Tickets for The Velveteen Rabbit are available at www.macleodempress.com, by calling 403-553-4404 or at the box office on Main Street.
The Empress Theatre Society and the F.P. Walshe Grade 9 drama class will present the classic story of The Velveteen Rabbit.
The three performances on the Empress stage are at 7 p.m. June 23, June 24 and June 25.
The Velveteen Rabbit is a story about a stuffed toy rabbit’s quest to become real through the love of a child.
This adaptation of Margery Williams’ timeless tale celebrates the power of love to transform our lives.
“We chose The Velveteen Rabbit as it contains many beautiful themes the students could explore,” explained Graham MacBean, the Grade 9 drama teacher who is directing the play.
“Superficially, it is a cute story about a boy and his favourite toy, but it’s also about how to live and love in a world filled with loss and suffering and is a meditation on the gradual transformation to becoming ‘real’, a journey we are all on.”
Janet Allard’s play is a faithful adaptation of the beloved children’s book of the same name, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
In the play, however, the character of the wise old Skin Horse also serves as the narrator.
“As a toy that formerly became real, she transcends the boundaries of the stage and as such can exist both in the world of the play as a mentor and in our world as a storyteller,” MacBean said.
Many of the cast and crew are putting on a production for the first time “bravely and enthusiastically” agreeing to take part, despite most never having performed before.
The production team has committed many hours at home and after school to bring the play together.
Like so many things, the pandemic has put restraints and restrictions on rehearsal time.
“Generally, productions will schedule one hour of rehearsal for every minute on stage,” MacBean said. “However, restraints on time due to COVID meant we had to be very efficient with our rehearsals, with many actors taking on technical roles as well.”
Tickets for The Velveteen Rabbit are available at www.macleodempress.com, by calling 403-553-4404 or at the box office on Main Street.
