The Dot Collective was founded in 2016 in memory of Dorothy Harling, grandmother of Artistic Director Laura Harling.

Towards the end of her life, Dorothy or Dot was in need of constant care and moved into a care home in East Sussex.

The company aims to provide innovative theatre of a high professional standard, particularly for those living with dementia, and has established strong relationships with care providers across the country including the Alzheimer’s Society.

Speaking about the performance at Fernhill, Laura said: “I’ve been lucky enough to perform on stage and TV across the UK but bringing our adapted show and enriching the lives of others means a lot to all of us and we are delighted the residents enjoyed the performance.”

Reflecting the Mad Hatter’s comment to Alice that it’s always ‘time for tea’, residents and performers enjoyed a post-show get-together indoors complete with tea and ‘EAT ME’ biscuits.

“Thankfully no-one grew larger or was shrunk in the process!” said Anne Marie.