Nikiski Middle School will open “Alice in Wonderland” on Friday, with additional showtimes Saturday and next weekend.
According to Carla Jenness, a longtime performer and language arts teacher at Nikiski who was “voluntold” to help out with the theater program years ago, high school students are directing and managing the upcoming production with little help from faculty. It’s the third student-led production, following “Elf” in 2023 and “Wonka” last year.
Producing, acting and directing all run in the Jenness family. In 2005, Jenness and her husband Chris started the Triumvirate Theater after successfully running the Alaska Children’s Institute for the Performing Arts for seven years. Their son Kincaid, a Nikiski senior, is directing “Alice in Wonderland.” It’s his first time directing, but he was acting before he could walk.
“I’ve been doing shows since I was playing baby versions of other characters,” he said with a laugh.
Kincaid Jenness said he chose “Alice in Wonderland” because he likes the themes of self-acceptance the “weird and bizarre” story has to offer.
“I think that it’s pretty important for some of these kids to learn that it’s okay to be weird and to not really make any sense — just like a talking caterpillar and a Cheshire cat,” he said. “I think it’s really important — especially now — to be weird and colorful and just do what you love.”
He and six other upperclassmen have been managing a cast of over two dozen middle schoolers since rehearsals began in August. Theater is offered as an elective course during seventh hour, so rehearsals don’t typically interfere with after-school activities.
Emily Porter, an eighth grader playing the Queen of Hearts, said she enjoys working with the high schoolers.
“I feel like it’s pretty awesome that it gets to be completely student-led,” she said. “I hope that when I’m in high school, I get to be a director and help out with it.”
Porter said she’s thankful for her fellow cast members and the directors for putting in a lot of work. Despite the inevitable pre-show jitters, she and Kincaid Jenness both said they’re ready for opening night.
“The kids have done so much work, and I’m so proud of them,” Jenness said. “My crew has done so much work with this beautiful set and the direction they’ve done. I think we’re definitely ready.”
When asked what she would say to someone on the fence about attending the performance, Julia Peterkin, an eighth grader playing Alice, said she hopes for a full audience.
“I think they should come to support our community and see all the hard work all the kids have put in,” she said. “We spend a lot of time rehearsing, and it takes a lot of work to get to where we are. And it takes a lot of confidence.”
The play opens Friday at 7 p.m. with an additional evening showing Saturday at the same time. Next week, there will be two matinee performances on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 9:30 a.m. and Friday, Dec. 12 at noon. Admission is $15 for kids and $20 for adults, and all proceeds will benefit the theater. Tickets are available for purchase online and at the door.
Photo courtesy of Carla Jenness Julia Peterkin, an eighth grader playing Alice in Nikiski Middle School’s upcoming performance of “Alice in Wonderland,” is pictured in front of the rest of the cast on Dec. 2.
Emily Porter, an eighth grader playing the Queen of Hearts, attends rehearsal on Dec. 2, 2025. The upcoming production of “Alice in Wonderland” is directed entirely by the high school upperclassmen, and Porter said she has enjoyed working with the older students. Photo courtesy of Carla Jenness
