When Columbia Borough School District's theater department presents its fall play, audiences will see some familiar characters on stage in a well-known setting but presented in a completely new way. "Alice in Wonderland" will be performed on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 2 and 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 901 Ironville Pike, Columbia.

The show is a fast-paced smash-up of two Lewis Carroll classics - "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass."

"It's the story of 'Alice in Wonderland,' about a girl who goes down a rabbit hole and meets a bunch of characters, but there are also characters from 'Through the Looking Glass,'" explained Kayla Peters, who portrays one of the characters from the latter work, the Red Queen.

And while it's a play, it features original music written by local musicians Steven and Elizabeth Roldan.

"It's almost like talk-singing," said Gage Wolf, who plays the White Knight and the Caterpillar in the show. "It's Lewis Carroll poems set to music."

The production features approximately 60 students in grades one through 12.

"This is one of our biggest shows we've done in a while. It's a huge cast," said Gage, noting that typical Columbia High School productions are open to students in grades seven through 12. "It's been really fun having the little kids be part of this show."

Some of the cast members include Zooey Minnick as Alice; Ethan McNair as the White Rabbit; Amaya Farley as the Queen of Hearts; Danny Jones as the Mad Hatter; Sullyvan Peterson, Kylie Kuhn and Adalie Vanaulen as the Cheshire Cats; Sarah Shetrompf as the White Queen; and Conner Cless and Charlotte Warfel as Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, respectively.

Along with lots of unique characters in colorful costumes and a unique set that features all of the whimsy and magic you might expect in Wonderland, the show will entertain audiences from a technical standpoint as well, said Jessie Fisher, a member of the tech crew.

"There's going to be a lot of cool effects that people will see during the show, especially with lighting," Jessie said.

The play has been adapted for the stage by director Janet Wood.

"I've done original work for the stage and scripted the theater in the street - the original 10 years of Ghosts of Columbia, a haunted lantern tour - and various shorts of historical fiction," explained Wood, who also serves as the show's costumer. "This 'Alice' adaptation was done for a community summer theater in the park. Combining both books gave the maximum number of characters, and I liked the story flow."

Bringing the Roldans on board was an easy decision, she said.

"Elizabeth and Steven Roldan are professional musicians. Elizabeth teaches choir at Columbia," Wood noted. "Steven plays in our pit and has had a number of his compositions premiered in Europe."

Columbia participates in the International Thespian Society (ITS), and once the play wraps up, some of the students involved will travel to the ITS state conference in January to perform a one-act play, "Flowers for Algernon."

In the meantime, the cast is gearing up to present audiences with a familiar story performed in a new way.

"It's a really great show, and everyone should come see it," Jessie said. "We worked really hard on it, and it's going to be a lot of fun for people to see."

Tickets for "Alice in Wonderland" will be sold at the door. There are separate prices for adults, students and senior citizens.