News
03/6/2026
Aaaand Scene! Student Assistant Directors Take the Lead in ‘Alice By Heart’
by Jillian Maura ’28, Staff Writer for The Polygon
This spring, the Upper School musical, Alice by Heart, will reimagine the story of the classic nineteenth-century novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but set during the London Blitz. The main character, Alice, uses her vivid imagination to travel through the realm created in the novel, and this is meant to convey how hope is able to guide us in difficult times. “Through this, we see that stories aren’t just for children—they’re the maps we use to find our way back to ourselves,” says Director Markio Watt.
The musical is directed by Mariko Watt, Performing Arts Faculty member, alongside two returning assistant directors, Val Aberle ’27 and Grayson Monacelli ’26. They are ready to deliver their best work as they prepare for the musical’s opening night on March 13, 2026. “As we get more into the show, they are going to be working on fine-tuning it and connecting it more to the characters,” said Watt. Both Aberle and Monacelli are no strangers to Poly theater productions. Most recently they were part of the cast of this past fall’s Grades 11-12 play, And Then There Were None. Grayson has directing experience as part of Advanced Acting’s one act play No Exit in 2023 and served as assistant director the Grades 11-12 play, She Kills Monsters in 2024. As they take on assistant directing Alice By Heart, both Monacelli and Aberle are excited to showcase their skills in the theater department.
For as long as Aberle can remember, she has been a part of the performing arts community in school and beyond. From what she can recall, a production of Disney’s The Lion King was the first time she was cast in a musical. “[In] preschool, [I was] probably crawling on the floor as a lion or an animal or something… I’ve always done [musicals]. It just felt freeing, and it was always a fun way to express myself.” said Aberle. She gained her first exposure to the opportunity of becoming an assistant last year when she reached out to Sadie Schoenberger ’25, the assistant director for the Upper School’s production of 9-5 The Musical. It was then she realized the position aligned with her interests and skills. Aberle, whose primary passion is dance, was eager to contribute more in that area after returning from a musical hiatus. “Last year, I was really looking to get back into it somehow, but I wanted to be more behind the scenes. Personally, I just don’t feel as comfortable singing and all that, although I love it… I wanted to get a taste of something new,” said Aberle.
Like her co-assistant director, Monacelli became involved in theater at a very young age. “I think I was five or six, and I was part of an outside-of-school theater company for kids. I did a lot of shows with them until I was probably 11 and then started doing theater in middle school and high school,” said Monacelli. She began assistant directing last year and saw it as a way to balance her love of theater and her busy schedule. Whether she is on stage or behind the scenes, Monacelli is enthralled by all aspects of theater. “I think that the musical is really fun because you have a lot of different disciplines that come together to create a final product. Being a part of the production and the behind the scenes is really enjoyable, because you get to watch everything come together,” said Monacelli. As she works alongside the actors, she can draw on her own on-stage experience to help her direct. “As an actor, I think knowing how I like to be spoken to by a director has really helped me. I know what’s helpful to hear,” said Monacelli.
Watt, as the show’s director, has loved having more student leadership on board and praises both Monacelli and Aberle for their talents. As a dancer, Aberle can help with that aspect of the show. “I’m relying on her a little bit more to focus on the movement and the choreography and how that comes together, because that is not one of my strengths,” said Watt. For Monacelli, on the other hand, acting is truly her forte, and she can help with that part of the production. “She’s a very strong actor, and she really thinks about the characters and tries to go deeper into how the characters interact with each other,” said Watt.
As student interest in assistant directing has increased, Watt finds it inspiring and tries her best to ensure that everyone who would like a chance to participate can. “We try to identify specific strengths and then apply them. My job as a director is to look at the whole show as a big picture with all the parts put together, and then use [student assistant directors] to find and finesse little things that might get lost in that big picture,” said Watt. As they work on the musical, Aberle and Monacelli are excited to collaborate with Watt once again on a Poly show. When the production debuts in March, it will highlight both Monacelli’s acting and coaching and Aberle’s skills in dance and choreography. “I really like the musical collaboration because both students are really good at their respective talents… and having them assistant direct is helpful,” said Watt.
With a moving story, a strong cast, great music, and the student leaders at the heart of its production, the Upper School musical Alice By Heart promises to be an incredible show that we can all be proud of and look forward to seeing.
Families are asked to register to attend our Upper School musical, Alice by Heart, on Friday, March 13 at 7:00 PM, Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 PM in the Richard Perry Theatre.
Note: This article has been edited and was originally published in The Polygon‘s January/February 2026 issue.
