Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre will be presenting the journey of a porcelain rabbit as he learns about love. Show times for “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” are Friday Feb. 25, Saturday, Feb. 26, Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 27, and Sunday, March 6, at 2 p.m. at First Street Community Center Theatre in uptown Mount Vernon. Tickets are available in advance or at the door.
Director Grant Freeman and narrator Amy White both fell in love with the script during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the members of the troupe would hold readings of different plays.
“This made me feel things more than a lot of children’s theatre does,” Freeman said.
“I fell in love with this the minute we had started reading it,” White said. “Children’s plays are some of my favorite genres, but this got me thinking of how wonderfully it brings a book to life for children of all ages.”
The play is based on a Kate DiCamillo book of the same name about a porcelain rabbit who gets thrown into the ocean and makes a journey from there through many different people’s lives.
The theatre company has been promoting the production at area schools, but White said that it’s a play that should work for anyone, no matter their age.
White loves that her role as narrator helps the story come to life, thanks to her fellow co-actors in the production.
“It’s really sort of the perfect role for me,” White said.
Freeman also noted that the production is a truly collaborative show, and really has fit the focus of the theatre – to make art for people by creative people.
And while the play might have simple stage directions, that doesn’t make the film always the easiest play to perform.
“We have a lot of players in this production who have to embody their entire characters in a two- or three-line exchange,” Freeman said.
For Carley Hutson, being in this play has given her an opportunity to play numerous characters in the same show, including Abilene.
“They’re all different people, all with their own unique charms,” Hutson said.
The greatest challenge for Hutson may be the way some of the characters push her outside of her boundaries.
“I’m usually a quiet person, and some of these characters are definitely not that,” Hutson said.
White suggests people should come see the show to support their local theatre and local arts.
“This play is a testimony to the human spirit, and there’s a good chance it’s not going to leave a dry eye in the house,” White said. “It’s got a lot of emotional highs and lows.”
“This show offers lessons that kids and adults can take away from it,” Hutson said. “It’s just such a sweet show with a good lesson at its core.”
“This is a truly magical show that’s going to touch your heart if you’re 6 or 62,” Freeman said. “It’s told by expert storytellers, from members of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre board to the younger members on our cast. You can feel the energy emulate off of everyone.”
Carley Hutson (sitting) and Megan Baumler in a scene from “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.”