l to r: Noah Youcheff and Randy Riley
The Adventures of Peter Rabbit opens at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts with some hidden surprises for the audience to discover. These “Easter eggs” help to knit the scenes together, adding another layer to the story. This is an aspect of the show that really excites Guest Director, Andrea Unger. “In our production meetings, we’ve discussed visuals and sounds that tie Beatrix Potter’s real life – reality – to her imagination – her stories. For instance, the jacket that Peter Rabbit wears is the same jacket that Noel Moore, the boy for whom Peter Rabbit was written, also wears. This particular production offered many opportunities for this extra layering. Not everyone in the audience will consciously notice these subtle details. Hopefully, those who do will find as much delight in discovering them as we did in making them.”
Sarah Byers, foreground, plays the writer Beatrix Potter, with a group of characters she created in the background
Unger admits that at first she was unsure about directing this production because she thought the play was about Peter Rabbit. But then she read the script and realized she was mistaken. Unger explains, “I was captured by the depth of the story, which is actually more about Beatrix Potter, the author of the Peter Rabbit stories. The play portrays her life, and how some of her stories came to be, in an imaginative and playful narration.” Unger says the storyline moves quickly enough to keep the attention of younger children while being complex enough to keep the attention of adults, too. “You will learn something and you will laugh. And the mice are just so darned cute!”
DreamWrights is offering the chance to enjoy tea and confections with Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit on Saturday, October 22 from 1:00 – 2:00pm. The tea is open to all ages and attendees are encouraged to wear their garden party finery. The cost for the tea is $10 per person. Stay for the 2:30pm matinee and save $3. Tickets for the tea are available through Oct. 21 at 4:00pm.
l to r: Dana Cutti, Lilly Einsig and Jonah Unger
The Adventures of Peter Rabbit and its delightful surprises opens Friday, October 7 and runs October 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 6:30pm and October 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 2:30pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dreamwrights.org or by calling 717-848-8623. Seats cost $10 for general, $14 for reserved.
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