Magic is coming to downtown Fort Wayne—and in a place and time that you’d least expect it.

Get ready for LADA through the Looking Glass, a unique adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s imaginative book, performed by Fort Wayne’s own Life Adult Day Academy students. In partnership with Audiences Unlimited, a program of the Embassy Theatre, students will bring this inspirational tale to life through playful props, mirrors, puppetry, and dramatic shifts in size and perspective.

For director Gloria Minnich, LADA Through the Looking Glass isn’t simply another performance. It’s a chance for audiences to experience something rare, heartfelt, and completely unique. “It’s going to be something our audience hasn’t experienced before,” Gloria said. “It’s so joyful. You’re going to be hit with the wave of joy that comes off these performers.”

Inspired by Through the Looking-Glass, this year’s production, slated for Wednesday, April 29, at 1 p.m. at the Embassy Theatre, builds on the wonder of last year’s Alice in LADA-Land and opens the door to an even bigger, more imaginative world. The story, a natural fit for LADA, offers multiple magical moments and creative possibilities for the performers and the audience alike.

“This production has lots of characters, so everyone gets their moment,” Gloria said. “It’s a story that can be told in various ways, and we’re having a really good time with it.”

Audiences can expect a whimsical afternoon full of theatrical surprises, complete with a paper snowstorm and curious creatures, including a larger-than-life Jabberwocky. From Alice’s journey into a reversed world, LADA Through the Looking Glass is designed to spark delight from start to finish.

“We’re introducing puppetry and really playing with size and perspective,” Gloria said. “We’ve spent a lot of time creating the world Alice enters.”

But the magic of the performance runs deeper than its visual wonder. Beneath the fun and fantasy is a meaningful invitation to see the LADA students clearly and celebrate them for exactly who they are.

“How do we let students be seen in this world for who they are?” Gloria said. “They are looking outward, and others are looking back at them. How do we make sure they’re truly seen?”

That question is part of what makes this program so powerful. “The first day we come back, they break out into applause,” Gloria said. “When they see me, they know it’s starting. The energy is through the roof.”

And that excitement turns into something lasting. Over time, Gloria has watched students grow in confidence, strengthen relationships, make bolder creative choices, and step forward more readily with their voices and presence.

“The dramatic elements students experience through these performances impact the rest of their lives,” Gloria said. “It bleeds over into advocating for themselves as people moving through life.”

This year’s show also marks a thrilling first: LADA Through the Looking Glass will be performed at The Embassy Theatre. Gloria said the students already know the venue, and the chance to step onto that stage has only added to the anticipation.

“The students all know The Embassy,” Gloria said. “There’s just this general sense of excitement. We get to be on that stage.”  For Gloria, that is exactly why the community should come.

“If you’re looking for a way to escape into a different universe for a while, feel the joy, and support amazing performers, this is it,” she said. “You’re going to see something completely unique.”