‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ brings the magic of childhood to the stage

“The Velveteen Rabbit,” the latest production from Alluvion Stage Company, shares a heartwarming tale of love geared toward children but designed for audiences of all ages.

“If you enjoy Pixar movies like ‘Toy Story,’ you will enjoy this,” said Linda Nell Cooper, Alluvion’s artistic director.

Cooper added that college students will especially enjoy the sophisticated music and high-energy performances.

The show runs from Oct. 15-18 at Liberty’s Tower Theater and Oct. 20-21 at Academy of Fine Arts in downtown Lynchburg.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is the first show in Liberty’s new initiative, Theater for Young Audiences (TYA), which introduces children 12 and under to live theatre and allows Liberty’s Department of Theatre Arts to work more closely with the local community as it performs at venues across the city. Special performances were planned for children at R.S. Payne Elementary School and Forest Elementary School.

“We really do feel a strong connection with the community,” said Scott Hayes, who directs the show. He said TYA, along with Liberty’s summer theater program and new KIDS Create after school program, strengthens this connection.

Hayes, who is the associate dean for academics in Liberty’s School of Communication & Creative Arts, said TYA provides valuable experience to theater students especially considering that “50 percent of first union jobs that acting students get after graduation are with traveling theater groups geared toward young audiences.”

“This also provides an excellent opportunity to reflect the servant’s heart of the university,” he added.

The show is an adaptation of the beloved children’s book of the same name. “The Velveteen Rabbit” celebrates childhood as seen through the eyes of a modest stuffed rabbit, the simplest toy in the nursery. The rabbit’s journey of becoming “real” is one that many people can relate to; at the heart of the story is a reminder of the power of love and friendship.

“Every kid has experienced a time where they don’t think they have a friend and where their stuffed animal becomes someone they can talk to,” Hayes said. “There is that idea of that imaginary friend coming to life; it is important to foster that imagination in kids. It helps remind us there is a little bit of kid in all of us. All of the students in the theater department are here because of a positive experience they had when they were young. The idea of championing your imagination and creativity is something we are behind.”

“The Velveteen Rabbit” includes a cast of five and two crew members, all of whom are Liberty theater arts students serving as Alluvion interns.

As part of this celebration of childhood, Alluvion is supporting Toys for Tots with this production. Guests who bring a stuffed animal to the performance will receive $3 off their ticket.