Courtesy of Roanoke Children's Theatre
Roanoke Children’s Theatre, which recently shuffled its management lineup, will open the 2019-’20 season with the beloved musical "The Velveteen Rabbit," October 4-6. The only children’s professional theater in the region will open the production at the Jefferson Center.
The shows are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets ($22-$25) can be reserved by calling 540-345-2550. The website is roanokechildrenstheatre.org.
In the story, the most modest toy in the nursery, the title character, longs to become “real,” moving between the worlds of imagination and reality.
Roanoke Valley children in the production’s leading roles include Taylor Lyn Dawson as Velveteen Rabbit, Brandon Alexander Shawl as Ben, David Ratliff as Steve, Jamie Cloutier as Rocking Horse, Olivia Goodman as Toy Boat and Zachary Conklin as Wild Rabbit. Sixteen other children appear in minor roles.
This will be the first RTC production with founder Pat Wilhelms serving as a director and nothing else. Other production people include producing artistic director Brett Roden. Set designer Jimmy Ray Ward, costume designer Kathy Jordan, music director Brandon Mock, choreographer Ronnie Brady, stage manager Taylor Cobb and technical director Star City Sets.
“The Velveteen Rabbit is a simple, meaningful story that is unforgettable with timeless appeal,” says Wilhelms. “No matter how old you are the lessons ring true about love, life and the importance of striving to be real. It is important for our audiences to know that we should all be loved for who we are.”
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).