This moment
Chiya Newman (Director, Alice By Heart) opens up about the secret choice that ended up being a lasting memory for the cast in her first Directors Commentary “This moment”.
This moment: Byron Wood (YOUNG ALFRED) and Elle Oros (YOUNG ALICE)
Photo by Carlos Ceja
Although they weren't in the original Off-Broadway production, I felt moved to weave these two childhood characters into our story. The loss of childhood is one of the strongest themes in Alice By Heart and it was important to me to lean into the connection of Young Alice and Young Alfred.
At the heart of the story is Alice's struggle to say goodbye to Alfred, her childhood friend, as she faces the painful reality of losing him.
I wanted our audience to catch glimpses of Alice and Alfred's past throughout the show, bringing the theme closer to home through the physical presence of their childhood memories. There was one particular moment toward the end of the story where I felt this idea could really land.
As Alfred passes away during the song “Afternoon,” I knew I wanted our young Alice and Alfred to appear as childhood memories, take him by the hands, and gently lead him away. I wanted to portray that even though Alfred is gone, he will always remain a part of Alice's childhood. And he got to stay that way.
I kept this detail a secret from the entire cast for weeks. I wanted to capture the raw emotion from our actress playing Alice as she watched the children take Alfred away for the first time. It wasn’t until the final rehearsal that we added the children to the scene.
It definitely had the impact I intended, but I hadn't anticipated what it would do to the rest of the cast. Everyone burst into tears as the children gently guided Alfred away. We actually had to stop rehearsal so everyone could recover that day, but it was so amazing!
— Chiya Newman, Director
ALICE BY HEART (May, 2026)
Produced by Daena Santoyo
Directed by Chiya Newman
Choreographed by Emma-Rose Allen
Vocal Direction by Emily Hall
Series Sponsor: Ojai Film Festival
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