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Alice in Blunderland (Morality Play) Alice in Blunderland, the dramatic allegory, was the creation of Legacy Inc. an interfaith, non-political, anti-nuclear war organization which wrote and performed Alice in Blunderland over 120 times to 70,000 people in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.  The Legacy message was further spread by over 180 church, school, and community groups in 32 states and six other nations who produced and performed Alice in Blunderland for their communities.

Legacy, Inc. was founded by Leslie Leonard Hudak of Summit County, Ohio in 1981 in response to the impassioned speeches of Australian peace activist, Dr. Helen Caldicott of Physicians for Social Responsibility. After hearing the message of Dr. Caldicott in one of her first addresses in Washington, DC, Hudak gathered her friends and colleagues in the Stow-Kent area of Northeast Ohio to brainstorm new approaches to penetrate an apathetic public and raise concern about the dangers of nuclear radiation. In response to Hudak's sessions, Legacy group members Tom and Tim DeFrange wrote a play, a musical allegorical play, inviting audiences to join Alice in a "wonderland" threatened with nuclear destruction. The Legacy members and their children formed the cast of the show and began rehearsing for their first performance extended by a peace group at Trinity Lutheran Church in North Akron, Ohio in early 1981. From then to the fall of 1991, Legacy performed the play in five states and on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. at the bi-partisan invitation of Congressmen John Seiberling (D-Akron) and Jim Leach (R-Iowa). ref>

Accompanying Legacy to Washington, DC for their show on Capitol Hill was PM Magazine host Cathy Brugett. The performance in the Canon Caucus Room of the Longworth building was attended by 100 persons among whom were Reps. John Seiberling (D-Akron), and Jim Leach (R-Iowa), Reps. Dennis Eckart (D-Euclid), Don Pease (D-Oberlin), and Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio). The trip by the 37-member cast including 12 children was financed by $8,000 in individual contributions. (Akron Beacon Journal March 8, 1983). This performance was followed by an evening performance at the AME Methodist Church in Washington for several thousand participants in the Citizens Nuclear Freeze Lobby. United Presyterian A.D. magazine featured Alice in Blunderland as their May 1983 cover story. St. Anthony Messenger did the same in July of 1985.

Legacy secured funding from the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, the National Council of Jewish Women and a half dozen other sources to record and print the entire musical score, play script and musical accompaniment creating production kits for casts of up to 25 members and selling them at below-cost for $55 to interested peace groups all over the United States who wished to perform the play in their local communities. Along with the these kits of 25 songbooks, scripts, and accompaniment audio tapes, Legacy, Inc. gave over 180 of these peace groups permission to perform the show royalty-free. Legacy produced a newsletter for these groups called the Rabbit's Notes to highlight their achievements in spreading Legacy's message of peace.

Legacy, Inc. went on in 1986 to coordinate a statewide creative arts week, Unifying Ohio for Peace, which brought together more than 200,000 Ohioans of various views to share their visions of peace.

The last shows performed by the original cast were at Purdue University and Kent State University in 1991.

Play Synopsis The musical production of Alice in Blunderland turned Alice in Wonderland into a modern morality play, providing a whimsical experience about a not so whimsical possibility in today's world...nuclear extinction. The thrust was to inspire audiences to learn about and to involve themselves in the nuclear issue.

Alice enters Blunderland to find the truth. she is directed on her search by the Cheshire Cat, a journalist who knows what's happening but prints only what sells. The Rabbit is the only one in Blunderland who understands the truth about the dangers of "fairy dust." He frantically shares his concern with Alice, but she is confused, having encountered two superpowers, Tweedledum and Tweedledummer, who argue over last week's treaties and build ever bigger stockpiles of fairy dust in fierce competition. When asked which is "dummer," each points to the other.

Alice also meets the Prime Minister, who has perfected the art of sounding important while doing nothing, and the Flowers, who only do what serves their best interests. Biggie Rat and the Mad Hatter push for non-military uses of fairy dust, emphasizing profit at any cost, while the Walrus, a business tycoon, notes that he sells fairy dust to both Tweedledummer and Tweedledummer, not caring which one is ahead. A scientist, Dr. Carpenter, provides the brains behind the Walrus' success, and together they plot to eliminate the interfering Rabbit.

Alice meets the Forest Gnomes, innocent victims who complain about damage to their DNA. She then attends the Oyster Convention, where she sees all the population of Blunderland confronted with the truth and still walk away. As Alice struggles to decide if she wants to do something, she is reassured by the Cat that no governemnt or corporation can stand up against people united in their convictions. Alice then returns through the magic mirror to do her part to save her world for the children.

The play's message is supported by eight original songs: "God Save Us from Ourselves," "Garden to Grow," "The Last Protest Song," "Leave My DNA Alone," "The Prime Minister's Oratory," "The Blunderland National Anthem," "Alice's Song," and "For Them to Keep." The one-act play runs about 85 miniutes. Staging is simple and symbolic.

alerts to the editors: COI: Written/submitted by Tim DeFrange, a co-author of the play, Alice in Blunderland, performing member of the Legacy cast and personal friend of its late founder, Leslie Leonard Hudak. Verifying and Corraborating Resources: Cover story: United Presbyterian May 1983 Cover Story: St. Anthony Messenger July 1985 Primary documents: 1983 invitation sent by Congressmen John Seiberling (D-Akron) and Jim Leach (R-Iowa) to their colleagues, Newspaper clippings from D.C. and local papers reporting the performances in Washington DC. Official brochures and programs printed by Legacy, Inc. Photograph of the Legacy cast taken in 1983 in the Cannon Caucus Room of the Longworth Building on Capitol Hill. Press photograph of the cast with John Seiberling signed by the same, Web links to a professionally-produced video production of the play itself which is viewable for free in digital format online in nine parts.