Atlanta CV show designers knew they wanted to tell a fresh story in 2025.
They didn’t want to rehash something that had been done before, but in the same vein, they wanted something performers could quickly latch onto.
So, as program coordinator Sam Iddings aptly put it, Atlanta CV decided to “tell a familiar story, in an unfamiliar way.” The corps’ 2025 program, titled, “10/6,” takes this approach to the tale of the Mad Hatter, a seminal “Alice in Wonderland” character.
“We all know what the Mad Hatter is,” Iddings said, “We’ve essentially removed the Mad Hatter, (to focus on) how it is to become mad through the hat-making process.”
As Iddings described, the narrative concept of a Mad Hatter has plenty of frivolity to it, but it’s not completely rooted in fantasy.
In the 19th century, hats were made with a high concentration of mercury. Prolonged exposure to mercury vapors caused many hatters to suffer from mercury poisoning — leading to tremors, hallucinations, memory loss, and erratic behavior, which gave rise to the phrase “mad as a hatter.”
It’s that process — that descent into madness — that Atlanta CV plans to unravel this summer.
“It wasn't great for their health,” Iddings said. “We've turned that into an illustration and a character, now we're embodying that character through that literal process of creating hats.”
Visual designer Patrick Nolen Kava described the show opening with a black and white palette but featuring the expansion of “mismatched” colors throughout the production.
Atlanta CV also plans to have a “larger-than-life” hat on its field, one of many set pieces to help create a frenetic landscape.
“The goal was to make the field look like this Mad Hatter’s workshop — colorful, bright, with mixed fabrics and patterns,” he said. “We’re using big oversized spools, thread, and even rifles shaped like half of a pair of scissors. We wanted the visual evolution to reflect a sense of unraveling.”
Musically-speaking, Atlanta CV has planned a repertoire that many drum corps fans will find quite recognizable.
The corps will perform several pieces of music that have been used by corps on recent DCI Tours, including Imogen Heap’s “Aha” (2010 Bluecoats, 2019 Legends), Roland Orazbal’s “Mad World” (2010 Cavaliers), The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” (2022 Pacific Crest), and more.
According to Atlanta CV designers, it’s a strategic decision.
“We do have to understand that creating a product in the All-Age medium is different than an Open or World class medium,” Iddings said. “We meet every weekend for essentially 12 weekends in a row, and we’re done. So, we have to create something enticing enough to bring people in and get students excited in a short period of time.”
Atlanta CV is often one of the first corps to perform at the corps’ respective DCI Tour events, so an additional goal is offering a performance that resonates across a full night of drum corps.
“We need to make the concept and music especially accessible to the membership, and also to the audiences who are going to see us,” Thompson said. “A lot of times, we’re the first corps going on — we want to make an impact and be relatable to them.”
Thompson has a sense that “10/6” will have that desired impact. And so far, that impact has been quite positive.
“The corps members seem really, really excited about the show this year,” he said. “I think this is going to be the best show concept Atlanta CV has had in its 28-year history, and that’s going to translate to a great product on the field.”